Mr. Personality: Book of the Month and other Ramblings

By MR. PERSONALITY, Special to The Paper

November: The highlights for this month are Daylight Savings ends on the 5th, Election Day is on the 7th, Veteran’s Day is on the 11th, and Thanksgiving is on the 23rd.

I love Thanksgiving Day, and I am sad that it is often disrespected due to football games and early Christmas shopping. I am sad that Christmas, Christ Day, is reduced to nothing more than a shopping spree. The many traditions of my childhood seems to be going the way of the buffalo, and that too is sad. Halloween is now becoming more popular than Christmas.

I miss my childhood holidays and my childhood cartoons, as well as the innocence of the times. Even the comic books of yesteryear are no more. The church is too being transformed into a coffee-and-donuts social club, and our world leaders have forgotten why they were elected. I mourn for the America I grew up in. I was born in 1949; no, it was less than perfect, but much better than where we are now going.

I love that we have a new, updated toy store in Newnan. It is located on 4 Greenville Street, and the phone number is 678-590-1083. The owner is Amber Hinson of Pink Flamingo Kids, a store that you should experience for yourself (attention to all grandmothers.) Shopping on The Square is indeed shopping local and shopping small. The Court House Square and the Carnegie Library are truly the pride of Newnan. I love the Courthouse Square and all that it has to offer in the way of small-town hospitality.

This is my last installment on my essay on self-talk, in which I will enter a surprise topic next month to conclude my essay on self-talk. You may want to fact-check all the information you hear, all reporters were at one time required to fact-check all news before reporting it to the public. That no longer seems to be the practice anymore. People are happy to say or repeat information without checking that it is indeed true; that used to be called gossip! Save yourself endless problems by checking the facts.

My book of the month is titled Rethinking Religion by Will Deming. The purpose of this book is to demystify religion. It is a study on six religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and primal religions. To study these six religions does not mean to practice or agree with them, but to better one’s relationship with others is to understand their language and their religion. These are two of the most simple suggestions that are proven to be effective. We must suspend our judgement and see things from the other person’s point of view. The reason one should study all known religions is to better understand the people that practice them. To study other religions is not to endorse them; by understanding others is to better understand ourselves.

Until next time
Peace, love, and  much respect
Mr. Personality