The month-long celebration of Canton’s centennial Labor Day festival, which had much to offer, wasn’t really about organized labor. Now that the feel-good readings, concerts and historical affairs have passed, though, it’s a good time consider the history of organized labor in this country, ponder its pending demise and try to figure out how workers will fare in the future as U.S. industry undergoes a tidal wave of changing responsibilities.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

There’s money to be had. That’s what National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia told members of several area arts organizations gathered for an NEA grants workshop Tuesday, Aug. 29.

By Chris Cooper

For all practical purposes, the County bluegrass label is also the Rebel Records label. CD’s bearing the County brand are typically (though not always) early bluegrass and old-time gems that have been saved from the clutches of obscurity, such as last year’s Curly Seckler collection That Old Book Of Mine.

Tsali Recreation Area

One of my wife’s best household accomplishments in the last few years has been reducing the car camping gear for a family of five to an easy-to-find, easy-to-load combination of two plastic tubs, a picnic basket and tents and sleeping bags. Lori has always loved spontaneity, but with three kids and two careers, suffice it to say the attitudes we lived by pre-kids are little more than distant memories.

By Michael Beadle

Ticket sales and attendance were both up this season for Cherokee’s long-running outdoor drama “Unto These Hills,” which saw major changes to its cast, crew and storyline.

The retooled production also found its share of detractors, who liked the old show better, according to James Bradley, executive director of the Cherokee Historical Association, which oversees the show.

Michael Beadle, a local poet and educator, will read poetry that speaks to the mystery of nature and wildness 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Haywood Public Library in Waynesville. “Call of the Wild” will feature poets such as Mary Oliver, William Stafford and Wendell Barry. It is part of the ongoing Conversations with Poetry series put on by Friends of the Library.

Free. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.456.5311.

Registration is up and running for the 31st Cullowhee Native Plant Conference to be held July 16-19 at Western Carolina University.

Workshop topics include native plant propagation, nature photography and garden design tips, while field trips will include visits to areas where new plant life is emerging, canoe trips and hikes to notable plant communities. Presentations will cover growing and caring for native plants; the connections between birds, insects and native plants; managing pests; engaging children in native plants and more. 

Conference participants are encouraged to dress comfortably. On-campus housing in Balsam Hall is available and registration is open through July 11. 

Register online at www.nativeplantconference.wcu.edu or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A summer lecture series dedicated to natural history and conservation will kick off with a talk from Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Highlands Nature Center. 

Dugatkin is a biology professor at the University of Louisville, where he researches the evolution of social behavior, and is the author of the popular book Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose and The Prince of Evolution, as well as two textbooks and numerous magazine and journal articles. 

The Zahner Conservation Lecture Series serves to educate and inspire the public through a series of talks from well-known regional scientists, conservationists, artists and writers. They are held weekly at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at the Highlands Nature Center. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

Local food sales are surging in Western North Carolina, and agriculture is alive and well. 

Direct farmer-to-consumer food sales in the region increased nearly 70 percent between 2007 and 2012, growing from just under $5 million to more than $8 million, according to the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s analysis of the recently released 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Direct sales include growers selling directly to customers through farmers’ markets, co-ops or produce stands, and directly to restaurants or value-added food producers.

Statewide, however, North Carolina saw only a slight increase in direct sales; taking away data from the 23 westernmost counties results in a net decrease for the state. Per capita, WNC customers buy about three times as much food directly from farmers as do their counterparts in the rest of the state. 

Accompanying this trend is a local reversal of a nationwide loss in farm acres. Between 2007 and 2012, Western North Carolina added more than 10,000 acres of farmland while the rest of the state lost acreage. 

“The 2012 Census of Agriculture verifies what we see every day in Western North Carolina — the local food movement is growing,” said Charlie Jackson, ASAP’s Executive Director. “We just never imagined it would be this dramatic.”

According to ASAP, consumers spent over $170 million on local farm products in 2013, a 42 percent increase from the previous year.

ASAP’s own data shows that local farms and locally grown food are defining features of life for the people who live in the region. In every category of local food sales there have been large increases. More restaurants, universities, hospitals and public schools are embracing local food as well. 

“Local food is more than just a trend, it is now a movement,” said Jackson. 

www.asapconnections.org/local-food-research-center or www.appalachiangrown.org. 

 A book by Western Carolina University biology professor and Highlands Biological Station director James Costa titled Wallace, Darwin and the Origin of Species has been published by Harvard University Press.

The book provides an in-depth look at the work of 19th-century English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-discovered the principle of natural selection in 1858. Costa analyzes the development of Wallace’s thinking through the lens of the naturalist’s “Species Notebook,” the field notebook and journal in which Wallace recorded his evolutionary ideas during his eight years of exploration in Southeast Asia in the 1850s. 

“This engaging and very accessible book is the most comprehensive and well-balanced account of the development of Wallace’s early evolutionary thinking ever written,” said George Beccaloni, curator and director of London’s Natural History Museum A.R. Wallace Correspondence Project.

James Costa, 828.526.2602 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters has released its 2013 scorecard for North Carolina legislators, a number based on the legislators’ voting record on key environmental issues. 

This year, a record number of legislators — 82 — earned a score of zero. Among them were Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin; Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville; and Rep. Roger West, R-Marble. Previously, West and Davis had seen somewhat higher scores of 30 and 10, respectively. This is Presnell’s first term. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, earned a score of 89, a jump from his previous high of 82.

nclcv.org.

The Barn at the Mountain Research Station, on Raccoon Road in Waynesville, will serve as the hub for ticket purchasing, vendor presentations and tour directions. The station includes a range of soil types and elevations and a diversity of horticultural, field and forage crops and animals, with a variety of research program in progress. Schedule a tour at 828.456.3942, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Jan Eagle got a scare when a tree fell on her campsite at Cataloochee Campground during her stay at Great Smoky Mountains National Park May 30. Eagle, who lives in Tucson, Ariz., was on the first day of her 12-day stay when the tree fell where she had been sitting moments before. She had moved away from the spot and was uninjured from the incident. 

Children will get a chance to learn firsthand about Cherokee fishing traditions by re-enacting a fish harvest on an ancient stone fishing weir at 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 23, on the Tuckaseegee River.

Outdoor Mission Camp, an affiliate of Youth For Christ USA based in Maggie Valley, is offering a wilderness camp for Western North Carolina students, grades 6 to 12, on a donation basis, as well as a 10-week wilderness discipleship course for college-age students.

The Cherokee Voices Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 14 at The Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will celebrate 30 years with a “Hart Hat Party” from 6 to 8 p.m. June 12 in Waynesville.

The Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University was recently named among BestValueSchools.com’s list entitled “The 25 Most Amazing University Performing Arts Centers.” 

The Bluegrass in Cherokee Festival will run June 12-14 at the Happy Holiday RV Village in Cherokee.

Showcasing some of the finest bluegrass, gospel and Appalachian music in the Southeast, the festival will include Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Paul Williams & Victory Trio, Lonesome River Band, David Holt & Josh Goforth, Raymond Fairchild, Gentleman of Bluegrass, Lou Reid & Carolina, Steve Dilling & Sideline, Bluegrass Brothers, The Churchmen, The Marksmen, Deadn Osbourne Band, Jesse Alexander Band, Jim & Valerie Gabehart, Remington Ryde, Bluegrass Mountaineers, Williamson Branch, HWY 58 and Nick Chandler & Delivered.

Camping is available. Tickets are $25 per day or $30 at the gate, with a three-day pass $70 in advance or $85 at the gate. Kids ages 13-18 are half-price, and free if under age 12. A special free performance by a handful of the festival bands will also take place Wednesday evening.

www.bluegrassincherokee.com.

Alternative rock bands Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

To the Editor:

What to do?  On a recent pouring-down-rain Saturday when my daughter and grandsons were here for their annual three-day visit ... the boys opted for “let’s go to the movies” and moaned and groaned when I dragged them down to the Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum on Phillips Street ... only because I had been there fleetingly just once and many people have said it is really a special place to learn more about the rocks and minerals in the “Gem Capital of the World.” 

Wow! What a great afternoon spent in the best-kept-secret destination in Franklin! As soon as we walked in the front door, three staff members greeted us with questions about where we were from, what the boys might be interested in and would we like the grand tour? Other groups there were accorded the same courteous welcome. Our guide was a most enthusiastic and knowledgeable gentleman who told interesting stories about how rocks, minerals and fossils were formed and preserved, showed us local gems, even Native American artifacts, and the beautiful display of fluorescent rocks found locally and around the world. Our guide took us upstairs to “the slammer,” and enlightened us on a little of Franklin’s “true crime” history as the museum is located in the old jailhouse building, built in 1859 and listed on the national historic register. 

The Gem Museum is filled with unusual precious stones, minerals and artifacts that cannot be found in one place anywhere in this state. I was awed with the rare collection and attractive displays and my grandsons were bursting with all they learned in such a fun-filled way because of our class A teacher-guide. It is obvious the volunteers love the museum and their “work” of helping others to appreciate the amazing beauty, value and diversity of rocks and minerals all around us. What a wonderful asset for our community.

I hope the schools and youth groups schedule field trips to the Gem Museum and that people like me who live here don’t wait for visitors to help us discover this hidden treasure right in our own hometown.  You’ll never look at a plain old stone the same old way ever again.

Debby Boots

Franklin

To the Editor:

I thought that I would warn you about a multimillion dollar foreign-owned operation that is attempting to con and manipulate elected officials here in Jackson County out of millions of your money for their personal gain.

Heery International, ostensibly based in Atlanta yet actually owned and controlled by Balfour Beatty, a globalist operation based in London, presented the Jackson County commissioners with a “customized survey” in April alleging that we must expand our justice and administration building (used to be known as a county courthouse) by almost 36 thousand square feet and more than $11 million in construction and remodeling costs because allegedly the current building won’t meet our needs in 2024.

Concerning this “customized survey,” some the many questions I have are: was this “customized survey” paid for by an independent organization, who wrote it, how was the questionnaire/survey designed (what ‘slant’ of questions was used), and most importantly was this “customized survey” based on any independent accurate and meaningful information?

According to the promotional material handed out to myself and others at the April commissioners meeting where this was presented, this “customized survey” was allegedly confirmed by interviews, tours and an overall facility assessment. How convenient! Methinks Heery International wanted this faux survey confirmed by non-existent quantitative data so that they could try to sell us something that we don’t need.

One of the claims that we need new courtrooms is that the current courtrooms aren’t wheel chair accessible (ADA) or large enough. Poppycock. Simply extend the front part of the jury boxes to be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and build ramps. This can be done by local contractors for a few thousand dollars — not the millions that Heery International wants to soak us for. Besides, catch any prosecutor on a day where you’ve bought him lunch and he’s just pled a big criminal case that’s going to make him look very good politically and, well I think that you see what I mean. Attorneys on both sides prefer overwhelmingly to plead out cases — saves them time, they don’t have to do the research for a trial and it makes them look good — because of this much less courtroom space is needed than worried superior court judges fear.

What we have here is an overseas operation that stands to make a killing off of you and I utilizing what is in effect hearsay evidence, non-scientific data and irrational inferences to con our elected office-holders into committing you to pay for it. These johnnie-come-lately con men aren’t the first such carpetbaggers that have slunk into Jackson County. Send these flim-flam men packing before they pick your wallet or worse.

Carl Iobst

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

Now that the state legislature is in short session, one of the themes is regulatory reform.  Let’s examine what their version of reform has meant to you so far.  

Until the ash spill, Duke Power has gotten off the hook for their groundwater contamination. Your corporate neighbor can contaminate groundwater up to your property boundary — like it will stop there. We’re still waiting to see whether they’ll take serious action to address this ongoing hazard to your health.  

Gas exploration companies can explore under your land without your permission. If most of your neighbors agree to allow drilling for fracking on their land, you may be forced into a contract to allow fracking on your property. Your tax dollars are currently being spent to explore WNC for the gas companies. Your tax dollars will be used to pay for the increased road repairs, police protection and emergency services that go along with fracking.

That’s what Gov. Pat McCrory, Rep. Thom Tillis and Sen. Jim Davis have done so far for their owner, Art Pope.

It’s important to remember why we have regulations. In a less complicated society our family and neighbors enforced the “community rules.” Now we have things like speed limits, noise ordinances, building codes, etc., that are enforced by government agencies (e.g., police) and represent the agreed-upon standards of behavior that are intended to protect the health and safety of the citizens.

In the best of worlds, individuals and companies would take full responsibility for their actions. For example, a company should discharge air and water of the same quality that it took in for its process. They would fully clean up any messes and hazards they leave behind. This personal responsibility is a core principal of conservatism but seems to be entirely lacking in this Republican legislature. Rather, they intend to transfer the cost and risk to you, the citizen, through increased contamination of your air, groundwater and surface water.

John Gladden

Franklin

To the Editor:

On Monday June 2, a man shot and killed a bear because she supposedly tried to attack him on his porch in Maggie Valley. He also said that she had been in his bird feeder and then retracted that statement.

Well sir, which is it? Was she in your yard at the bird feeder or on your porch trying to attack you? 

This was a she bear that had three cubs. She was shot dead with a double odd buck shotgun. This man is not being charged. Two cubs were caught and now have to be raised, and the third cub is still at large and more than likely will not survive. How sad this is for all three cubs. Even sadder that their momma was shot and killed for being hungry and doing her best to provide for them. 

These three cubs now have a slim to none chance for survival. The worst thing is that this man is not being held accountable for his actions. He should be charged and held accountable ethically and financially for all four bears. 

Had this man just left them alone, because he was in their world, they would have sauntered off in search of more food. Why did he not just shoot in the air? They would have run off. Furthermore, why did he not contact our Wildlife Resource officers and advise them he had a nuisance bear with three cubs as a first alternative as opposed to taking matters into his own hands? 

Would this man shoot a fisherman for being in the creek fishing? Had it been an elk he killed for being in his yard, he would be in a world of trouble. The Wildlife Resource officers and our federal government would be all over a person in that situation. The bears were here before the elk. Why should one be protected and not the other? What is the difference between bear, elk, deer, or turkey? There is none. Our officials make the rules. They should be applied to everyone.

My biggest problem with this situation is that had this been one of our local hunters, which I am, we would have been arrested and held ethically and financially responsible for all four bears. What is the difference with this man? A bear was shot and killed out of season, and this man is getting away with it. He is equally responsible for his actions as we would be had it been a local hunter that shot and killed a bear out of season. 

Let us make our voices heard and insist on this man being held accountable for his actions, or incidents like this will only give permission to every outsider who moves in to our area to kill a bear without any consequences for being on their porches or getting into their bird feeders.

Let us insist to our Wildlife Resource officers that this man be held ethically and financially responsible for his actions, or lack thereof, as we would be.

Apparently there is no difference between an individual with a license to hunt and an individual who does not want a bear on their private property.

Catherine Miller

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I am a 55-year-old native of Haywood County, who has been a registered Republican from the time I turned 18. I am writing this in response to all the negative articles written about the Haywood GOP and Mitchel Powell’s letter to the editor in the June 4 Smoky Mountain News titled “Group is hurting Haywood GOP.”

In my humble opinion, The people who are hurting the Haywood GOP are not the hard-working volunteers who give of their time so freely to fight against high taxes, over-spending, over-regulation, the massive county debt and the job-killing ideals of our government leaders and tax-gouging bureaucrats!

The proud patriots named in Powell’s letter are working with one goal in mind — to save Haywood County for our children and grandchildren, and not leave them overburdened with debt and regulation.

I have been a precinct chair for four years and during that time I might have seen Mr. Mitchel Powell at only two or three meetings where he tried to push his socialist tax-and-spend agenda with no success at all. Then he quit his job as vice chair with a very damaging resignation letter.

Conservative, patriotic, freedom-loving Americans must band together to stop these socialist jokers who are bent on turning America into a nanny state where everyone draws a check from the government, and the government draws their check from all of your tax dollars.

I am a defender of the Constitution and individual freedom, and I support the Republican Party platform! I also support the Libertarian Party platform: “As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.” Just for the record, I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and as an “Oathkeeper,” I also support the Constitutionalist Party platform. And as a Christian I also support the Holy Bible as God’s own holy word (and this trumps everything else).

As with all organizations, the Haywood GOP has some problems, But as for me I am proud to call these people my friends and brothers. The people accused of wrongdoing in Powell’s letter, well they are the backbone of the Republican Party, the tireless volunteers who are out working for your rights and freedoms every day, and working to get honest conservative candidates elected to govern our great county. Like the three candidates running for election on the Republican ticket this year — Denny King, and Phillip Wight for county commissioner and Michael Mathews for Haywood County tax collector. And let us not forget we have four liberal tax-and-spend incumbents that must be replaced this year (and my goal is to replace them all).

In addition to the three Republicans named above, Haywood County has only one more great candidate running for Haywood County Commissioner — Dr. Windy McKinney, running on the Libertarian Party ticket.

With the election of these four conservative candidates, Haywood County will have the conservative majority for the first time I am able to remember. May God bless America, and get out and vote. Only you can save Haywood County.

Eddie Cabe

Haywood GOP

Precinct Chair

The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of more than $625,000 to Western Carolina University for a project designed to boost the number of students pursuing degrees in engineering and technology fields as part of an effort to address a growing need for more American scientists and engineers. 

The four-year grant in the amount of $625,179 will provide academic and financial support to engineering and engineering technology students at WCU through a project called Scholarship Program Initiative via Recruitment, Innovation and Transformation, or SPIRIT.

SPIRIT represents a focused approach to the recruitment, retention, education and placement of engineering and technology students who have demonstrated both academic talent and financial need, said Chip Ferguson, associate professor of engineering and technology and associate dean of WCU’s Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology.

“This program will help develop domestic, workforce-ready engineers by providing scholarships that will assist qualified SPIRIT scholars to reduce their financial burden for obtaining an undergraduate education,” Ferguson said. “The project promotes diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, specifically for lower-income students in those fields.”

Through the effort, 27 new and continuing students will be recruited and retained into cohorts that will be developed based upon the Kimmel School’s focus on project-based learning, with students not only studying theoretical aspects about engineering and technology, but also applying those theories in hands-on projects designed to help solve real problems faced by industry partners across Western North Carolina, under the oversight of faculty mentors.

The student cohorts will be integrated both horizontally, with same-year students from different disciplines (such as electrical engineering and mechanical engineering) collaborating in an environment that reflects how engineers work in the real world, and vertically, with different-year students working together on the various stages of a project.

The NSF funding is the second major grant awarded to WCU’s Kimmel School for its engineering program this academic year. A previously announced $500,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation will help expand engineering education across Western North Carolina through a partnership with regional community colleges. 

The Golden LEAF funding will support WCU’s efforts to ensure a seamless transition for community college students who want to earn four-year degrees in engineering through the implementation of engineering pathway courses at community colleges and the recruitment of qualified students into the program. Asheville-Buncombe Technical, Blue Ridge and Isothermal community colleges are initial partners in the effort.

The latest grant comes as work continues to convert nearly 11,000 square feet of former retail space at Biltmore Park into classrooms and laboratory space to enable WCU to offer undergraduate engineering to students in the Asheville-Hendersonville area. The facility, located on the ground floor of the same building that houses WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square, is scheduled to open in August.

For more information about engineering education at WCU, visit engineering.wcu.edu.

By Michael Beadle

Take to the rails through Western North Carolina, and you’re bound to hear some history.

In the late 19th century, tracks were being laid from Asheville to Murphy by a group of convicts working on a portion of the railroad at the mouth of a tunnel at the Tuckasegee River. When a barge carrying these prisoners tipped over, 19 convicts weighed down by their iron shackles drowned. Today, when the tunnel drips, folks like to say it’s the tears of those convicts — just one part of the long history of railroads in Western North Carolina.

It seems that in the realm of jam-oriented “newgrass” music, there are very clear lines between the things that work and those things that don’t.

Extended improvisations are fine, but they have to be grounded in actual songs, not mere canvases on which to scribble aimlessly. It’s great to have a variety of instruments at your disposal, but not as a novelty — that banjo player had better be able to flat-out pick. The same goes for anybody holding a mandolin, Dobro or violin.

Mention the phrase “insect society,” and most folks automatically think of such natural phenomena as the bee hive, the ant colony, the wasp nest or the termite mound — structured civilizations characterized by a precise division of labor among their six-legged citizens.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

The third annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties will kick off with a Mexican Independence Day celebration held from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, in the Grandroom of the A.K. Hinds University Center at the Western Carolina University.

By Michael Beadle

When it comes to the war in Iraq, Americans are divided on what should be done, but a majority of Haywood County residents recently interviewed in a random sampling say the U.S. should stay in Iraq until security is restored.

By Michael Beadle

Editor’s note: From today until the election on Nov. 7, The Smoky Mountain News will run a series of articles on issues we have asked Rep. Charles Taylor and challenger Heath Shuler to address.

As U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor battles former football star Health Shuler for a seat in Congress, will discontent over the war in Iraq prove to be a key issue in determining the outcome of the election? Will Taylor’s seniority in Washington trump his critics?

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Mickey Rooney.

Chances are that if you’re into classic Hollywood you’ve seen at least one of his films, and even if you’re not, well you probably know the name. Pretty much everybody does.

Myspace

Surely you’ve heard of Myspace. It’s that Internet phenomenon where people can find out a little too much about each other in way too little time, musicians can network with other musicians, and people can continue communicating without actually talking, leaving their room, or even taking off the Dracula cape and Bill Clinton mask after feverishly rehearsing their upcoming performance art piece “Democrats Are Bloodsuckers, Too.”

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Dillsboro Mayor Jean Hartbarger has retracted a letter that could have led to a legal squabble with Duke Power.

Hartbarger had signed a letter requesting that the N.C. Division of Water Quality hold a public hearing prior to re-issuing Duke Power water quality certifications for its dams on the Tuckasegee River. After Duke officials claimed that authoring the letter violated the rules of the original stakeholder agreement the town signed as part of the re-licensing process, Hartbarger asked for the letter back from the state.

By Dr. Allan Zacher & JC Walkup

Editor’s note: A recent overdose by a patient inspired Dr. Allan Zacher of Hywood County to work with a free-lance writer on the following article.

“I hope that my story will prevent at least one person from taking too much Tylenol (acetaminophen) and suffering like I did,” said Brenda Hodo, who unintentionally overdosed when she combined two over-the-counter drugs.

It’s a chicken or egg argument, but in this case it doesn’t really matter which is right. Either way the whole region benefits.

By Kirkwood Callahan • Guest Columnist

Political change may arrive with the speed of a tsunami transforming all before it. The GOP takeover of Congress in 1994 was such an event.

Another change may move more slowly like a steadily rising tide. We take note only after it reaches us. The ascent of unaffiliated voters in North Carolina is such a phenomenon.

Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are bracing for a higher-than-normal level of bear activity this fall and are warning Park visitors and neighbors to be especially careful about protecting their food and garbage from bears.

It’s almost time for resolution and termination but first some last minute housekeeping. You should know that I do not believe Adam and Eve are historical people. I was taught Darwin’s theory of biological evolution by the Jesuits and that’s how I perceive life on our planet. That is also Rome’s official position. I also believe in the theory of spiritual evolution convincingly put forth by the paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. (It’s a toss up, however, to see which is moving at the slower pace.)

My buddy, “Ralph,” teaches at a major university. He is about as bright a guy as I’ve ever met and one of the most well rounded. He can expound on any topic from the physical sciences to the formation of black holes, to Shakespeare, classical music, the stock market, the Greeks, you name it. One night at the school’s annual fund-raising gala he and I were discussing a mutual friend “Edward,” who was coming unglued.

The theme throughout this book has been: When a person is emotionally messed up, he or she was made that way, in most instances, from childhood experiences. This is not my idea; I’ve just brought it to your attention. Those of us in the mental health field encounter this truth everyday we go to work.

When listening to my patients tell about their less-than-perfect, sometimes horrific, childhoods, I sometimes asked myself, “Who saved their butts?” Yes, they were in analysis and, yes, they had a multitude of problems yet they were, in most cases, able to function in their families and in society. They were capable of performing their jobs, loving others and being loved — at least to some degree. It stood to reason that somewhere in their youth or childhood someone must have done something good — to them. Discovering that person, or persons, was an important part of the analysis.

When children are growing up their parents are omnipotent, so it is safe to say they will have enormous impact on their children’s emotional development. When environmentally caused problems arise, a parent is probably — at least partially — responsible, either directly or indirectly.

Many of the maladies that affect our emotional systems are fueled by the amount of anger we have storehoused in our unconscious minds. This cache of dangerous energy will dictate more than any other factor whether we are at peace with ourselves, and others, or are a bundle of nerves replete with anxiety, fear, guilt, and frustration. It can even dictate our ability, or inability, to love and to be loved, and to experience and sustain joy. Anger is a curse of being human and what is bedeviling is that we can’t consciously feel it for what it is. It’s just there in the unconscious — eating away at us.

The majority of my patients came to see me because they were depressed. Some were especially down in the dumps and others were only vaguely sad — but all the time. Depression is now at the epidemic level in the United States and I’d like to give a plug to the pharmaceutical industry. Through years of research and development it has discovered numerous drugs that effectively alter moods so that people can get out of bed, go to work, adequately function within their families and cope from day to day. These drugs do not “cure” depression (or other emotional problems) but they may keep them from overwhelming, and they’ve become necessary in our society. So “Attaboy” to the drug companies from a traditional psychoanalyst. They are filling a necessary need, and we’ll talk more about them in Chapter 25.

I was sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch of our house in the North Carolina mountains enjoying the summer night. Barbara was out of town visiting her parents. It was an extraordinarily pleasant evening with soft breezes and a light rain. The insects in the trees had begun their eternal argument about Katie: “She did .... She didn’t! ... Yes, she did .... No, she didn’t!” An owl in the woods across the road gave a low, triple hoot.

People go through life with a multitude of eyeballs. Architects see structures noting design and materials; realtors look for FSBO’s (for sale by owner’s); clergymen see the wondrous hand of God on his creation, or they see the mark of the Devil — depending on their bent. Judges look for precedents; lawyers look for loopholes; burglars look for open windows; policemen look for suspicious characters and tree trimmers look for Dutch elm disease. There are so many facets to life we can’t possibly see them all, so we specialize. In the case of a shrink, our eyes are on the lookout for unconscious forces. This chapter will give you an idea how I, as a psychoanalyst, view some aspects of everyday life.

Shrinks, like other professionals, are a kaleidoscope of humanity. They are fat, skinny, tall, short, handsome, beautiful, ugly. Some have bombastic personalities and others are terribly shy. If there is a common thread, and of course there is, shrinks, like their patients, knew they weren’t quite right. That’s why they entered the mental health field. Psychoanalysis has been called the only profession where people pay you — so you can cure yourself.