Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, June 23, 2021 Opinions Ruffin’s Renderings: Operations BY MIKE RUFFIN ruffinml@gmail.com I have, in almost every way that re ally matters, lived a blessed life. One of the ways that 1 have been blessed is that in my almost 63 years of living, 1 have been hospi talized for a total of five days. My two hospitaliza tions occurred 42 years apart. My first hospitaliza tion was for a tonsillecto my. It happened in 1979. 1 was 20 years old. 1 did most big things early - things such as beginning kindergarten, finishing high school, graduating from college and getting married. But 1 got my tonsils out late. This was despite the fact that 1 had annual bouts of tonsillitis throughout my child hood years. Every time 1 did, my mother would ask the doctor if my ton sils should be removed. Every time she asked, the doctor would say 1 would outgrow it. When a rip roaring case descended on me at the beginning of my third decade of life, a doctor in Macon - where doctors evidently had a different take on outgrowing things than those in Barnesville did - told me he didn’t think that living more years was going to lessen my chances of developing inflamed tonsils. 1 thought that sounded reasonable if, as a more accurate version of the old saying would put it, practice moves you toward being more aware of what perfection might look like if you could get anywhere near having any idea of what perfec tion would look like if there was any possibil ity of your attaining it, which there isn’t. 1 had been practicing getting infected tonsils for my entire life, so 1 figured that 1 would keep getting better at it, even if 1 had no chance of developing the perfect case of tonsillitis, which 1 didn’t want to do anyway. So it came to pass that a ton sillectomy was scheduled. 1 spent the night before and the night after the operation in the hospi tal. I know how strange that sounds, given that a tonsillectomy is pretty much a drive-through procedure these days, but insurance companies allowed the hospitals to do it that way back in the ancient times, so they did. My recovery went reasonably well. At least it did until my father upstaged me later in the week by suffering a massive and ultimately fatal heart attack. But that’s another part of the story, which you can (and should) read about in my best-selling (among a few of my friends and family) book Fifty-Seven: A Memoir of Death and Life (available at Amazon; signed copies available through me - but be aware that my autograph may lower the book’s resale value). Forty-two years passed between that two-day hospital stay for a tonsillectomy and my next hospitalization in January of this year, which happened because 1 had a stroke and which lasted three days. Since I wrote about that in this space right after it hap pened, 1 won’t go into it again, except to say that I’m doing fine. Well, I’m doing fine ex cept that my right hand still doesn’t feel or act right. That brings me to another part of the story that 1 didn’t write about in my previous stroke hospitalization report. Before the stroke landed me in the hospital, 1 had already been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, which would require surgery on my right wrist and elbow, respectively. In fact, 1 had just had the nerve con duction study that con firmed those diagnoses on the Friday before the symptoms that indicated that 1 had experienced a stroke - confusion mainly, and yes, it took me a while to notice the differ ence - sent me to the hos pital. While 1 was on the stroke unit, the doctors, nurses, and therapists kept examining and ask ing about my hand, and 1 kept telling them that 1 had been diagnosed with the aforementioned syn dromes, and they kept acting as if that had noth ing to do with anything. They seemed to think that the stroke was the more pressing matter. My orthopedic doctor said that they had their priori ties properly aligned. But we are now at a place where 1 can have surgery on my hand and elbow. It’s scheduled to take place in a few days. It’s not serious surgery. On the other hand, minor surgery is surgery some one else has. I’ll gladly accept any prayers, well wishes, and positive thoughts you want to of fer. If all goes well, I’ll be able to write even longer columns than this one. It’s an outpatient pro cedure - in and out the same day. I wouldn’t have been surprised had it been drive-through. Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native who lives in Yatesville and works in Macon. His new book, Praying with Matthew, is available at helwys.com and at Amazon. Ruffin’s Renderings SUBMITTED PHOTO Local 4-H members who attended this year’s Jr./Sr. District Project Achievement at Rock Eagle include (l-r) Brooklyn Strader, Millie Smith, Rose Kennedy, Lana Kennedy and Noah Strader. Students attend 4-H camp at Rock Eagle Five Pike County 4-H members attended Jr./Sr. District Project Achievement at Rock Eagle from June 2 to 3, 2021. The competition consisted of 4-H mem bers submitting a port folio of their project work for the past year and giving a researched based illustrated talk on their chosen subject or a performance in the preforming arts catego ries. “Pike County 4-H is so proud of these 4-H members and the out standing job they did presenting their cho sen project,” said 4-H educator Penny Cosper. “Congratulations to all!” THINKING FOR A CHANGE The lover, the dreamer and me BY ANTHONY VINSON advkdv@att.net The degree to which you believe you are right is in direct pro portion to the degree that you are not. In other words, you are wrong at least as of ten as you are right, and the greater the certainty that you are right, the greater the likelihood that you are not. Counterintuitive? Sure, but consider that many of us were at one time convinced of the existence of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. And if you cast your memory back to those times, you will clearly recall the power of those beliefs. And why not? They were based on information received from trusted sources. They were also, by definition, deceits. For years now I have crusaded against willful ignorance by encour aging people to think beyond their personal biases. I often think it may be time to give up the fight. My goal has never been that anyone agree with me or share my opinions, but rather that they reach their own conclusions by assessing the facts and following the evidence, even if the evidence contra dicts presuppositions and dogma. A condition known as cognitive dis sonance kicks in when the mind attempts to resolve two or more conflicting ideas. This can be a humbling and painful experience, so it is one that most people avoid it at all costs. Even the cost of being will fully, blindingly ignorant. Since 1980,1 have trained myself to ap proach the world as a scientific skeptic. At times I wonder whether I should have simply remained, in the words of Jackson Browne, “... a happy idiot.” Life would have been simpler. Instead, I stumbled and fumbled my way along the road less traveled by and it truly has made all the difference. One thing of which I am certain is this: I am most likely wrong about most everything I think I know to be true. This drives my constant search for what truths there may be. It also requires that I remain open minded and willing to change my opinions when presented with evi dence that controverts them. I have learned to live in a perpetual state of cognitive dissonance, and sometimes even love it since it indicates that I remain true to my philo sophical journey. What have forty-one years as a practicing skeptic taught me? Three things. One, being wrong is no weakness. Knowledge and informa tion evolve and keeping current and adjusting is smart. Two, everyone is doing the best they can with what they have, but they could - and should - always strive to do better. And three, being right matters far less than being flexible and remaining openminded. After all, being right is always temporary, whereas mental agility always transcends. To remain in stasis, to be content with the status quo and believe, against all available evi dence, that you are right, and others are wrong, is a delusion based on a deceit. Closemindedness is a weakness, a crutch that often becomes a cudgel against those who dare disagree. And that seems to be where we are. Is it where we must remain? I like to think not. I hope not. But then again, I could be wrong. Think about it! Anthony Vinson is a freelance writer, speaker and humorist for hire. He lives in Williamson, GA, and can be reached at advkdv@att.net. Pike County Journal Reporter's letter printing guidelines The Pike County Jour nal Reporter welcomes letters to the editor. For a letter to be con sidered for publication, include the writer’s ac tual name, address and telephone number when submitting it. We publish name only. Letters from individual authors will be published no more often than every other week. Limit letters to 250 words or less. Shorter letters are appreciated. All letters are subject to editing. Personal attacks on private citizens, political endorsements or letters that are racially divisive will not be considered. Drop letters by the office on the court house square, mail them to P.O. Box 789, Zebulon, 30295, fax them to 770.567.8814 or email them to news@pikecounty- georgia.com. For additional information, call 770.567.3446. Pike County Journal Reporter www.pikecountygeorgia.com P.O. Box 789 16026 Barnesville St. Zebulon, Ga. 30295 770.567.3446 The Pike County Journal Reporter is the official organ of Pike County, the cities of Zebulon, Moiena, Meansville, Williamson and Concord. It is published weekly by Hometown Newspapers Inc. Second class postage is paid at the Zebulon, Ga Post Office. Publishers: Walter and Laura Geiger; staff: Jennifer Taylor, Brenda Sanchez and Rachel McDaniel. AT PIKE BY BWAIN W. PENN 100 YEARS AGO June 24, 1921: In anticipation of Winneck’s Comet on June 27: the coming of a comet is pro ductive of good in that it turns thoughts of many in the busy march of humanity to the wonders of the heavens; of the spaces wherein this little world of countless millions rolls on its ordered way. 75 YEARS AGO June 27, 1946: Residents read with interest of a new contract for the construction of 7.165 miles of concrete paved road, GA 18, from Concord to Moie na. Whitley Construction of LaGrange received the contract June 22, authorizing the work to proceed. 50 YEARS AGO June 24, 1971: Seventy five voters participated in the City of Zebulon special election to increase terms of office for council. Votes tallied were 52 for the increase and 23 against. 25 YEARS AGO June 26, 1996: Days before the June 29 event, Tech Sergeant James Dickerson of Zebulon was disclosed as the July 4 parade Grand Marshal. During almost five years serving the U.S. Army in Germany, Dickerson received awards and medals such as the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and an ex-POW badge.