The following letter entitled, "Lowe's should not limit inclusiveness" recently appeared in my local paper. My reply to the letter, being sent to the paper, follows.

The following letter was sent to Robert A. Niblock, chairman, president and CEO of Lowe's Companies Inc., Wilkesboro, N.C., with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.

We are writing to express our disappointment regarding Lowe's decision to withdraw its sponsorship of the TLC television show "All-American Muslim." 

Conclusion of yesterday’s column.

Many people never talk to a therapist or read a self-help book. They nevertheless develop a stance of anger towards the rest of the world. Why? “Because I had a lousy childhood, and because things haven’t gone the way I wanted them to in life. So now everyone else around me must pay, because I’m certainly not ever going to let go of my anger at reality and at the world.” Chances are you have encountered at least one person like this in your life. 

Q: Dr. Hurd, you write a lot about deterministic thinking. What is deterministic thinking and how does it develop in people?

A: Deterministic thinking refers to the subconsciously (or sometimes consciously) held viewpoint that a person is less in control of, and, therefore, less responsible for, the events of his life than is really the case.

Deterministic thinking represents not only a philosophical error, but also a psychological problem. Why? Because thinking you are less in control of your life than you really are is a distortion of reality. Specifically, it’s a distortion of reality that can lead one to feel unduly angry, anxious, depressed or otherwise psychologically disordered.