I am a board certified family physician currently practicing full-time ER medicine in rural Texas. Over the past 35 years of practice, I have encountered, not all, but nearly every physical and mental ailment known to man. However, by far the most common ailment is overwhelming stress leading to a host of physical conditions and the emotional issues of anxiety, depression, drug use, and suicide attempts. After explaining the lessons in Mentors and Tormentors one-on-one to thousands of suffering souls, I decided to put those lessons in print for a wider audience - an instruction manual to help them in their daily battle with the stresses of our civilized society. As for my personal stress relief, I am happily married with four grown daughters and five grandsons. My wife and I have another dependent, a toy poodle, who has more followers than me on his Facebook account. I used to enjoy fine art acrylic painting, but it's recently taken a back seat to my more important pursuit of writing.