We’ve all met people who seem to be perpetually waking on the unpleasant side of the proverbial bed.

You know the kind of folks, always looking at what they don’t have, always focusing on the problems, not the opportunities ahead.

It’s easy to let their negativity latch onto you like a tick, silently and without notice at first.

Most of these folks seem to lack hope. They don’t see that anything on the horizon can be better.

These are the folks that will quickly and loudly lament statements such as:

“Natchez is drying up.”

“There’s no industry and no jobs here.”

“The last person leaving needs to turn out the lights.”

We as a community must stop listening to them; we must realize that no matter how dire the situation may seem, hope always exists.

Hope, hard work and determination can yield great results.

At the moment, our community has just seen a homegrown industry — Bad Boy Buggies — grow from nothing more than a wild idea of some local fellows to a nationally known brand in just a few short years.

The business became such a success that another company, E-Z-Go, purchased it, and apparently is mulling the idea of relocating the plant, which would remove several dozen jobs from our community.

Obviously, none of us wants that to happen and, I trust, our economic development professionals are working to help preserve those jobs. If their efforts are successful, perhaps, the potential disaster could be turned into a great opportunity.

Who knows, maybe the company will keep its plant here, realizing that the smart, hard-working people who created and grew the company may help the business continue to grow and prosper?

Late last week, I saw the ultimate example of hope and keeping a grasp on what’s important in the world.

Many of you may know editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey, who has worked at The Clarion Ledger newspaper in Jackson for a number of years.

Ramsey’s work is syndicated all across the country, and he served as the keynote speaker at last month’s Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala.

He had the audience in stitches with his amazing sharp wit, self-deprecating humor and God-given talent to draw.

In spite of his talent, Ramsey was one of several employees of the Jackson newspaper whose employment was affected last week by what appear to be financially driven budget cuts. Some people were simply cut. Ramsey apparently was cut to part-time.

He would, by all accounts, have every right to be bitter and upset.

By all indications, he remained focused on something that many of his fans forget. Marshall is a person, a father and a husband, first. He’s a cartoonist second.

His posts online indicate his nature:

“Not a good day but could be worse. … Time to make great things happen.”

“Been a rough day. But my thoughts are still with Nick Bell’s family.”

He was, of course, referring to the Mississippi State football player who died of cancer last week.

“About to watch my son’s school program. Being a dad is the best full-time job in the world.”

Imagine how amazingly more upbeat our world would be if a few of us took Ramsey’s attitude to heart.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.