Cynicism

Diogenes Searching for an Honest Man

Attributed to Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein (c.1780)

One of the first characters in philosophy which I can remember from grade school was Diogenes.  In my memory, I can still see a painting of him strolling through the market place, holding up his lantern, always proclaiming to be looking for an "honest" man.  Good luck with that.  I am also a cynic, but I believe that man can at least aspire to greater righteousness.  Being a cynic means you immediately judge yourself to be less than perfect but, then, no one is perfect, not even Diogenes.

cyn·i·cism:  

(noun)

An inclination to believe 

that people are motivated 

purely by self-interest.

I think the definition of "cynicism" is a definition of humankind.  If you're a cynic, you must be human.  No argument from me; it is our nature, right?  Are we all "motivated purely by self-interest" or is there something more?  Those that aren't cynics then, by this definition, are truly blessed.  Yet, I can't help but think that even in our altruism we are driven by self-interest.  Again, I find myself always the cynic.  

A new friend of mine recently asked me, "You must trust mankind even easier than I do. I feel you don't have a cynical bone in your body...how is that?"  This statement proved two things.  One, he doesn't really know me.  Two, he needs to read up on cynicism.

My answer to him was simple: I always try to tell the truth, as I see it.  I have great faith in mankind.  It is my faith that they will, eventually and with the best of intentions, muck everything up.  They do this because it is virtually impossible for us to keep self-interest out of anything.  Knowing this, however, it is easier for me to be amazed when things go right and less disheartening for me when they don't.  Expect nothing and you will always be amazed at the universe around you.  Expect everything and you invite disappointment.  It is what it is until it isn't, and then it is what it is again.

Expect nothing and you will always be amazed at the universe around you.  Expect everything and you invite disappointment.

Is this cynical?  Probably,  in a back door kind of way.  I knew someone you could almost always expect nothing from.  I was asked why I don't expect the best from him, and I answered that I tried, and he almost always disappoints. It was like he goes out of his way to give you nothing.  I met with him and was honest concerning my feelings about this.  I asked him to do himself a favor - prove me wrong!  I said for him to do himself a favor, be better than people expect.  Truth be known, I'm probably the only person who has ever been up front and in his face about it.  It wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it had to be said regardless.  Last I heard, he has managed to clean up his act, whether due to our discussion, of his own volition,  or perhaps, due to both.  I was happy to hear, for his own sake, that he has become more.  

There is nothing wrong with being disappointed in someone, but it does little good unless you make them aware of it and tell them why.  I think most people want to excel.  They want to do better.  I think many of us just want to be challenged by someone, or something. 

I also think most of us harbor some hidden amount of cynicism, and I've always found it in those who most strongly deny any cynicism of their own.  

Many times I've had people say I need to think positively about mankind.  Alright then, here it goes:  I am positively certain, given enough rope, anyone can hang themselves or trip on all of it and hit their head.  In either case, it will most likely be an accident.  You know, kind of like blowing the planet up.  Oops...  Perhaps this is evidence of my cynicism.  Do yourself a favor, though, and prove me wrong.  Disappoint me.  I dare you.

"If you tell the truth they only say you're cynical and it does an author no good to get a reputation for cynicism."

-- W. Somerset Maugham

Consider this statement made by Somerset Maugham, "It does an author no good to get a reputation for cynicism."  Maybe not, but Maugham's philosophy would prove out the definition of cynicism in that "people are motivated purely by self-interest."  Personally, I would rather hear from an honest cynic than an author whose opinion changes with the wind through some denial of his own cynicism.

This is just my opinion and, as flawed as it is, we know that everybody has at least one if only to protect their own self-interests.  We are cynics, after all.  

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Remembrance Day
(Yom HaShoah)

"Monsters exist, but they are too few in numbers to be truly dangerous.  More dangerous are...the functionaries ready to believe and act without asking questions."  

-- Primo Levi, chemist, author, Auschwitz survivor 

CAUTION: I made this photo as small as possible to give you the choice of whether to enlarge it. At full size, it is a very disturbing reminder of absolute evil loosed upon the world. A page of history some would rather forget.

We are supposed to remember history. The reason we learn history is to try and head off the inevitability of bad history repeating itself. History is supposed to teach us to learn from our mistakes, as well as our successes. How are we to learn if we don't teach it? How are we teach if we don't remember it?

With the state of our educational system in the U.S. today, it is a wonder our children learn anything, especially when there are those who would change history for "political correctness."  For instance, an African-American helping to raise the flag at Iwo Jima.  Never happened, but it is politically correct to include this segment of society in the historical moment.  I found it humorous when watching the latest remake of The Sound of Music to see the Mother Superior of the convent was a black woman.  Really?  This story was set in Austria in the late 1930s just prior to the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany.  The premise of the Mother Superior of an Austrian convent being black during this time period would have been more interesting to follow than the novice Maria or the family Von Trapp.  Hell, Hitler would have had an aneurysm.  But I digress.

There are those who would have us believe the Holocaust never happened.  These are the same loons that claim the moon landing was filmed on a back lot in Hollywood.  We built phony showers in concentration camps and outfitted them with phony Zyklon-B gas canisters.  We dug phony mass graves and outfitted them with hundreds of phony emaciated corpses.  We built numerous phony brick and concrete furnaces and wrote reams of phony Nazi paperwork supporting the entire facade of a "Holocaust" because that's what we do in order to justify going to war against an insane dictator hell-bent on world domination.  Somehow I just don't think so.  All this kind of unreasonable talk does is prove to the rest of us there are still psychopathic "functionaries" in the world with way too much time on their hands.

"The sad and horrible conclusion is that no one cared that the Jews were being murdered. This is the Jewish lesson of the Holocaust and this is the lesson which Auschwitz taught us."

-- Ariel Sharon (1928-2014), former Israeli PM

Simon Wiesenthal once said, "God must have been on leave during the Holocaust."  Many people have asked how God could allow such evil to happen.  Did we not eat of the apple?  Did we not disobey God and, in doing so, lose paradise?  Yet, we blame the evil that men do - on God!  How human of us.  We were told by Christ in John 16:13 that there would be evil, "In the world, you will have tribulation;" and only in Christ will we find peace. 

"Therefore, we might best respond by saying that God does not Will "bad" things to happen in life. Rather, "bad" things happen in the freedom that comes with the gift of life. When "bad" things happen to any of God's children, God is grieved and suffers with us, experienced most vividly in the hurt and suffering of Jesus the Christ for all humanity. Any "bad" thing which happens is never the last word. Rather, God is the deepest and last word, and that word is love and eternal life with God.

-- The Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, Episcopal priest, author 

What the Nazi regime did to the Jews during "medical experiments" was an atrocity unto itself and fairly well publicized.  But, while what happened to the Jews during WWII bears our continued attention, what is lesser known are the activities of the Japanese and their Unit 731.  Activities of this unit could teach Dr. Mengela a thing or two about sick and twisted.  Their work would make for a terrific present-day horror film.  I won't go into the graphic description but will cite as an example the amputation of a limb without anesthesia, and reattachment to the other side of the body.  I try to imagine myself on an operating table, fully conscious and no pain killers or anesthesia, watching this happen.  For more information and specifics I would recommend wikipedia.com and search "Unit 731."  A Google search will enlighten you with much more information you probably will not want to know.

If you think giving Nazi rocket scientists a free pass into the U.S. to assist with our space program was questionable, check this out.  After Japan surrendered, General MacArthur secretly granted immunity to the physicians of Japan's Unit 731 in exchange for providing the allies with their biological research.  Somehow it seems to me the world became complicit in the atrocities at this point.  Basically, these horrors are excusable as long as you give us the data.  One wonders if they were given carte blanche to continue this research as a "black program" for our government at some secret location under a large city with a sizable homeless population.  Hollywood loves this stuff.

I have said this many times before.  God has given us the tools we need; it is up to us to use them.  If we don't learn from the horrors of the past we are surely doomed to repeat them.  Is this what we want?  Look at the recent torture in Syria of women and children or the annexation of Crimea.  Our recent European history is rife with mass graves due to madmen looking for a final solution.  The horrors are still with us.  The evil still haunts us.  We repeat history by turning a blind eye and doing NOTHING!  My only response to those that think God doesn't care is, "Why should He?  We don't."

Elie Wiesel was a survivor of Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (yes, Obama, he actually did something to deserve his), the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, National Humanities Medal, Medal of Liberty, and many more.  I leave this post and my readers with a quote from Mr. Wiesel and hope that we never forget, or try to rewrite, our past.

"For the dead and the living, we must bear witness."

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.

Sermon for Sunday - March 23, 2014: Window to the Soul

"Ut imagio est animi voltus sic indices oculi."

-- Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

"The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter."  Cicero's "face" was that of a statesman, a politician, well known for his "inconsistencies and a tendency to shift his position in response to changes in political climate" Oh!  A politician!  I'll bet that played well on his face.  As a politician he would be well schooled in reading the true meaning of his contemporaries in the Roman Senate. 

Cicero's quote has simplified down through the centuries to become, "The eyes are the window to the soul."  But, are they?  How many of us can truly read a person by their eyes alone?  Hell, we try doing it via e-mail.  How silly is that?  The only way we can have good communication, and truly understand the other party, is to verbally communicate so we can listen to them.  Communication is about facial expression, voice inflection, and the eyes.  Some one can say they're frightened, but unless you see them how will you truly know how frightened they are?  And, how many times have you said something in an e-mail or a letter that has been taken in totally the wrong way?

This Sunday try turning the phone off and shutting down the computer.  Go outside into the world and communicate.  Communicate your love for God.  Communicate with some one you care about, and tell them how much you care. If they are out of town try using the phone instead of e-mail so they can at least hear your voice and you theirs.  Take some time today to practice interpersonal communication.  Throw the kids outside and make them live life while you're at it

Always remember, Cicero's statement is only valid if you are there to see the other person.

God bless us all this Sunday.

The Season of Lent

You always have to learn something new.  In my case, I usually have to re-learn some things forgotten.  One of these is the Season of Lent.  It isn't that I'm a bad Catholic, I am, but that's not the reason I've forgotten the teachings.  I was a lazy Catholic as well.

One thing I have learned while posting a blog is how much I can learn while doing research.  I also have the opportunity to re-learn that which I was too lazy to learn the first time around.  It kind of goes with what I believe about this life:  If you don't learn what is set down for you in this life, you are doomed to repeat it until you do.  So, I present to you a "crib notes" post of the Season of Lent, in celebration of Easter (as I best understand it, anyway).

Lent; Quadragesima; Fortieth

The Christian season of Lent begins 40 days prior to Easter Sunday, not including Sundays in the count.  Ash Wednesday marks the season's first day of preparations for Easter which include fasting, penance, moderation, reflection and spiritual discipline.  This is meant to prepare the faithful to receive redemption through Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.

On Ash Wednesday the foreheads of the faithful are marked with sacramental ashes, blessed by the Church, to humble our hearts and remind us of our limited time on this earth.  "Remember, man is dust, and unto dust you shall return."

Friday of Passion occurs the day before the start of Holy Week, the last week of Lent, sometimes referred to as Passion Week.  Friday of Passion remembers the solace and desolate emotional state of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Mary Magdalene.

Passion Week, or Holy Week,  is the week preceding Easter and begins with Palm Sunday.  It is a week set aside by Christian faithful to commemorate the Passion of Christ, Jesus who died on the cross to make amends and earn forgiveness for the sins of all mankind, rising from this death on Easter Sunday to give new life for all that would believe.  Passion Week should be a time of joy and celebration of God's love in sending His only begotten Son to die for our salvation.

Palm Sunday commemorates the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem when palm fronds were placed on His path.  Four days hence, on Holy Thursday, Christ would have the Last Supper with His disciples and just hours later Judas would betray Christ.  Holy Thursday is the oldest of the celebrations of Holy Week.  The next day, Good Friday, Jesus would be tried, tortured, and crucified.  The crucifixion would be carried out against the laws of Rome.  The crucifixion had to happen, as it was the will of God.  The Jews no more had a choice in the outcome than Christ had in dying.  It was all by the will of God, for the salvation of mankind.

Good Friday commemorates the Passion and Death of Christ by crucifixion.  It is a day of strict fasting by Catholics between the ages of 14 and 60.

Holy Saturday marks the final day of Lent, and of Passion Week.  Holy Saturday is the day the faithful prepare for Christ's Resurrection.  Also known as Joyous Saturday, it is believed by some that on this day Christ descended into Hell and performed the Harrowing of Hades, preaching to the imprisoned spirits and raising up to Paradise all those who had been held captive.

Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday are also known as the Paschal Triduum, the final three days of Lent beginning with the Last Supper until the Easter Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday.

Christ's death saved mankind from sin and death.  Lent prepares the faithful to rise again with Him on Easter when His Resurrection reminds us of the promise of a new life on this world, and in the next.

Retirement is What a Son Does

Photo courtesy of Crystal D'Zamba

"Age is only a number, a cipher for the records. A man can't retire his experience. He must use it. 

-- Bernard M. Baruch

Unfortunately, in our lives, feces happen.  For my dad, this was a stroke.  For me, this was dad's stroke.  When someone faces death it can be a wake-up call, a life altering event.  One tends to get straight with God.  This holds true for the people that love them as well.  My mother realized she may lose him one day soon.  I realized my mother would be alone when it happens.  I also realized my dad and I haven't been fishing in a long time, and I don't want the memory of that to be my last memory of him.  I want new memories.

Dad gets sea sick, so the open water is not a good idea.  The new marina though, just blocks from the house, has benches and covered areas where we can throw a line, have a beer, and enjoy our own company and the company of others; a place to make new fishing memories to go along with those of my youth of constantly falling in the lake, stream or river.  If there's a body of water, I'm in it, and so is dad's hat as my hook would usually find it as I cast my line.  If my hook didn't find his hat it would most certainly find his ear.  Fishing with me was actually safer than hunting with me, as my shotgun barrel would inevitably find its way between my dad's legs while we hiked.  God gave me a pretty good childhood, and an even better dad.

With any luck, and with God's good grace, my being there with them will give us all another ten years or so together.  

I can only hope.

As I write this, my sciatica is acting up for the first time in years.  I was so uncomfortable last night I got little sleep.  The body is reminding me of the penalty for an active youth filled with stupidity and a lack of respect for my physical well-being.  This old boat needs to come in off the high seas and finish life in a sheltered portage before I find it dry-docked in some field.

So, in two months, I will retire for the third time in this life.  I will move to Pass Christian and purchase a lifetime fishing license from the State of Mississippi.  I will take dad fishing every day, or at least until he tells me otherwise, because this is what a son does.  I will help build them a smaller home with less maintenance requirements.  I will finish my latest novel and rewrite the first while trying to find a plot to develop for Sonny Daize, the third story line a friend of mine wants to see go forward.  I will help mom with all the cats and yard work.  Her and I will finally start a vegetable garden and, hopefully, a bed & breakfast in the old house which is just a couple of blocks from the beach, marina, and main street of this little town.  I will do this for her because this is also what a son does.  And, who knows, if the B&B takes off I may have yet another retirement in my future.

"I don't even think about a retirement program because I'm working for the Lord, for the Almighty.  And even the though the Lord's pay isn't very high, his retirement program is, you might say, out of this world."  

 -- George E. Foreman

Is Easter of Pagan Origin?

First off, let's understand that Easter is the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church.  According to Christian Scripture, Jesus was raised from the dead three days after His death on the cross.  We celebrate this "resurrection" as a Holy day, in the Western Church, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.  It is the most well attended Sunday service for Christian churches.  Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins, "thus purchasing for all who believe in Him, eternal life in Jesus Christ."

Now, there are those who would venture that Easter has its roots in Paganism.  There are those who try to call it "using a false custom to honor the true God."  They would say this is set forth in Deuteronomy 12:28-32: 

"Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God. When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it."

You have to accept the pagan argument before this verse has any validity.  Personally, I don't see it.  The pagan argument falls apart when you understand that the Christian Church set the standardized date, for Easter to be celebrated, in 325 AD with the First Council of Nicea.  Pagan?  Really?  If so, then the total of Christianity as we know it comes into question since this council set down Canon Law and created the basis for modern Christianity.

Granted, paganism celebrated many spring festivals concerning fertility and the re-birth of nature.  For Christians, however, spring was associated with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a "re-birth" as well.  Pagans were not celebrating Easter, they were celebrating springtime just as Christians were not so much celebrating springtime as they were the resurrection of Jesus.  Both celebrated spring festivals, but let's not read too much into it.  If a paganism were to start gift giving in December would that make their new custom of Christian origin?  I think not.

Another issue I see is how their argument  relates to the last sentence of this verse, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.  The argument used is, "God always commanded that people worship Him exactly as He instructed."  My answer to these folks is that we are not using Easter for worship.  Easter is a time of remembrance and festival to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  The fact that it was scheduled to fall on a Sunday would in itself prove the desire to continue with Sunday worship, not replace it with a festival.  It makes perfect sense to utilize the one time in the week when everyone is brought together in worship as a venue to remind all of the sacrifice and rebirth of Christ.   When read, the entire verse deals with those acts that are obviously not intended to praise God.  It is not meant to address those acts specifically set forth to more fully show our faith in God and celebrate those events that make our faith strong.

We observe Passover per God's instruction, but Christ had not been crucified yet.  We are not adding or subtracting from the importance of Passover, we are simply remembering an important moment in God's timeline when he gave up His only begotten son for the sake of all mankind. 

Christians will continue to reinterpret the Bible as it suits their purpose, just as Islam reinterprets the Qur'an to suit theirs.  In the end, and for all, God will determine whose faith comes up short.  Once you begin calling into question the actions of Christian councils, councils that put together the Bible, you run the risk of invalidating the very Scripture you so fervently base your arguments on.

Easter Eggs

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, informs us that eggs were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth.  In Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus as an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb from which a bird hatches with life.  An "Easter Egg" is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.

Like Christmas, this is a Christian holiday.  During the Christmas season we decorate a Christ-mas tree, not a holiday tree, even though the word is holiday actually means Holy Day.  During Easter we decorate Easter eggs, not Spring eggs.  If they were Spring eggs we'd decorate them on the Spring Solstice which would be March 20 - we don't.  And just to make certain we cover all bases, for you Christians that seem to be confused, Halloween is for ghosties and goulies, and things that go bump in the night, so get over it.

Note: I hesitate reminding my atheist readers of Easter lest they violate their belief system by enjoying Easter candy as its kind of like giving gifts under a "holiday" tree.  Holiday means Holy day, as though you didn't know.  Don't accidentally violate your beliefs and find yourselves needing some lame explanation so it is acceptable for you to suck down Easter candy.  Not that the immorality of this bullshit will mean anything since, for you, there is no judgment in an afterlife.  I think being an atheist is like having a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.  It provides the required excuse to insult all those of faith.  Taken to the not too extreme, it makes any immorality seem acceptable since it only violates social law and not those of any god (again, I hesitate to mention I think social laws are based on religious precepts).  I think any "excuse" is still bullshit and the rest of us see through it.  As a Christian, however, I invite you to enjoy the season and the treats as our guest.  In this way I can hopefully allow you a real "pass" if you will.  Otherwise, I invite you to enjoy any of the other seasonal treats that do not say "Easter" on them.  In this way you may avoid any hypocrisy.

Sermon for Sunday - March 16, 2014: St. Patrick

Monday, March 17 is St. Patrick's Day.  So, who is he?

"I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many, had for father the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Pontitus, a priest, of the settlement of Bannavem Taburniae; he had a small villa nearby where I was taken captive.  I was at that time about sixteen years of age."

Saint Patrick was born of Roman parents late in the fourth century and lived late into the fifth.  Around the age of fifteen he was captured by a raiding party and taken from his home in Scotland, along with thousands of others, back to Ireland as a slave to tend sheep.  He found God during his captivity and escaped back to Scotland at the age of twenty by following a dream from God in which he was instructed to leave Ireland.  He was soon reunited with his family.

"In a vision in the night, I saw a man whose name was Victorious coming as if from Ireland with innumerable letters, and he gave me one of them, and I read the beginning of the letter: "The Voice of the Irish"....and they were crying as if with one voice: "We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us."

After this next dream he studied for and was ordained a priest.  Later, after his ordination as a bishop, he was assigned to take the Gospel to the Irish.  He converted thousands of people and entire kingdoms to the faith.  The tale is told that he used a shamrock as a visual aid to explain the Holy Trinity as one.  It is hard to see the shamrock and not think of Saint Patrick. 

"I am Patrick, yes a sinner and indeed untaught; yet I am established here in Ireland where I profess myself bishop. I am certain in my heart that "all that I am," I have received from God. So I live among barbarous tribes, a stranger and exile for the love of God. He himself testifies that this is so. I never would have wanted these harsh words to spill from my mouth; I am not in the habit of speaking so sharply. Yet now I am driven by the zeal of God, Christ's truth has aroused me. I speak out too for love of my neighbors who are my only sons; for them I gave up my home country, my parents and even pushing my own life to the brink of death. If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me."

He died after forty years of preaching Christianity in Ireland.  And here's the rub:  The Irish remember a Scot as a saint!  As well they should.  He endured hardship and poverty throughout his travels, and his life, in order to bring the Gospel to Ireland.

"Behold over and over again I would briefly set out the words of my confession. I testify in truthfulness and gladness of heart before God and his holy angels that I never had any reason, except the Gospel and his promises, ever to have returned to that nation from which I had previously escaped with difficulty.  But I entreat those who believe in and fear God, whoever deigns to examine or receive this document composed by the obviously unlearned sinner Patrick in Ireland, that nobody shall ever ascribe to my ignorance any trivial thing that I achieved or may have expounded that was pleasing to God, but accept and truly believe that it would have been the gift of God. And this is my confession before I die."

Tabbing the Bible?

So, I'm on the jet from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Seattle.  There is a vacant seat between my aisle seat and the woman sitting by the window.  She has utilized the seat as space to spread out her project.  I glanced over (the curse of curiosity I picked up while with Intelligence).  I notice a page of labels - MAR, LUK, PSA, GEN, etc.  What the hell?  I look to her lap and she is diligently tabbing her bible to make it easier to reference.  I always thought the bible was pretty easy to navigate.

I smiled to myself as I considered my issue with Christians that hold their bibles out in front of themselves like a weapon, pointing it at me as though a book of parables would protect them more than their lack of faith against my supposed words of heresy (How many heretics were murdered by the church for their beliefs and later proclaimed saints?  Hmmm...).  I wondered if this woman was tabbing hers for the purpose of study, or as preparation for a rapid fire assault on her definition of the godless heathen.  I likened the tabs to filing down the trigger action on a handgun or flipping the switch from semi-auto to full-auto fire mode.

When we landed she was still busy at the task, even as we taxied to the gate and everyone began retrieving their bags she was still busy tabbing away.  I wanted to tell her, oh so gently, that she really needed to get a life - but this probably was her life.  I wanted to tell her that what was in the book was phenomenal guidance, but she really needed to put the book down and live her faith in Christ.  I was reminded of the TV show Kung Fu.  I look at the bible as a gun in the lawless west; every cowboy carrying one, ready in an instant to pull it out for protection.  And there was our hero, armed only with his beliefs, his faith.  Ok, so he could kick everyone's collective butts with one arm behind his back while hopping on one foot singing Camptown Races (doo dah, doo dah).  I guess my point is he didn't need a weapon or a shield.  He lived his life and his beliefs.

I could have pointed out the obvious to this woman.  I could have pointed out the Table of Contents in the front of her bible, or that nothing is easy, but in today's "everything now" society it probably would have fallen on deaf ears.  We all need to learn to take some time to breathe.  I suppose it was a good thing that she didn't turn on her Kindle to access scripture, at least she was still utilizing a book.  I do not look forward to the future of compu-vangelists and compu-confessionals, compu-priests and ministers.  Heaven help us when we decline to the point of the compu-pope.  Of course, by then we will probably have a popette.  Technology presents a slippery slope for the faithful.  Is the internet a tool of evil, or is it the person using the tool?  Guns don't kill people...

The woman, this fellow traveler, was probably as sweet a person as she seemed with the few words we exchanged on the plane.  I was probably being overly sensitive and subtly unloading unfounded paranoia in my usual humorous, albeit knee-jerk reactive, way.  What?  Me?  Say it ain't so!

I write it all up to sitting in a sardine can while American Airlines dragged me all over the greater mid-west for eleven hours to get me home to Seattle.  It would make the best of us a bit cranky which probably explains the two Jack Daniels I had on that leg of the trip which also probably explains why she didn't speak much.

As I finish this post I remember I have to purchase some Big Tab dividers for the office.

God bless us all, and try not to take life to seriously.

Sermon for Sunday - March 8, 2014: Ground Zero Cross

The atheist group American Atheists is so distressed over the steel girders shaped like a cross that was found amid the rubble of 9/11 that the only atheist a periodical could get to respond for comment was Bill Maher.  Really?  He was it?  Does the American Atheists group really only have a membership of one?  And it had to be Bill Maher?  

At this point, after this one paragraph, I should let this post speak for itself, but many of you may not be familiar with Mr. Maher.  The fact that he is an atheist is about as surprising as the fact that he has an intelligent comment, and he is the best that atheists around the world can rustle up to get a comment from?  He helps the cause of atheism about as much as Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame).  I find this lack of competent representation hard to believe.  More surprising is the fact that Maher's comment was cogent, and I agree with it, to a point.

For those that haven't read his comment, I would ask that you Google it.

I have no issue with the fact that Maher is an atheist, I have no issue with atheists having the right to their own beliefs.  I do have issue with those that prevent others from enjoying the same freedom of belief, and freedom of religion is one of my top three freedoms seeing as how it is why this country exists.

Bill, I agree that we needn't fan the flames of hatred against all of Islam when it is just a few heretics that are trying to force us all to their will, heretics that act against Mohammed's teachings and their own Qu'ran by reinterpreting it to their own purposes.  I find it humorous that this is almost what's happening here; a handful of atheists, that can only rally one questionable voice for a comment, as they try  to make the rest of the world turn away from their religious beliefs for their own self-serving reasons.  I find it all very sad.  I'm sure a few atheists probably died there as well.  Instead of bitching about the cross, how about asking if you can place a memorial for those poor souls at the site as well?  Instead of always being confrontational, how about helping everyone heal?

There is argument that this isn't really a religious symbol.  Bullshit.  It is there because it is a symbol, a very powerful symbol of hope, rebirth, fellowship, and remembrance.  It is not the fact that it is shaped like a cross that atheists find unappealing, it is the thought that those of us with faith have something they lack - hope.

I have hope that one day people of little tolerance will find faith that we can all live in peace and celebrate our great diversity of belief.  I have hope that the Legion of the Perpetually Disenchanted with find peace instead of looking for self-serving minutia to quibble over when there are so many more important problems in the world.

Leave the cross alone, Bill, it is hurting no one.  With Easter almost upon us, I would think atheists would have more to contemplate bitching about than this symbol of hope.  After all, I would think if the birthday of a Prophet makes you itch, the Prophet rising from the dead should make you breakout all over.

Of course, as always, this is just my opinion and we all have a constructive one.  What's yours?

Peace, love, and kindness to everyone, and may God's blessings be upon us - all! 

The Honesty of Francis

"And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it.  And in that moment I looked at him and I said 'Give me half your mercy.'  And whenever a bad thought comes to mind about someone, my hand goes here, always.  And I feel the grace, and that makes me feel better."

Thus stands the confession of Pope Francis of how he "stole" the cross from the casket of the "Great Confessor" of Buenos Aires.  You are entitled to your own opinion but please review the complete story for yourself first.  Try not to judge.

"He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw at her."  -- John 8:7

So, where does this Francis with the faithful?  Francis has always admitted that, like all of us, he is a sinner.  This was admitted as part of an anecdote while addressing clergy.  No one found this out.  This is not slander to be used to discredit him.  This isn't like President Clinton not inhaling marijuana (yeah, right).  This is the leader of the Christian Church admitting to frailty.  Even the most holy can fall prey to sin.

Disappointing?  Not really.  It was a keepsake of someone he respected and loved; a person that no other priest in the city bothered to bring flowers for, except Francis.  I honestly think this bothers the Pope more than it bothers anyone else.  

How small it would be of someone to think it doesn't.

Hypocrisy

"One should examine oneself for a very long time before thinking of condemning others."

-- Moliere (1622-1673), Poet, playwright, actor

I have been accused of many things in my life, a hypocrite not being the least, nor the worst.  This is something I can admit without hesitation.  I have to because I put it out there; I wear it in plain view.  It isn't that I'm proud of it, but to deny it would evidence the very truth of it, if only to me.  To be angry about this truth is counterproductive.  I am a sinner.  I have never denied the fact, unlike some people that appear in my many posts.  We tend to pass judgment on others for that which we, ourselves, are just as guilty if not more so.  Where is our honest judgment for our own less than laudable actions or thoughts?  Our judgments of others often reflect our own faults which are, all too often, many.   

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (aka, Moliere) once wrote, "One should examine oneself for a very long time before thinking of condemning others."  An alcoholic can condemn another alcoholic because he's stumbled along the same mile, crawled through the same gutters, and fought off the same chorus line of colorful elephants in tutus.  If you haven't been there, or aren't currently there, you have no frame of reference to pass a judgment of condemnation.  But, if you're going to pass judgment, just be sure you admit to your own weaknesses first; people in glass houses and all that.  One must also remember that just because you've been through it doesn't mean others are as strong.  Any judgment must be tempered by much understanding, sympathy, and humility.

"The most melancholy thing about human nature, is, that a man may guide others into the path of salvation, without walking in it himself; that he may be a pilot, and yet a castaway."

-- Augustus & Julius Hare, "Tuth by Two Brothers," (1827)

It is man's nature to condemn that which he himself would do or has done.  "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  Sometimes, perhaps, those that cry foul the loudest, are the guiltiest of the foul.  I like to laugh at my own weaknesses.  I find anecdotal lessons to mean more when I talk to others.  It admits I've been there, done that, and have a common frame of reference, of understanding, with which to build a foundation of trust.  We travel our path and hope for some sense of righteousness.  The closest any of us may get is to try to help others not to make our mistakes.  When even the Pope admits to being a sinner, it is hard to imagine any truly righteous person without assuming a hypocrite.

"Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all."

-- William Shakespeare (1564-1616), playwright, "Henry VI"

I have been labeled a hypocrite?  Aye!  That be the truth of it, then.  But, as much as I admit to the truth of it is as much as another would be bothered there was no denial.  As Socrates has written, "The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be."  I have been "pretending to be" for most of my life.  I can state, with no hesitation, that honor is an elusive bedfellow.  The first thing we need do is forgive ourselves for things we did or were ordered to do.  The second is to forgive everyone else.  Honor can be found in many places, not the least of which is in the heart.  

A hypocrite?  I'll take that sin, and die for your right to call me such.  What will you die for?  My hypocrisy is nothing compared to some folks in this world that condemn others to hell simply for differences in faith, sexuality, or whom they love.  How dare they presume to judge?  We all have to answer, ultimately, for what we do in this life and the next.  I continue to walk a path.  At times I stumble, at times I fall, but I get back up and continue to walk the path as best I can.  More than this, I try to assist others along their own path.  Am I wrong at times?  Of course, I am.  But what is more important than trying to help others sidestep some crap of life which I already tripped into? 

"Be what you would seem to be - or, if you'd like it put more simply - never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise."

-- Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), author, "Alice in Wonderland"

This is just my opinion and, as always, I could be wrong.  Considering I have written this post with my own shortcomings in mind, I sincerely doubt if I'm wrong.  For those who would dare label me, I cannot say if they're wrong.  I would have to know their frame of reference or their own hypocrisy.  It is enough, for me, to allow that their opinions are always welcomed, however good, bad, or indifferent, as long as the opinion is constructive.  I bear them no ill feelings.  Any judgment of them is not for me to make unless they belong to the League of the Perpetually Offended and, if they do, then any judgment will simply add to the perpetual offense they will feel for eternity; there is nothing to be done to change them.  They hold a place in the greater scheme as a balance to things that are so much happier.  We cannot know one thing without knowing its opposite.

I leave my readers with a new favorite verse.  I think it pertains.

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

-- Romans 14:1-23

Don't be a hypocrite but, rather, you "should be fully convinced" in your own mind that what you do, your belief, and your faith, is right.

I wish for everyone the full blessings of life, love, family, friendship, and a safe journey.

“I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.”

-- William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008), public intellectual, author, commentator

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.  

Sermon for Sunday - March 2, 2014 and So Little Time

Photo by Crystal D'Zamba

It kind of says it all, yes?  And no matter how much you think you feel young, you are old.  The older you get, the faster time seems to move.  Those things you were putting off till later aren't going to get done.  For most of us a "bucket list" is something we talk about but never actually put down on paper.  And, when you look in that ever present mirror to make sure you like what you see, there's this old person staring back at you with a frightened look on their face.  You are old.

For me, I think this hit home last week when I almost lost my dad for the second time.  I did the math.  I figure if I live to be his age right now, I have at least 23 years left.  I think about how long ago 23 years was.  I was 37 years old in Sicily, working the Intelligence side of Desert Shield, the forward staging of men, supplies and equipment in preparation for Desert Storm.  A year later I was back in the U.S. briefing B-52 bomber crews headed for Desert Storm.  My son was 15, my daughter was 5, and it was yesterday.  The day after that my marriage ended, and the next day the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed.  Somewhere in yesterday are 17 years of working in the civilian sector.  It was yesterday, damn it!  It doesn't seem fair.  And, I am old.

Dad and I went into town to have a beer today.  We had that beer, walked across the parking lot to a sushi place, made the sushi chef laugh when we reminisced about Japanese brews, had another beer while eating a couple of sushi  dishes, and laughed some more.  Yesterday we had stopped so he could buy mom some chocolate for their 61st anniversary.  She almost lost him a week ago on the evening of her birthday.  Another wake-up call, this time for all of us.

There is so little time on this earth, for us to grow, learn, find a path, love and live.  There is so little time for us to tell those around us how much we love and cherish them. "Turn around and they're gone and we've no one to hold."

Where have you gone my little boy little boy where have you gone my sonny my own
Turn around you're two turn around then you're four
Turn around you're a young man going out the door

Where have you gone my little girl little girl
Pigtails and petticoats where have you gone
Turn around you're tiny turn around then you're grown
Turn around you're a young wife with babes of your own

Where have they gone our little ones little ones
Where have they gone our children our own
Turn around and they're young turn around and they're old
Turn around and they've gone and we've no one to hold

"Turn Around" lyrics by Donnarumma, Paolo/Munter Damiani, Giovanni  

One day I will turn around and dad won't be there.  One day I will turn around and mom will follow.  One day my children will turn around and I will have gone.  I am glad they both have someone to hold.

Love everyone, and tell them you do, often.  Tell them when you are alone with them, not just in passing, and make them listen to you, not just hear you.  Make them remember how much they mean to you.  It will be a memory for a lifetime, and there may be no tomorrow.

Those around me know how very much I love them.  I still find the need to repeat it more often.  As I get older I feel this need increasing exponentially.

So little time.

God bless you all on this fine Sunday.  Call your family and bless them with your love.

Putin's Invasion of Ukraine

Knowing the lack of basic education offered to our children today, I thought it might be prudent to show where Ukrayina, Ukraine, is located in our world.  What is its importance to the rest of the world and how does Ukraine play into the stability of world security?  Basically it is a buffer between Putin's play to reinstate the Soviet political structure in Russia, and the rest of Europe.  Ukraine borders, from south to north, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Belarus.  The mere fact that Russian troops have rolled into this country probably has these neighbors shaking in their boots.  Putin is an old Soviet hard-liner and KGB lapdog that still enjoys the fruits of his criminal contacts and activities at the expense of the Russian people.  

As much as I would like to see the Soviet back in place to stabilize the region, Putin is not the leader to do it.  He is the Mafia godfather that will support any insane leader willing to take on the west so he can sweep in and reap the fruits of their sacrifice.  He is intelligent enough to realize the U.S. will do nothing to stop him.  Let's face it, Obama is great at drawing "lines in the sand" but thin on action.  He's a pussy and Putin knows it.  Drawing down our military is the only action Putin wants to see from this administration.  When Obama's stripping of our military might is complete, there will be nothing standing in the way of the new Soviet when they roll back into Eastern Europe to reclaim that which was given up.  Putin needs to take action prior to our next Presidential election as he knows that a strong U.S. president will curtail any plans he has in the region.  Putin will play the other nations to his advantage by playing this up as a security move to "assist" Ukraine in maintaining security in the region.  Bullshit, when Putin talks, think the opposite.  He will do nothing that isn't in his best interests.

I have tremendous readership in Ukrayina, and my thoughts and prayers go out to them and the rest of the Ukrainian people.  Now is their time to stand and be counted.  Unfortunately they are about to become another Syria as the inept United Nations will do nothing to prevent this invasion or the slaughter that might ensue as long as Russia sits on the Security Council (yeah, the fox is watching the hen house).

It will be interesting to see which European country jumps in to do what a strong American leader would have done.

This is just my opinion and, I could be wrong.