Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - Revisited: Those That Do, and Those That Critique

Whiskey - Tango - Foxtrot

Note: Once again, due to the monastery's narrow mindedness, this will not be posted on themonastery.org website due to the title of the post.  For those ministers which happen upon this post and find it of some value, please feel free to share it or invite other ministers to visit this blog.

For those that have not read the subject post, I recommend doing so to set this post in some context:  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Ego is an evil master.  I try to avoid the pitfalls of ego by the constant struggle to remain humble.  Humility is tested time and again by those that critique instead of offering constructive comments that can further conversation and communication.  I am revisiting Whiskey Tango Foxtrot to evidence a point, I think.  In all honesty, I'm taking a shot in the dark that this is the post being targeted by the reader that sent me a comment not attached to any post.  The reader is a fellow member of the monastery website and, as you can see in the note above, I stated at the beginning of the original post that I would not be posting it to the monastery website for listed reasons.  It seems that no matter how hard one tries, someone always misses the glaringly obvious statements put forth in a "note."

I have posted the comments and responses below, in the order received.  Nothing has been altered in the text, including spelling.  It is as it is.  It is easy to understand my confusion starting with the first comment, as it sets the tone for the rest of the string, having no context, except that of my assumption it dealt with Whiskey Tango Foxtrot:

JWH:  Silence has a deafening Roar! 

JWH:  Don't know where you are coming from Pastor Tony or where you are leading..I do not see Guilibility as a PROOF of anything...This is a lot of nonsends about nothing but confusion..If you must post....post logic in simple terms as a benefit for the young in Christ to learn something solid...God Loves you and so do I, but I have no time for Gibberish

ME:  It is an opinion, John, as is yours. Everybody has one (an opinion) and, like yours, deserves consideration. Thank you for doing so, and for sharing! 

ME:  By the way, I see no posted blogs from you. Have you written anything, or am I just missing them? 

JWH:  Sorry Pastor Tony...The Lord keeps me busy with Personal Matters of the Heart...I may get to Blogs at some time in the future but my Book also keeps me occupied....After I'm gone I'll leavethe "Memories" I guess succes is when you look back at them and SMILE !!!! 

ME:   Ah, I see.

Several things came to mind when I read his first two comments.  The first was, obviously, "WTF?"  The second was that he had interrupted my enjoyment of the "deafening roar" of silence with a paragraph of misspelled, grammatically incorrect comment, the context of which was only evidenced by the incorrectly spelled "Gullibility."

I rarely address comments like this.  What's the point?  It isn't constructive inasmuch as it tries to be antagonistic.  This comment, however, played right into the title, and point, of the original post. 

More than being at odds with ego, I find myself fighting a lack of patience even more so.  If you don't vote, you don't have the right to moan about the outcome.  If you won't get in the pool should you presume to tell people who you don't know, already in the pool, how to swim while they're doing daily laps?  If you haven't posted word one on a blog, how do you presume to critique those that constantly do?  It is easy to sit on the sidelines and "coach" those that are hanging it all out there for others to shoot at.  It is a bit more difficult to be the target of other people's abusive rhetoric.  I have coaxed several people to write what they think just so I can post it on my blog.  They continue to write articles of substance to this day.  Bravo to the bravery shown by those that do.

Having over 17,000 hits on my posts from the worldwide readership, to date, I will continue to do what I have done since I founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, and The Path.  I will continue to write my "gibberish" until all of those who thank me for my efforts turn away.  Even then, I will continue to write for my children, and their children, and I will flatly refuse to dumb any of it down for a minority of individuals.  These folks have the ability to write and ask for clarification, they have, and I respect their inquiries as it fuels the fire of creativity that may eventually lead me down the path to yet another post.  If, however, gibberish and "nonsense" is not one's cup of tea, especially if one does not have time for it, I would recommend not wasting anymore precious time reading my posts.  I'm not sure if the logic of this could be any simpler.

But, then, maybe I'm wrong.

And the quote that set ignited the fire?  I'll, once again, assume it was this:

A healthy dose of skepticism is nothing if it is not proof of faith. Gullibility is also proof of faith, but without mind. Blind obedience is not required and proves nothing except deafness to a truth which was spoken and not heard.

Gibberish?  It depends on your point of view.  As I state at the end of each of my posts, in my "Editor's Note":

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 the 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 a chaplain at the regional medical center.