Murder or Tolerance?

Vigil in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at
Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Oct. 27, 2018

Recent violence against our Jewish community synagogues is just another in a long line of intolerance of faith being witnessed throughout our country and the world.  Peaceful Islamic Mosques, Jewish synagogues, and Christian churches are being targeted by various factions of the League of the Perpetually Offended.  

I heard a news headline in which some moron perpetuated a fallacy; a perpetually offended tag line which basically stated our country is rife with hatred and racism.  This also perpetuates the fallacy that nobody here tries to "get along" by exercising tolerance.  These people would facilitate the murder or enslavement of everyone who isn't part of their offended base.  So, which is it going to be, tolerance or wholesale slaughter of the innocent?

If there are so many of these "offended" cowards in this country, why don't they band together and declare a civil war instead of hiding in the shadows, burning places of worship, shooting up our schools, and other cowardly acts of terrorism?  If there are so many offended cowards in this country, how come the best they can do is perpetrate hit and run attacks on their own, or only manage to enlist a few other like-minded idiots to help them?  Contrary to the perpetually offended commentary flooding our news media, our country is and has been trying to move forward, despite the divisive rhetoric from those who would hold us back.

Are there still pockets of racism in America?  Sadly, I would have to say yes.  There are laws protecting people from racism, and also hate crimes and inequality. But, I think most of it is fostered by the very people who speak out so vehemently against it.  This is either by ignorance or greed.  Greed?  Yeah, it seems to be how they make their money, keeping people down or promising more than they know they can deliver simply because they assume people are too ignorant to know better.  The sad fact is, these users are correct in their assumption.  For these "race baiters," the only way their funds keep rolling in is if they make a sad history neverending.  They keep people believing in racism instead of working to root out the last vestiges of it.

Al Sharpton is the most upfront of these race baiters, and California Representative Maxine Waters is another, in my view.  She not only perpetuates the false claims of how little we have progressed, she actually dares people of all races to be violent and bigoted against the very violence and bigotry which she perpetuates.  Really, Maxine?  The majority of violence, hatred, and intolerance, seems to be the fault of people like her and those who support them.  Why?  It's how they stay in power; how they control their base.  

But, this is so typical these folks and they have become so good at smoke and mirrors that even their own people of color seem to enjoy having the boot of these folks holding them down.  This is how out of touch we've become with our own history, and why history seems to change with the political winds.  We forget which political party has been responsible for most of the forward movement in racial equality and equal rights.  We forget it because the naysayers have everyone conned into believing the opposite.  It's like saying the Holocaust never happened and yet, despite the historical evidence and eyewitnesses to the contrary, many ignorant people buy still into the narrative.  Yeah, and the moon landing was filmed in Hollywood.  Bonjour!  History depends on how gullible you are.

How many unfulfilled promises can one political party make over 150 years before the population being abused finally wakes up to reality; to the fact that getting a free cellphone isn't going to buy them equality, much less freedom from their new masters who, it seems, are only different from the old in one respect?

Nobody really wants to get along any more than anybody seems to want to work to make our country actually work.  Now we have elected antisemitic politicians and, gee, wonder why antisemitism (e.g, racism) is on the rise.  We love this country and, yet, we elect politicians who would tear up our Constitution and force us into another failed socialist experiment which, of course, will be different than the so many others which have tried and failed or are failing as we speak.  Yeah, right.  Well, this is no wonder.  We already have racist politicians of all colors, currently serving in Congress, so why not try a racist-antisemitic-socialist experiment?  Oh, that would be Nazism.  Well, you'd have to build one hell of a lot of gulags, for one thing, and if violence remains their primary platform, we'd better start building showers and people sized furnaces next to some train tracks.  It might be easier to just dig mass graves.  Just saying. 

Do we allow the few "perpetually offended" to lead all of us off a cliff like so many lemmings, or do we call them down for the bullshit they try to perpetuate and declare that we are all better than they would have us think?  Do we all succumb to violence and murder, or do we exercise a tolerance which most of the spiritual world demands?  I think this question is best considered by the parents of our young.

These violent terrorists exist for a reason.  It isn't the availability of weapons; weapons don't shoot people, people do.  I think it is a lack of parenting.  I think it is a failure on the part parents, our educational system, and some religious and political leaders, to demand tolerance and to realistically place blame for failure where blame belongs.

Our country seems to be more fixated on partisan politics than working together for any meaning forward movement.  We focus more on the lies, which mass media will help perpetuate, than looking for facts and doing any real good.  Whether you agree with this statement or not, innocence in our places of worship, our schools, and our streets, continues to die around us because of history.  It is history and tolerance we would rather forget than teach and demand.

We are, all of us, better than this.  We need to start giving each other a hand up instead of a handout.  We need to get back to teaching our young a sense right and wrong; a sense of morality.  We need to start treating each other with mutual respect and honesty, instead of listening to those whose only concern is making money off of our misery be perpetuating the lie of growing hatred and bigotry which the majority of us are working to rise above and, thereby, stop.

Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.  Try making your opinion constructive and tolerant of someone else's.  We need to relearn how to agree to disagree, then go buy each other a drink and toast to the mere fact that we still have the freedom to do so.  More than this, I think we need to find faith, even if its just faith in each other.

Political parties in this country used to, for the most part, want the same things, their only disagreement was in how to go about achieving them, or make them sustainable.  I'd like to get back to that bygone era and see us all leave the hate at home.

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.

My Own Mortality

“The curse of mortality. You spend the first portion of your life learning, growing stronger, more capable. And then, through no fault of your own, your body begins to fail. You regress. Strong limbs become feeble, keen senses grow dull, hardy constitutions deteriorate. Beauty withers. Organs quit. You remember yourself in your prime and wonder where that person went. As your wisdom and experience are peaking, your traitorous body becomes a prison.”

-- Brandon Mull, author

I wanted to write this all down while it's still fresh in my mind; before I think and wordsmith the emotion and, with it, the very meaning of what I truly feel.  I think it's what any of us might feel when a loved one has a massive stroke.  We begin to ponder our own fragile mortality.  Not that we haven't thought about it as we've aged, but there comes a time when these thoughts become all too possible realities.  Like when we're 65 years old and people around us begin dropping like flies, or when a loved one is down for the count and not likely to recover.  We try to deflect the topic by denying our own mortality, and we succeed, for the most part, until it jumps out like a "Jack-in-the-Box" with boxing gloves and punches us fully in the face.

I distanced myself from death when I was 50.  The high school alumni newsletter became more of an obituary.  I never was one for class reunions.  I didn't really "know" very many people in the "Class of '71."  It looked as if I knew even fewer now, and probably wouldn't know any others.  I went full bore into denial.  I would rage at the dying of the light... if I can.  

Neuroanatomist and author Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD., states, "To help me find my back into my peaceful right mind, I look at how my body organizes information into systems and capitalize on those already established circuits. I find that paying attention to sensory information as it streams into my body us a very helpful tool."  But, what if your "established circuits" are fried?  What if your body is waiting for information to organize, buy your brain has lost the connection?  What happens when paying attention is a serious effort and the sensory information you're receiving is like looking at a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle?  You can't really speak, so nobody really understands what you want.  You can't efficiently swallow anything, so drinking water and eating food is out even though you're thirsty and hungry.  More than anything, you want to go home.  That isn't going to happen, not anytime soon.  A massive stroke isn't good for anybody.

“Such a suitable word, stroke. I'd heard it since childhood without fully understanding its meaning, but it sounded, even through a haze of sleep and dope, just like itself: abrupt and brutal and irreversible. A stroke of lightning, the stroke of midnight, the stroke of a pen.”

-- Armistead Maupin, writer, novelist, "The Night Listener"

But, this is the fear of aging; a fear we bury down deep until it's too late.  Some might say there's no sense worrying over that which we have no control.  I'd say it.  There are fitness fanatics who have dropped dead from heart attacks and strokes in middle age, and others who finally wore out in their 90s.

We take supplements and drugs, eat right and exercise, and years later we find out, through studies, what works and what was a waste of time.  I just found out I should stop taking my low-dose aspirin now that I'm 65; they found it may do more harm than good if you're over 70.  Eggs were bad, now their good.  Non-fat yogurt is now worse than whole milk yogurt.  Don't drink coffee, but now it's beneficial if it's not a dark roast.  Statins, to control cholesterol, don't really extend your life enough to matter.  And my favorite is my own "hereditary" cholesterol which diet and exercise have no effect on, yet working out and eating right, for two years in Mexico, lowered it and my blood pressure.  There was a 110-year-old black man in Texas who died recently.  For his entire adult life, and probably before, he smoked a cheap cigar every day and drank a glass of whiskey.  Who do you believe when it comes to health?  And does it really matter, if you're eating well and working out?  If it's your time to go you really can't escape the reaper.

“And meanwhile time goes about its immemorial work of making everyone look and feel like shit.”

-- Martin Amis, author, screenwriter

I expected to find myself sitting on a porch in a rocking chair, sipping on iced tea and watching the pretty young girls go by while my cronies and I discussed politics of the day and laughed over humorous anecdotes of life, love, children, and grandkids.  I never worried that memory would be an issue, or that I might not be able to speak a coherent sentence.  My worst fear was waking up incontinent and having to wear diapers.  Many of us move through life from a baby and back to being one, it seems.

It isn't death I've learned to fear but, rather, all we have to bear on our way to it.  I will, still, try to live life to a full measure while finding time to relax with friends and family.  One can't fight the inevitable; we can only postpone it for a time, and that postponement can. sometimes not be all that pleasant.  We live a while longer and sacrifice our quality of life if we can define what's left as life at all.

“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.”

-- Mark Twain (1835-1910),  author, writer, humorist

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.

Hurry Up, and Wait

"Well, it's one of those things 

where you hurry up and wait for shit to happen."

"Well, it's one of those things where you hurry up and wait for shit to happen."  A very good friend sent this to me in a message.  It had to do with waiting for results to come back.  For me, it brought back memories of military service.  I learned early on that one reason we hurry up to wait is so we have a chance to second guess ourselves.  If you weren't part of making certain everything was as good as it gets, then you were grabbing some chow or getting some rest, both of which weren't a certainty down range.

I remember one time in Washington state, middle of the night, dead of winter, snow was starting to fall along with the temperature.  As a master sergeant, I didn't have to be cold.  I could stay where it was warm, but that wasn't my style.  All of the Intelligence division's classified material for the ongoing exercise was strapped to a pallet and sitting on the runway waiting for loading onto an aircraft, which may or may not happen.  Because it was highly classified material, Intelligence had to guard it.  I backed my pickup truck, with a windowed topper, to where I could climb in back, out of the weather, and keep an eye on things.  I'd brought with me a thermos of coffee, flashlight, sleeping bag, blanket, and a walkie-talkie.  It was damned cold.

A couple of hours into my watch, two security policemen wandered over to the pallet of material.  They looked around, then one of them took out his walkie-talkie and called in.  A minute went by before I got a call on mine wanting to know where I was because two security guys were at our pallet and I was nowhere to be seen.  I yelled out to the two policemen that if they were any closer, to me or my material, they'd already be dead.  Situation resolved.  Back to "hurry up and wait."  I supposed this was why they changed the name of "Security Police" to "Law Enforcement."  Security?  Not so much.  I'd feel more secure if the Army or Marines were walking picket.

"Hurry up and wait" is a humorous phrase used to refer to the situation in which one is forced to hurry in order to complete a certain task, or arrive at a certain destination, by a specified time; only for nothing to happen at that time, often because other required tasks are still awaiting completion.

-- Wikipedia

"Hurry up and wait" is an exercise in patience.  It can be hell if what you're waiting for means a change in life, and not in a good way.  Waiting to hear if you've lost your job, or your life, if your test results are positive or not; if you failed your exam or excelled.  Maybe you're waiting on an aircraft to take you downrange, to fight a battle; counting your ammunition, cleaning your weapon, getting some chow and some sleep.  Going over the battle plan and failing to see how the "enhanced" rules of engagement guarantee any good outcome for your unit.   You hope for the best while planning for the worst.  But, someone is supposed to be planning for the best, aren't they?

"And the reality is: That the way you deal with Islamic State - these blood-thirsty, blood-drunken terrorists - is to kill them, keep on killing them until you kill the last one, then you kill his pet goat! That's how you deal with them."

-- Ralph Peters, Lt Col, US Army, Ret.

"Hurry up and wait" is an exercise in deterrence.  It's planning nuclear annihilation as a means to give your enemy a moment of pause.  A reality check of possible consequences.  Does your enemy dare test your resolve?  And, if they do, do you take the moral high ground, instead?  Just because you can do something doesn't mean you must?  General Ralph Peters said the way to deal with ISIS "is to kill them, keep on killing them until you kill the last one, then you kill his pet goat!"  As much as I agree with his sentiment, killing the "pet goat," especially if your enemy isn't there to be horrified is simply bloodthirsty.  It crosses the moral line of military necessity.  Better to kill the pet goat immediately, as a message for your enemy to cease and desist.  Wait and see if they understand the message.  If terrorism continues, they are testing your resolve to escalate.  Immediately kill them all, with extreme prejudice, and then wait for the other shoe to drop - in the court of public opinion.  Hurry up, and wait.

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.  

A Hand Up

I dreamed I was face to face with God, and so I asked God, “There’s so much suffering in the world, so much poverty, so much violence, racism, and sexism. People are treating each other so horribly. God, why don’t you do something about it?” Then God looked at me and said, “That’s interesting. I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

-- Unknown

I have always been a believer in the saying, "God helps those who help themselves."  Will we find this in the Bible?  No, not really.  What the Bible says is in Psalm 94:17-19, "Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.  When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."  Basically, God will give you a "hand up" not a handout.  But the roots of this thought might be traced back to an ancient Greek dramatist, Euripides, who wrote a tragedy, in 428 BC, called "Hippolytus": "Try first thyself, and after call in God; For to the worker God himself lends aid."

The impetus for this post was a comment on Facebook.  Of course, I asked if I could reprint the comment on my blog.  Permission was, obviously, granted:

Gotta love when people talk about having faith, but they refuse to use the common sense God gave them. Sorry, but faith alone is not going to take care of all of your ills. God expects us to be responsible with our resources.

I have all the faith in the world that God will provide, but if I go shopping instead of paying my electricity bill, I WILL come home to no lights.

Unless you're an invalid, totally incapable of doing for yourself, I find it hard to have faith that God will simply provide for you because you choose to be a slacker and leach off of society.  This handout isn't for God to provide; this is the business of governmental welfare who take from those who work and give to those who choose not to.

“The matters we or the world might consider trivial, He cares about and wants to remedy. He longs to relieve our worries and has promised to supply our most fundamental needs.”

― Charles R. Swindoll

What God provides to us are our basic needs: Air, food, water, companionship, etc., and it is upon us to breathe, gather food, hump the water up from the creek, woo our life-partner, and so on.  You can't just sit back and say "do for me" unless, as stated before, you've conned your way onto the welfare rolls and, from what I've been told, it isn't that hard to do.

Most of us, however, have a modicum of self-respect which prohibits us from leaching off our fellow man.  Wheelchairs and handicaps are no longer a barrier to meaningful employment, if you want to work, that is.  You must have the desire to become everything you are capable of becoming, and it is this capability to become more which sets us apart in what we do, and in who we are.  Are we to be contributing members of our society, or are we going to leach off of those who are?  It is a choice for each person to be what God instructed of us:

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

-- Genesis 1:27-28 

Nowhere in Genesis does it say "sit on your ass" and take that which you haven't worked for.  Have I missed something?  I don't think so.  Before we were thrown out of Eden, we were to tend the garden.  After we tasted forbidden fruit and were ousted from paradise, we were told to go till the soil and feed ourselves by the sweat of our brow.  

“Abiding does not mean sitting idly by. It means resting in the work, resting in the moment, resting in the truth, resting in the confidence that God is your provision.”

-- Robin Bertram

Again, if you don't want to work, feel free to starve. God will provide to each by the sweat of our individual labor and to those who cannot provide for themselves, the very old, the mentally and physically infirm, and the bedridden.  It is for these "lesser" of us we should have programs. These are the at-risk populations which have no other recourse than charity.

Socialists would say the government should redistribute the wealth of those who have worked hard for what they have. Stealing from others is not a way to light a fire under those who are happy in their lot. If we want to redistribute money, let everyone with a job pay the same taxes across the board. If you make $10 you pay $2, $100 you pay $20, $1000 you pay $200, and so on. 20% across the board and NO exclusions. If the poor get a welfare check, 20% is held back to pay their fair share to others even less fortunate. The League of the Perpetually Offended will lose their little minds, of this I am certain.

“The primary cause of disorder in ourselves is the seeking of reality promised by another.”

-- Krishnamurti (1895-1986), writer, philosopher

Author Randy Alcorn writes, "Abundance isn't God's provision for me to live in luxury. It's his provision for me to help others live." Abundance is what we work very hard to procure for ourselves, our friends, and family; those who work hard alongside us in life. It is what we use to employ others so they can also work hard and make lives for themselves and, if they work smart enough, they can start their own business and hire others to work hard and get ahead, and so on. This is God's provision for hard working people to help others to move ahead.  

The provision for charity is not forgotten in this, as charity is can be a necessity to prime the engine for success.  As God gives us the strength to become more, so it is our responsibility to give the less fortunate that same strength if this is what they desire.  Charity in its purest form should be reserved for those who cannot rise to the occasion due to serious physical or mental limitations which prohibit them from useful employment. We cannot save the poor from themselves; they must be willing to make some effort or they are doomed to remain where they are.  Charity, for the majority of people, should be more about helping them to rise above their circumstance, to have dignity, not giving them free stuff, or redistributing to them what they didn’t earn.  

Matthew 7:7-8 tells me, you have to find the faith to ask.  You have to seek before you can find.  You have to get off your ass and knock before doors will open for you.  Life is all about you putting in some effort, not leeching off the efforts of others.

“Seeking excellence means choosing to forge your own sword to cut through the limitations of your life...”

-- James A. Murphy, author

Faith isn't about asking God for a handout, it is about asking God for a hand up.  Don't ask God to do for you.  Ask God for the strength to find faith in yourself.  It is through faith in yourself that your dreams come true.  If you can't discover the faith God has in you, how are you ever going to discover the faith you have in any deity?

Having said all of this, moving forward also means moving the world forward with us.  Those of us that have also have a moral responsibility in this forward "movement" to assist others to become more than they are, but it is the responsibility of these others to desire that assistance and not to squander the offer.  We are only as good as the least of us.  It is through the success of these people that we will all be judged.  As God gives us the strength to lift ourselves up, we must also show others how to find that strength. 

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

-- Maimonides (1135-1204), Sephardic Jewish philosopher

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. 

Life Becomes Easier

"Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got."

-- Robert Brault, freelance writer

Oh, I so identify with this.  Many of us have experienced wanting "the apology you never got."  We tend to let it go because the offense wasn't really worth dwelling over.  Often times, not getting an apology was everything we expected from the person owing us one, and it speaks volumes about who they are.  All we should do is simply shake our heads and move on.  But, for a few of us, the offense was life-shattering.  This experience we suffer is perpetrated by a person who goes out of their way to destroy everything you hold dear, to turn your life inside out, and then just walk away as they've completed what they set out to do.  No apology is given, and none was really ever expected.  This is who they are and you are left to wonder what you ever saw in them and why you ever loved them.  They left you with nothing but a pit of misery to wallow in abject hatred for them.  Hey, but that's life, right?

“Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain. If somebody is rude and inconsiderate, you can almost be certain that they have some unresolved issues inside. They have some major problems, anger, resentment, or some heartache they are trying to cope with or overcome. The last thing they need is for you to make matters worse by responding angrily.”

-- Joel Osteen, pastor, televangelist, author

For me, I couldn't wait for the person to die just so I could go to the cemetery and piss on the fresh grave, so great was my hatred.  I carried this destructive emotion on my back and joked about it for many years and, in reality, by doing so I allowed the pain to continue and consume me.  Destructive emotions are like that.  Mine kept me alive by putting me in a personal hell just so I could continue to hate.  How sad is that, to punish one's self in order to punish someone who might never know they're being punished by someone they'll go to their grave not giving a damn about?  Again, destructive emotions are like that.  

Would an apology have helped?  Maybe.  It would have shocked me more than anything, though, coming from someone who never apologized, to me, for anything.  Why did it all happen?  I allowed it to happen.  It was ultimately my fault forever letting this person get close to me, to begin with.  And, more importantly, it was my fault for allowing it to go on until I had accumulated so much love and life for them to take away from me.  Fifteen years after my destruction, fifteen years of letting the hatred eat at me, I finally learned to let it all go.  I accepted the apology, the apology I knew I was never going to get, by forgiving the person for who they are and their part in what happened.  I also recognized my large role in what took place... and forgave myself.

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

-- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), poet, playwright

Life does, in fact, become easier if you can learn to accept apologies, especially those you never get, and if you can learn to forgive others for their trespasses, even if they aren't aware you have forgiven them.  Life becomes even easier if you learn not to have expectations and if you learn not to worry over things, or people, for which you have little or no control.  I have learned that if you lose control, or find you never had control, it's better to end whatever you're involved in as soon as you realize all hope of salvaging the situation is lost.  Don't invest your entire life giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to a dead horse in a dry desert.  You'll end up standing over the desiccated carcass with a bad taste in your mouth and no water, while a stranger rides off into the sunset with everything you hold dear... and your canteen.  When the ship is sinking and there's no hope of saving it, grab the good memories and abandon ship so you're alive to salvage what you can later, and move on.  If there aren't any good memories and the ship wasn't that seaworthy, then it's really not that great of a loss anyway.  It is what it is and little will be made better by being angry about it.

True forgiveness is when you can say, "Thank you for that experience.”

-- Oprah Winfrey, executive, philanthropist, actress

Life is full of lessons.  Some are painful, and they become more painful because we make them so.  One has to wonder if the lesson is all about the pain or, perhaps, about letting go?  Well, I still make mistakes.  I try to recognize my mistakes early, learn from them, and move on.  When I finally forgave who I hated, I remembered why I loved them, and I learned to love them again.  They don't know I love them, they probably don't want to, and I think they probably wouldn't care.  It really doesn't matter to me.  I have gained a great capacity for pity, but life became easier when I learned to focus on being happy and on not being responsible for someone else's happiness.  If you want to hop on my "happiness" train you must have no expectations, keep your drama to yourself, and know that I reserve the right to eject your miserable ass as soon as possible and for cause, when said causality is found to seriously impede the happiness fueling the train.

Life becomes easier when you learn to let life's bullshit, things, events, and people, slip through your fingers like so much sand.  Learn the lessons and let them go, and let them go as soon as possible.  Don't waste a lot of precious time worrying or being angry.  Nothing is really more important than being happy.  Focus on that happiness.  There is too much life to live, and not much time to live it.  

Oh, and learn to love, even those you have no reason to.  The fact that they can't or won't reciprocate is their loss; don't let it be yours.

“Throughout life people will make you mad,

disrespect you and treat you bad. 

Let God deal with the things they do,

cause hate in your heart will consume you too.”

-- Will Smith, actor, rapper

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.

Why Don't I Comment?

“Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet, philosopher

My father always told me, "Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one."  I learned, early on, just because you have an opinion it doesn't make you an asshole, so you don't have to be an asshole when voicing your opinion.  Personal opinions are just that, your own personal opinion.  State your opinion, with all humility, and move on.  No one has to agree with it, and no one should be expected to.  If you need to have your ego stroked, unfortunately, it says much about who you are... to everybody but you.

I was recently asked why I don't comment on what other people write.  I have enough trouble dealing with arising from what I write.  I am my own worse critic and years of evidence proves I have no reason to expect I won't be just as tough on others.  I tend to walk that fine line between being critical and being a rude asshole.  This is one reason why I always follow my posts on this blog with this "Editor's Note":

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.

I've had to point this "footnote" out to many people who get their "panties in a bunch" while vehemently disagreeing with what I write.  I'm never disappointed when the League of the Perpetually Offended have their habitual hissyfit over something I've written.  They are perpetually offended, after all.  These are a segment of readers who find it nigh impossible to "agree to disagree."

As the lead chaplain at the local medical center, I often have interaction with folks who think I'm there to change their minds or their faith.  They are taken aback when I begin my talk and state that I really don't care what their personal beliefs are.  A person has to find their own belief, their own faith.  It is not my place to say they must believe a certain way.  Atheists, for instance, have their own belief set.  They seem to define their atheism to suit this personal belief paradigm.  This is no different than theists.  Unless you're a lemming simply following the crowd, striving to belong somewhere before you find yourself running off a philosophical cliff,  I think we all want to be special in our own way.

Do I think atheists, or others, are going to hell for their beliefs?  No, because I don't believe hell exists in the traditional sense.  For myself, as another sinner trying to get it right, as long as everyone tries to lead a moral life, who am I to judge?  I don't believe a loving God, positive energy, condemns us to eternity in a "hell" because we question faith.  As a person of faith, all I can do is wish for people, those who wish to lead a peaceful, moral existence, everything they expect in life... and in the hereafter.  If you believe in nothing and have faith in nothing, then I wish for you the nothing you expect so you will not be disappointed, not that you will ever know.

What I do believe, however, is that "evil" does exist.  I believe the weak minded can be turned from the positive to the negative and that, when we die, we will find ourselves, by our own choice, in a "hell" we create for ourselves or, if our minds are so very weak, we will become demons of our own making, as well.  This has nothing to do with religious faith.  It has much to do with, once again, becoming one with the universe which demands balance.  We will simply have no choice.  We will be honest with ourselves about our actions during this adventure and choose how to set everything straight, if necessary.  Then again, perhaps positive souls will simply flow to positive energy, and negative souls will flow to negative energy.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”

-- Christopher Hitchens, author, journalist, social critic

We all have to walk our own positive path.  We also have to find that path, ourselves.  No one can find a path for you.  Remember that negative energy attracts negative energy.  When you discover your path, don't be perpetually offended while walking it or you may find yourself walking alone.  Practice tolerance and acceptance of other beliefs.  I always remind folks, if you're going to comment, try hard to make it a constructive comment.

English author and humorist Douglas Adams wrote, “All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.”  I humbly disagree.  Everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks theirs is right.  In this way, all opinions are equal.  Unless an opinion is a fact it will always be just one person's own, personal, opinion.  A proven fact as no longer an opinion unless, of course, someone doesn't believe the irrefutable proof.  The world is flat, after all, and we all know it.  The moon landings were accomplished on a sound stage in Hollywood, and the earth is the center of the universe.  Anti-gravity and faster-than-light travel are impossible and there is no such thing as God.  It is what it is until it isn't, and then it is what it is... again.

“Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part, I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste.”

-- Voltaire (1694-1778), writer, historian, philosopher

I don't comment on what other people write, because it is not my place to judge what they write.  It is their opinion.  If they ask for my opinion I will be happy to give it if they're mature enough to accept that it's just my opinion.  Few of us are this mature.  We constantly look for a chink in someone else's armor so we can feel "one up" on them.  Do they really want my honest opinion, or do they want me to stroke their ego?  When I ask for comments and opinions I only ask that they be constructive.  My fervent hope is, what they have to say will be of some use, or have some meaning, to those who read it.  

My readers who have asked me specific questions, or for advice, usually get a fairly short response.  I do this to stay on point and not obfuscate my response.  If something requires more than a sentence it usually becomes the impetus for another post on this blog.  Obfuscation is also why I don't often respond to comments my readers provide.  Again, to what end?  They have acquiesced to my request to leave a constructive comment... if they so desire.  They know my mindset, and now we know theirs.  Viola!  If you want more honesty and complication than this, you have to kiss me, buy me dinner, and promise me a happy ending.  I'm not cheap, but I can be bought and, besides, I'm cute.  Okay, maybe not so much the latter.

“It's okay to disagree with the thoughts or opinions expressed by other people. That doesn't give you the right to deny any sense they might make. Nor does it give you a right to accuse someone of poorly expressing their beliefs just because you don't like what they are saying. Learn to recognize good writing when you read it, even if it means overcoming your pride and opening your mind beyond what is comfortable.”

-- Ashly Lorenzana, author, escort, "sex worker"

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.