I've been frequenting a site where questions are put to the readers. If you answer some of these questions, people can then ask for you specifically to answer their questions. To date, I have responded to over 2000 requests for my answers to questions put before me by people worldwide. My answers are being upvoted and shared numerous times by readers and followers. I humbly assume my answers must strike an acceptable chord. Unfortunately, this also means there is no shortage of questions being directed to me. I started posting some of these questions and answers (see "A Question of Happiness") when I had no idea what to write about on the blog, but it seems people like reading them, so I will continue to occasionally post some of them. Please feel free to let me know what you think:
It is what it is until it isn’t and then it is what it is, once again. My real self constantly changes, recognizing change as the only constant. I remain my “real” self, throughout.
Do you have any advice that could change your life in an unimaginable way?
Learn to be happy always! Oh, you said my life? Well since I already learned this, my answer stands. Learn to be happy always!
What is the most unfair advantage a person can have?
In what area of challenge? It really makes a difference. All things being equal, except the advantage, in gambling it might be well funded to bet. In a beauty contest, being knock-dead gorgeous. To be a surgeon, a steady hand. It really depends on the challenge.
What is the meaning behind the quote “When you finally learn that a person's behavior has more to do with their own internal struggle than you, you learn grace”?
It’s not always about you? When you realize your desires are selfish, you begin to see the reality of those around you; their struggles. You start looking behind the facade of a smile, into their eye, and the pain that lies beyond. When you learn to listen, you begin to care, you tend to find grace.
What are the pros and cons of having a higher social status?
The pros are obviously egotistical. The cons, well, obviously have to do with the downside of being egotistical. Better to just be happy always and let the socialites feed off themselves. The higher you rise, the longer the fall.
What are the measures of freedom?
How much you’re willing to risk, to give up, in order to maintain it. Are you willing to die for it? Will you let your children willingly die for it?
Do you still get stuck in your past mistakes instead of leaving them behind?
No. Mistakes are nothing more than opportunities to learn. I would be wary of hiring a person who thinks they never make mistakes or one who refuses to own them. We all make mistakes, but we must also learn from them so we mitigate the possibility of repeating them. Learn from your mistakes and move forward.
Does the reason why behind every action really matter? How?
Yes! We already know what happened, where and when, and usually how. Somewhere in there, we will find out if there is a who involved. But, the “why” can explain so much more about it. If it is something directly related to a particular person, we will usually find out that the why is directly related to a decision they made or didn’t make and should have. The “why” of something is so much more important than anything else.
How do I achieve personal freedom?
Stay out of debt, keep drama out of your life, and learn to be happy always. It has worked for me.
How do you choose when you have to make a split-second decision and you can’t do anything?
The question itself is confusing, so any decision will probably be wrong. Split-seconds allow no time to consider options. I hate it when a salesman says this deal is only good for a set time. I tell them I'll consider it over the weekend and get back to them on Monday. If they balk, they lose the deal, I really don't care. If a deal is good now, it will be good later, or you don't need it. In the vevent of an emergency, on the other hand, the choice you’ll have to make is going to be based your ability to think fast to determine right from wrong and how fast you’re able to act afterward. Having said this, however, you also state “and you can’t do anything” which puts you in a pickle. If you truly can’t do anything, then don’t waste precious time - go find someone who can.
How do I become an outside the box thinker and figure out puzzles and problems faster?
Play solo strategy games. When we were forced to stay secluded due to COVID-19 I started playing MS Freecell solitaire. I’ve reached Level 361 and the title of Silver Grandmaster 13 after playing a total of 1,678 hands with no losses. My best time was one minute, forty-four seconds, and my worst was a couple of hours. What you learn playing this is there is always a solution, you simply have to work it out. If you lose, you simply didn't think it through. When the hand takes an inordinate amount of time, I walk away from it for a night and the answer jumps out at me the next morning as a route I didn’t see. After w while it becomes easier to see those strategies. Thinking out of the box is an ability to admit there is always an answer, you simply have to open your mind to all possibilities. Don’t ever say never or can’t, if you do you are defeated before you begin.
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 lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.
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