Always With the Questions!

“Life is an experimental journey undertaken involuntarily. It is a journey of the spirit through the material world and, since it is the spirit that travels, it is the spirit that is experienced. That is why there exist contemplative souls who have lived more intensely, more widely, more tumultuously than others who have lived their lives purely externally.”

-- Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), poet, writer, philosopher

Where is Time going?

Forward.

What's the meaning of "nevertheless, she persisted"?

"In spite of everything they thew at her to make her quit, she persisted, undaunted by their attempts."  It means “in spite of” or, if you prefer, “just to piss them off.”

When you have a big or special event in your life, do you also count stupid things like "how many times I cut my nails since then" or "How many times did I get a haircut"?

Who does this? Please, tell me you don’t do this. Your comment is on point calling it counting “stupid things.” This is really being anal, they might as well count the number of bowel movements along with anything else. The mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially counting "stupid things" you've done since a special event.  What if your life is full of special events?  What then?  I have enough trouble remembering when I got my last haircut and if I’m due for one. I’ll be lucky to remember the year of any special event.  It was an event.  I had fun.  When's the next one?  Now there is something to dwell on; when is the next one?

“A man must find time for himself. Time is what we spend our lives with. If we are not careful we find others spending it for us. . . . It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, 'Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?' . . . If one is not careful, one allows diversions to take up one's time—the stuff of life.”

-- Carl Sandburg (1978-1967). poet, journalist

What are the skill sets one must learn at the age of 22?

Self-defense, shooting several types of weapons, running, ducking & weaving, and when somebody yells “Gun!” immediately kiss the pavement and pray you brought yours. It is the world we live in.

Among the 7 CS of communication, which one principle do you think is the most important, and why?

Coherence. If the message doesn’t make sense then what’s the point of communicating it? The other 6 “C”s are now a waste of time even considering.

“The happy man needs nothing and no one. Not that he holds himself aloof, for indeed he is in harmony with everything and everyone; everything is "in him"; nothing can happen to him. The same may also be said for the contemplative person; he needs himself alone; he lacks nothing.”

-- Josef Pieper  (1904-1997),  Catholic philosopher

How do you sleep when you have an imminent deadline?

If the deadline in that imminent, why would you think you have time for sleep? In the military we always had deadlines. We also worked a lot of late hours to make sure the product wasn’t only on time, but it had been edited, corrected, and quality controlled prior to presenting the finished product. If you practice good “time management” you will have ample time for “peaceful” sleep, and a cookout with volleyball to celebrate a job well done.

As a philosophy major, what does your class look like?

Philisophically... who cares?

What is your own definition of being "rich-broke"?

I am happy always, or I always strive to be. Rich or poor, I find the best in my circumstances. Being rich in life is so much more than money and property. I am rich with friends and family. I am rich in my health and well-being. I may, or may not, have money, but I am always rich.

Why should you give a speech, attend an interview, or make an important decision with a full bladder?

I read the previous answer, touting this technique. I’d like to know the correlation between good hydration and having a full bladder as it relates to this. Do you really have to worry about peeing yourself, or is it the hydration that makes this technique work? I’ve been a public speaker most of my adult life and relied on preparation, not urine, to carry me through.

“Many questing young people and stressed older people nowadays seek relaxation through meditation. They look for it in Hindu, Buddhist and other Eastern religions. They are often surprised to learn that there is such a way within the Christian tradition, a way that is known as contemplation.”

-- Ray Simpson, "Village People" singer

Do you think (the current) crisis will bring about any changes?

I think, as with Asia and South America, more people here will wear masks as a matter of course. Washing hands constantly will become much more important, as will hand sanitizer and wipes. Shaking hands and kissing cheeks will be for close friends we know are careful; a nod for everyone else. Seating may become more distanced in auditoriums and classrooms. These changes will stay with us for years. When children are taken to the country, they will relish the freedom of not wearing a mask or constantly washing. They will pine for country living, and we will tell them of the days when we didn’t worry about shaking hands and kissing cheeks. Money will go away in favor of a laser-scanned card and an implant will be scanned as your code. I’m sure other changes will also stay with us for years in how we conduct business.

How do I not regret my decisions and not make it feel like I disappoint people?

Life is all about making choices and decisions. We hope to make the best possible, but sometimes we fail. Making educated choices and decisions helps a lot in mitigating the errors we make. You might disappoint yourself, at times, but this is how we learn so we can make better choices later on. If you make the best choice you can, and you feel like you did your homework, this is all any of us can hope for.

What concerns me is that you seem to care what other people think of the best you can do. Unless they’re your boss, you’re not here to satisfy anyone but you. You need to ask yourself, what right they have to pass judgment on you? Those who protest the loudest are probably doing worse than you in making important decisions. Learn to satisfy yourself, and explain to anyone who critiques you that you’ve been critiqued by better than them. You’ve been critiqued by yourself. You can’t ask for better.

What item do you think will never be replaced, no matter how technologically advanced society becomes?

Sooner or later we will develop artificial intelligence that rivals, or surpasses, the human brain in an ability to think for itself. The soul, however, will never be replaced.

From my earliest youth I have felt the intuition (and have also, as far as I could, lived by it) that at some deeper cross-section of this pyramid of consciousness, mere being could become an event, the inviolable presence and simultaneity of everything that we, on the upper, "normal," apex of self-consciousness, are permitted to experience only as entropy.”

-- Rainer Maria Rilke  (1875-1926), poet, novelist

Is it always good to be vacuous?

More to the point, I think, is it EVER good to be vacuous? Let’s consider the definition: Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless. I suppose if one wishes to be seen like this, it is up to them, but I’m not sure how great of a life they’d have if everyone viewed them like the simpleton they wished to portray. Intelligence really isn’t necessary, but it doesn’t take much to be smart and thoughtful.

“Who among us has never, at some contemplative point in our lives or another, asked the truly big questions, questions about the ultimate meaning of the world we find around us, and of our lives within it? Questioning the reason for our human existence is a very natural pursuit on the part of any intelligent human being. Indeed, unlike any other species of life, human beings alone have been gifted by God with the unique cognitive ability to engage in self-reflection upon our very own existence as human beings. To be human means to question what it means to be human.”

-- Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya, spiritual teacher, vedic scholar, religious leader

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 lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.