And... Yet,. More?

“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

-- Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519), polymath, artist

What is it like to have lived your entire life in your hometown with no plans to move?

Stagnation. I left my hometown with kids on the streetcorner, hanging out. I came back 15 years later, for a reunion, and the same kids, now young men and women, are on the streetcorner, hanging out. I saw the world and they did nothing. I protected my country, while they "hung out." How sad is that? I have a world view, they have the streetcorner.

What is your view on this question that without morals and ethics in one's life, life is boring?

How will a Catholic priest, who has never married, perform marriage counseling? We learn by doing. We don’t truly know anything unless we experience it. This life is never boring, but it is through this life that we develop our personal sense of ethics and morality. For some that path is straight and narrow. For others, they crave pleasure through a little pain. Both move forward, have an interest, and experience. But, for one the experience can be much more exciting, at a cost. The question is whether the cost is worth the experience, the knowledge about life, that you will glean from it?

At what age does the "you still got your whole life ahead of you" statement become invalid?

It depends on how you view the statement. Life here does end. This shell we inhabit does wear out and cease to function. Your existence, however, continues. We concern ourselves too much with the “end of life” when we should really concern ourselves with what comes after. You still got your whole existence ahead of you.

“You are not IN the universe, you ARE the universe, an intrinsic part of it. Ultimately, you are not a person, but a focal point where the universe is becoming conscious of itself. What an amazing miracle.”

-- Eckhart Tolle, author, spiritual teacher

What is the simplest way to get out of the maze?

Mark the paths you’ve already tried so you don’t repeat them.

What's something people should stop investing in?

Debt. Stop spending more than you have. The accrued interest on one’s accrued debt is often a debilitating factor in one’s life. Remove the debt and you have more money to invest in more important things, like life.

What makes a good life fall apart?

A lack of focus. Life is all about how we focus on it. Our focus concerns the choices and decisions we make for ourselves. If we lose focus our choices become confusing and we risk making poor decisions. If we make enough poor decisions our life begins to fall apart. Better to stay focused. Try focusing on being happy always!

“Enlightenment, for a wave in the ocean, is the moment the wave realizes it is water. When we realize we are not separate, but a part of the huge ocean of everything, we become enlightened. We realize this through practice, and we remain awake and aware of this through more practice.”

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk

What did you do today that you wished you had a little bit more time for?

Not a thing. Whatever was this important, I will continue today. If something else prevents me from continuing it, I have enjoyed what I was able to accomplish. I learned long ago not to get too worked up over that which I have little or no control. It is what it is until it isn’t, and then it is what it is, again. Better to just be happy always.

Do you take technology breaks, and how do they benefit you?

I am a closet Luddite. I’m also a techno-boob, which probably accounts for my Luddite tendencies. I go kicking and screaming into new technology. For the most part, I use technology for communication. It is a tool to reach a vast number of people with the least effort, and a way to write that offers a vast amount of applications to make the writing easier and more efficient. But, writing is simply another means of communication.

When I go out to socialize I have a “flip” phone. I answer it when it rings. I do not pull it out of my pocket otherwise, and when I do I keep it short. I am out to socialize, not to bury my nose in a computer or a phone. I am there for face-to-face communication, to enjoy the company of those I’m with. The benefit, for me, of technology breaks is to remember there is life without it. Fresh air, companionship, nature, reading a real bound book, cooking, and so much more is missed when we do nothing but bury ourselves in technology as life passes us by.

Why do I think I'm not in my realty?

First of all, I think you meant to say “reality,” and if you didn’t, you are trespassing.

Why is it that people think this might be a computer program? I watched a program the other day where a mathematician was explaining how they were breaking the universe down into digits, like binary code, and there was this leftover code they couldn’t make sense of until a programmer looked at it and explained it was a “reset” code for the computer programs. Does the universe have a built-in reset code?

It makes one wonder why we are here. Are here in this “reality” simply to learn what we can and report it back to the mainframe when our time here is complete, so we can be reassigned to another fact-finding mission.

Maybe “God” is using us as some grand experiment. Maybe our fate isn’t written and this is God’s way of seeing how things play out in creation, but there is a reset code so the entire program doesn’t crash because of some moronic decision on the part of some “bad actor” in the program.

What you see, as maybe not being a reality, might just be a reality. What is, is until it isn’t. When you are through, here and now, what is experienced in the next moment will then be just another reality.

“Not only are we in the Universe, the Universe is in us. I don’t know of any deeper spiritual feeling than what that brings upon me.”

-- Neil deGrasse Tyson, planetary scientist, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author

Why is the world such a horrible place?

Humans.

The simple explanation is we are a selfish species, and we are greedy. We always want more and we don’t necessarily feel a sense of moral ethics when we go after it. We will subjugate and kill as a means to an end, and others will kill to protect and destroy those who would threaten, kill, and subjugate. Occasionally there is a sense of peace, but those times are becoming fewer and farther between.

Those of us who understand this, try to be the light of understanding and knowledge. It is unfortunate that selfish greed has little room for understanding or knowledge.

Why is longevity sought in a world where all is short-lived?

There is so much to experience, so much to learn. We don’t know what awaits us on the other side, after our death in this realm, so we want to milk as much as we can out of our short existence here. If we could live longer we could do so much more. 

Is there always a loser in business?

Not always, but there are always those who do better than others.

“Everything amazing about the universe is inside of you, and the two are inseparable.”

-- Carl Sagan (1934-1996), astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author

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.