Answering the Burning Questions

The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions.

-- Antony Jay

Can you be part of the oppressed and still be an oppressor at the same time? Please list some examples.

Anarchists are a good example. They say they’re oppressed and are acting to end oppression, yet they oppress others in doing so. You also can’t end racism by being racist or giving your group a racist title that is not all-inclusive. It just doesn’t work that way. You’re just exchanging one evil for another.

How can a retired widow with no kids and no real friends deal with life's meaninglessness?

First of all, if anyone feels life is meaningless perhaps they would be better served by filling their life with meaning. If they have no kids, well whoo hoo! This is an excellent opportunity to meet some “real friends.” We tend to make our lives meaningless in our own attitudes, and then we wonder why it's meaningless. Life is full of choices and decisions we must make for ourselves, therefore our lives are meaningless because we make it so. People need to take ownership of the problems they create in their own lives. Only then can they work on changing their life and learn to be happy always.

“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

What is happiness for you?

Children and animals. As a grandfather, I always smile watching the innocence of children at play. I also am privileged to have a feral cat that has volunteered to be part of our family. He is a 16-pound monster that guards the property and comes out to greet us when we come home. He has lots of personality and was a perfect fit for us. This is happiness.

Happiness is a choice each of us must make. We can choose to be miserable, with all the associated drama, or we can choose to keep the drama out and be happy always. I choose the latter and try to find happiness in everything I choose to do.

Is forgiveness a choice or a process?

Forgiveness is a choice. Accepting forgiveness is a also choice, but guilt makes it a process, as well.

No.

Okay. But, do you have a reason?   (Seriously, this was the "question" and my answer.  Go figure.)

"We cannot diminish one category of human life - the unborn - without diminishing the value of all human life."

-- Ronald Reagan

In a COVID-19 era, is human life valued completely, or is some human life dismissed?

Even in the COVID-19 era, don’t all lives matter? Some would have us believe we have entered into an era where some human lives are valued more than others. Only to these anarchists and other terrorists is any human life simply dismissed. As for the rest of humanity, all lives still matter.

If one neither has the money nor the time to travel and do the thing he/she enjoys, is he/ she truly free?

The mind is never captive. It is a slave to no one. We are all truly free. Learn to be happy always. When life seems at its lowest, this is when happiness is truly valuable.

How can you find goodness in your life when all you can see is darkness and void?

Stop looking into the darkness and the void. Look for the miracles and the light that occur around us every day. Deny the pit of misery and accept happiness into your life always. Evil and darkness only reside where they are invited and welcomed. Shun all drama and seek out happiness.

How much does the world need?

Some might say even the world is not enough. The world needs nothing. It certainly does not need this cancer we have become. But, the world will abide until our passing, and then it will heal.

What are some life lessons?

There are “seven rules of life” I found while doing research for a recent post to my blog:

1, Make peace with your past so it does not affect the present.

2. What others think of you is none of your business.

3. Time heals almost everything, given time.

4. Don’t compare your life to others and don’t judge them. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

5. It’s alright not to know all the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it.

6. You are in charge of your happiness.

7. Smile. You don’t own all the problems in the world. 

Does our job really define who we are? I feel like it does and it doesn't. You can't tell me basketball doesn't define Michael Jordan. That's what he is.

You’re addressing two ideas at once here, “who” we are and “what” we are. Basketball defines “what” Jordan is, not “who” Jordan is. “Who” he is, will be defined by his beliefs, how he treats people, his moral and ethical behaviors, as well as what he enjoys doing.

Is everything in life a competition or not? Some think it is and some think it isn't.

“Everything” is all-encompassing. Am I in competition when I sleep or eat? Who do I compete against in my retirement, when I mow the lawn or read a book? No, not “everything” is about competition.

“Ask a burning question, get a burning answer”

-- Lynda Barry

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 volunteered as a chaplain at the regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com