A Question of Lemons

“I believe when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade...and try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.”

-- Ron White, author, 2009/2010 U.S. Memory Championship

Why does life give lemons?

It sounds trite, but to teach you how to make lemonade. Life is about learning, and failure is one of the best ways we learn. If life was always rosy, what would you ever learn about the hard stuff? We learn to make tough decisions and choices. We learn all about life, this life, so we are better prepared for the next.

When you had everything but felt poor, was 'everything' money or something else?

I think you can have “everything” except money and still have an incomplete feeling. Family, friends, security, don’t necessarily bring you real happiness. If none of this is selfless, if mentoring isn’t selfless, if none of this is giving to those in need selflessly, If you’re not helping those trying to have security, willing to work for the security you enjoy, one might feel emotionally poor.

Is Quality Matters a Lot?

Absolutely! If you substitute quality for any reason, your clients and customers will notice this in short order. We have a restaurant here in my little town that does gang-buster business. During COVID they have cut back due to social distancing guidelines. This cutback was not well thought out. Waitstaff took forever to come around for orders, drinks took forever to arrive, as did the meal and the check. And, yet, there were half the customers. The food was still fine, but the drop in quality of service was painfully evident. We opted to stop frequenting the establishment until after the pandemic.

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”

-- Henry Ford (1863-1947), industrialist, business magnate

If you could pause everything and spend a year doing whatever you wanted, what would you do?

Assisting with an archeological dig in the SW desert, or a cook aboard a small Coast Guard boat.

What should I do if I need longer to figure something out than everyone else?

Take longer. You determine how long it takes you to fully understand an issue. You may have to look into the past to compare circumstances, or to understand decisions. History is something that escapes most people today, and yet it plays a large part in making informed choices and decisions. People love to listen to the media and let the media make choices for them, not realizing the media does not have their best interests at heart. Do your own research, even if it takes a bit longer to really understand. Don’t fall prey to other people judging you for being thorough. Do what you need to do and educate those who don’t.

What can I do if I know what I really want but it is impossible?

Brain surgery might be impossible for someone with no hands to achieve with today's technology. There really are unachievable goals due to technology or your own inabilities. This is one reason we have the old saying, “Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach.” This provides a way, for those that can’t, to make a difference in the field they might find otherwise difficult to participate in. You might be the one to create the technology that enables everyone who desires to excel in something to do so.

“It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement — that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.”

-- Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis

If this was all a futuristic dream and you woke up in the past, what would you do?

Invest heavily, and then go back to sleep. I either dreamt it was all a dream, I have precognition and end up wealthy in the long run, or I end up losing my investments and am more broke than I was. I will continue to be happy always, regardless of the outcome. The choices are mine to make.

Is a person always thinking of success? What happens if it does not become true?

One would hope so, for happiness or for business. It doesn’t always work out, however. In football vernacular, you “fall back and punt.” You make the best of it, or you learn from your failure and come at it again. What you do all depends on the choice you make. The choices and decisions we make define each of us for our attitude, tenacity, and our moral ethics.

In Winnie the Pooh quotes, how lucky am I?

“Pooh Philosophy” is the bright spot in an otherwise poopy day. If you take it to heart, the fact you can see makes you lucky; the fact you can read makes you lucky; the fact you understand what you read makes you lucky, and the fact you can see the moral behind the story makes you lucky. And, the fact you have friends and the chance to love makes you lucky.  Be happy always!

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

-- Winnie the Pooh 

What is the bravest thing you've seen a person do that you would never do for a million dollars?

Jumping out of an airplane wearing only a wingsuit and landing on a narrow length of stacked boxes. I think he was doing 85 MPH, thereabout, when he hit that narrow target. Missing would have been a painful mess. Brave and stupid. Not on a bet, and not for a million dollars.

What is something you felt was very important when you were in high school, but seems childish or unimportant now?

Beauty in women and good looks in men. How shallow is that? We are what we are, but it’s what’s on the inside that truly defines us. On the outside, dress like you own the world and take care in grooming what you have, whether attractive or not it shows a humble pride in oneself. 

What should I do? I am 18 (m). I have no clue what I want to do with my life but have this raging fire to succeed but have no idea where or how to start. I have 2k saved currently.

Go to college. Get a part-time job or join the military. Work and study. Stay out of debt. Then, when you’re all grown up (around 24 to 26) and have 20–30k saved up, ask this question again… of yourself. 

When you're 18, 19, you think you know everything, but you have no clue about anything.

-- Patrick Kane, National Hockey League, Rt Winger/Alt Capt

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 a chaplain at the regional medical center. 

Questioning the New Normal?

“If all that we see are the scattered pieces of ‘what was,’ the story of ‘what is yet to be’ will never be told. If, however, we are able to envision the pieces as what they are now freed to be, the story of ‘what is yet to be’ will stand among the greatest ever told.”

-- Craig D. Lounsbrough, counselor, author, theologian

Why does the term "new normal" make your skin crawl? If it doesn't, why?

It really doesn’t. Over 20 years in the military, it seemed every other week was a “new normal” from the week before. Change is the only constant in the universe. It is what it is until it isn’t, and then it is what it is again.

What would you say is good in the tough times we are all facing now?

Waking up! Any day you wake up on this side of the dirt is a good day.

Life is full of tests, things we must experience, and learn from. Some of us will fail, either through lack of a good attitude, an unwillingness to try, or just being selfish. Every day when you wake, thank God for the gift of another glorious day in paradise and another chance to excel in this life. Be happy for the gift, because the alternative simply sucks.

How much of a factor is luck in any type of success?

Luck is a factor. How much of a factor is up to the individual. We make our own luck, for the most part. We put ourselves in the right place at the right time, we make good choices and decisions, we study and plan. Card games have a modicum of luck involved, but you also need to know the rules, the odds, and be willing to gamble on your talent.

"Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), essayist, philosopher. poet

What could happen to make the final months of 2020 better than the rest of it?

Outlaw anarchist hate groups who incite and participate in violence and riots.

Why do things always go wrong where I live?

It would help to know where you live. Culture and politics play a major role in the imposed misery we wallow in, and if we let it happen it can be called self-imposed misery. Rejecting outside influence might mean changing a bad culture or electing better officials.

Why aren't boring people ever bored (and vice versa)?

Maybe boring people don’t consider themselves boring. Bored people, on the other hand, are usually looking for something to do so they aren’t bored or misconstrued to be boring.

How do you not feel very hurt when people (all ages, not just teens and those in their 20’s) assume you are older than you are? Example “You’re 43, I thought you were 50, sorry.”

It is what it is. I am almost 67 years old. I don’t hide my age. What would be the point? I dress well, try to keep myself well-groomed, and treat people like I’d want to be treated. I expect you to accept me as I am. A lot of people think I'm a bit younger.  I don't see it.  Do I look my age? Probably, and I earned every wrinkle, scar, laugh line, and even those crows feet by my eyes. I’m going bald and carry a bit of weight. Women love me for who I am, inside. There comes a point when you truly accept yourself. Whether others do, or not, is of little importance.

“Why are people afraid of getting older? You feel wiser. You feel more mature. You feel like you know yourself better. You would trade that for softer skin? Not me!”

-- Anna Kournikova, professional tennis player 

What does it mean to watch out for someone?

It could mean three things. One, someone is looking for you and it isn’t going to end well. Two, you need to avoid a certain hothead who likes to fight (refer back to the first thing as, also, probably not ending well). Or, three, someone needs looking after because they’re either too young, too old, or not very experienced. It has been my misfortune in the military to constantly stumble into those guys looking for me, and the hotheads. I learned to make better choices. 

How can a person achieve this level of understanding?

The first thing we would need to understand is just what “level of understanding” a person is trying to achieve? 

Are you an erudite, large-brained polymath, or do you have a friend who meets up to that description?

My aunt was probably both. She had three degrees in which I believe a doctorate in two. She was the first in several areas as a woman. She broke glass ceilings, was world-renowned, developed a multi-million dollar company from her small medical office in just a few years, and left many millions to a land conservancy upon her death.

Do you want to be famous or do you want to change lives?

Change lives! I have no ego to stroke.

“A star is not honored for its size, but for its light.”

-- Matshona Dhliwayo, philosopher, entrepreneur, 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 a chaplain at the regional medical center.

Appropriate Questions?

“In an attempt to learn more about what happened during a lobotomy, Freeman tried performing them with the patient wide awake, under local anesthesia. During one of these procedures, Freeman asked the patient, while cutting his brain tissue, what was going through his mind. “A knife,” the patient said. Freeman told this story with pleasure for years.”

-- Howard Dully, author

How can one escape the consequence of their actions in this life?

Get a lobotomy, and even then you have imposed a consequence upon yourself for your actions in this life. Life is all about choices and decisions. If you make good choices you will probably have good consequences, and if you make bad choices, well… you get the gist. If you have no conscience, your actions are to be judged by those around you, by society, sooner or later. If you actually have a conscience, there is no escaping your feelings of guilt for what you do. Either way, when we die we will have to answer for all we have done, and, having learned nothing while we were here, we will probably be damned to live this life again, and again, until we learn what we were supposed to. Better for us to just make good choices, learn our lessons, and be happy always.

Our lives are the sum of our choices and our choices a balance between value and cognition, do we really have free choice?

Our lives are indeed the sum of our choices. Well said. Our choices, however, are a consequence of free will that we were blessed with by the creator. Do, or do not, is the choice each of us must make. No one may take this free will from us unless we allow it. Ethically, there is no “balance” to strive for. Do what is right, always. If you must strive for anything, strive to make good choices always. True happiness demands it of us, and since it is our free choice we, therefore, demand it of ourselves.

Since I turned 30 I have piled on the pounds and my back has started to constantly ache and hurt is this normal?

Yes, carrying extra weight around can do that to you. After 30 our metabolism changes and we begin to suffer from “hand to mouth” disease. The best cure is to learn not to overeat and how to exercise. There are exercises to strengthen the back muscles that we have allowed to go slack as we age. Regardless of what you hear on TV, there is no miracle cure. Diet and exercise. Eat the right things and do the right exercises daily. Or, you can learn to live with the pain. Life is all about making choices.

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

-- C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) , writer, theologian 

Should I spend all my time with my eight-month-old and become a stay at home mom or go back to work?

This is a question only you can answer. Start by asking, “Why?” Why should I stay home, and why should I go back to work? First, do you really need the money more than your child needs a mother, full time? Can you do part-time? How much is the cost of child care compared to how much you’ll get paid? If you’re married, can you split shifts with the father, so one of you is with the baby? Parenting is lackluster, at best, in today’s society. It should be paramount in your mind before you even think of having a child. With this in mind, can you balance your child’s needs with that of your own?

My daughter wanted to be a parent, more than anything she wanted to be a mother. She gave up the thought of a full-time job to be a wife and mother, and she is the best of both. I have also seen good parents that manage to make the most of both worlds. When they’re home, they are fully invested in the child with quality time.

As a grandfather, I’m just throwing “thinking points” out there for you. I think you get my point. There is much to consider and only you can make the right choice for both you and, especially, your child. The fact that you are even asking this question tells me you care, and that is always a good thing.

How unethical is it to complain about a co-worker’s job performance?

Not if you’re having to take up their slack. But, ethically, it is better to address the situation with the coworker, first, and see if they need help understanding the requirements. They may not realize they have performance issues that may get them fired. Let them know you’re having to do more because of them. Sometimes all it takes is for you to do the right thing. Help them for a bit so they get the hang of what if required. If it doesn’t help, talk to them again. After that, I go to the supervisor and explain the issue, what you’ve tried to do to correct the behavior, and dump the whole enchilada in the lap of management. In this way, when your section sufferers, you know you gave them a “heads up” as to why. You did right by everyone involved.

“If you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out... Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier.”

-- Randy Pausch, professor, educator

 Is it good to do something you really want to do anyway, even if it makes you anxious?

How will you ever get over the anxiety if you don’t? Find someone who does it well, and is a patient instructor. It will help to keep the anxiety down and make it a much more pleasurable experience.

How do you prepare for the future when life seems so uncertain right now because of the pandemic?

You answered your question. Life not only “seems” so uncertain, it actually always is uncertain. The best we can hope for is that it all comes together close to what we expected. The only thing certain in life is the current moment. We experience the moment, the smells, tastes, texture, all of the pain, and the pleasure. The moment is where we exist, right now. To prepare for anything else is futile until we know what we’re facing. You can plan for the worst, and it might turn out roses. You can plan for the best, and it may all go to hell in a handbasket. Better to stay the course until we have more information, then act for the moment. It is what it is until it isn’t, and then it is what it is, again. Better to just be happy always. Your preparation is knowing you are ready to act in the moment.

What is a word for a relaxed happy?

Peaceful, or at peace. Maybe, chillin’, though the fact that I’m happy means that I’m relaxed. I suppose everyone isn’t the same that way. If I’m ecstatic, I’m happy but probably not relaxed.

What are five things a cheapskate will never buy?

His own bar drink. A decent watch. His dates meal, movie ticket, or hotel room (as if). His way to heaven. The $100 “Dream Home” ticket.

“If a person lives frugally and acts in a cheap manner, isn't the person living a redundant life?”

-- s.harder

Is self-injury an action on yourself?

The term it “self” answers this question. “Self” intones it was caused by a decision, a choice, made by the injured party. A car may have hit you, but if you crossed the street against the light, at night, in dark clothing, drunk out of your mind, you have made numerous bad choices resulting in some poor old lady running you down.

Do you think you would be more successful money-wise if you went to a top university?

Probably, but I’m not so sure I would be happier. Many successful people with top degrees also have top concerns and stress. I’ll take “happy” in lieu of a degree from a top university and call that successful. I can live without the cost this degree from a university, probably bent on socialist/liberal indoctrination, would be to my personal freedom. 

What is meant by the phrase "If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success"?

This reminds me of saying, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” without taking into account the rules of gravitational pull. I’m no physicist, so I’m probably out in left-field on this. Failure is a failure, regardless of how high you set your goals. Personally, if you set your goals too high I applaud your, seemingly misplaced, confidence that you can actually achieve the goal. I will be the first to console your loss and support you learning from the experience, and giving it another shot. If you actually do achieve the goal, I’ll also be the first one to say, “Damn! You actually did it! Congratulations!”

Keep in mind, a heavier object might inflict more damage when it hits the ground. I think it depends on the shape of the two objects and how much screaming occurs in the process of the fall.

What does "if you can see it from the front, wait till you see it from the back," mean?

I am loathed to discuss a person’s attributes but… damn!

"Me and my wife lived happily for twenty years... then we met.

-- Anonymous 

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 a chaplain at the regional medical center. 

Thought: The Impetus of Questions

"Yoga is not a new path to follow but a way to become conscious of the original impetus of life. Yoga is the movement and evolution of Life itself."

-- David Frawley, author, Hindu teacher

Is wanting, the impetus of life?

The definition of impetus: “the force that makes something happen or happen more quickly.” Life happens. Life must carry on so, in this way, life wants to reproduce life. Want, therefore, is the impetus for life.

What are "principles" to live by?

You must have a sense of ethical behavior. This is a respect for moral principles that include honesty, fairness, and loyalty. Basically, always trying to do the right thing. If you fail, go back and make it right. People respect that.

What was your 2020 New Year’s resolution and how do you feel about it now?

Communists (they call themselves socialists) have spent the past four years trying to take over my country. I made a resolution to remain dedicated to being happy always despite the attempts of the League of the Perpetually Offended to make me feel otherwise. I have slipped once or twice, but I am still smiling.

What three things would you want to know if you met someone who could see your future? 

When will I die, how will I die, and will I be reborn into this life or move forward to another? 

“You cannot see the past that did not happen any more than you can foresee the future.”

-- Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007), author, poet

How do you explain the phrase “stop doubting yourself, work hard, and make it happen”?

You’ll never know until you try. If you’re going to try, try like you want to succeed. If you fail, understand this is a learning process. Why did it fail? Make corrections and try again. Repeat until you succeed. Remember all the problems you encounter so you can be better prepared the next time you try anything. This is how we make things happen.

If you had a chance to start your life over, would you? Why?

No. The choices I made ultimately worked out. If I made different choices, I wouldn’t have met the friends and family I’ve had the utmost pleasure to be around. Life is what we make of it, and I have lived a fine one. There have been potholes along my path, and I have fallen many times, but I would have had it no other way. I am happy!

Would you rather buy a small and new condo or a big and old house?

If the old house is in good condition, I choose big and old. Old houses have more character. Hardwood floors, stone fireplace, things you can’t even find now and would cost a fortune if you did. Plus, I love to fix things up. What you do with an old house can be art, and it can also speak to the kind of person who fixes it up. I have found some hidden gems behind walls in old houses, where a previous owner walled something up that is now fashionable.

“The reality is that old houses that were built a hundred years ago were built by actual craftsmen, people who were the best in the world at what they did. The little nuances in the woodwork, the framing of the doors, the built-in nooks, the windows—all had been done by smart, talented people, and I quickly found that uncovering those details and all of that character made the house more inviting and more attractive and more alive.”

-- Joanna Gaines, reality show host - "Fixer Upper"

If someone is a job hopper because they haven't found a job they really like, how can they find out what the best kind of job for them is?

I’d say someone is on the right track - job-hopping. I can’t think of a better way to test multiple waters in order to see which one is fine for them. Another thought is to ask the multiple bosses, explaining to them why the job doesn’t seem like the right fit and see if they have some ideas to better fit the requirements.

What extent does it reflect your real self?

Well, I’m not sure what “it” is, but that notwithstanding, nothing reflects my real self, except me. We make a choice to show who we really are or to hide behind some mask, some facade that shows what we would rather show people. It is much better if we simply fix what we feel is wrong and show people who we really are. If we’re afraid of ourselves, what does that tell us? Either embrace who you are or change. The real you is who people want to deal with, so let’s hope it is a light in the darkness.

Why don't you want to be a millionaire?

I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I have learned to do so much more with less. Money cannot buy real, sustainable, happiness. I suppose it does lend a little more security to life, but that’s about it. I’d end up sitting on it, invested in some dividend-paying fund, and paying annual taxes on it. Woo hoo.

“In today’s world, money is like oxygen - lack of oxygen can kill you, so can too much of it.”

-- Abhijit Naskar, neuroscientist

What do you see yourself as being known for?

My writings, my life philosophy, my blog called The Path, and my Congregation for Religious Tolerance. All of this is my legacy to my grandchildren and those who know me. Try to be understanding, tolerant, ethical, and happy always. The alternative simply sucks.

There is a popular saying that in order to be happy one should accept this moment, by this act will that person achieve (lets say that person try to finish a task successfully) less compared to what that person could’ve actually achieved?

By living in the moment we remove the stress of what we left behind, that which is done, and that which might come in the next moment. We have more than enough to deal with in the now without cluttering our life with the past or with that which might not even occur.

I’m not sure why this means you are doomed to accomplish less? By freeing your mind to address the task at hand, one would expect to complete the task faster and better than if your mind was distracted by the completed past and the unwritten future.

What's the most insane thing a human has survived?

I’ve seen several videos of “wingsuit” pilots crash and burn. They seem to come out okay, which is amazing to me. I not certain I can share this example, but we’ll see if it “flies” in the face of rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hKhofOF_zo

How can anyone find his talent?

Let’s take a quick look at the definition: “Someone who has a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught.” — Cambridge English Dictionary

A “natural” ability, “especially” without being taught, would seem to define a savant. What I’ve run into more often are those who, with minimal instruction, find they have a natural talent for something. Many of us don’t know we have talent until it falls into our lap. And, I suppose that’s my point.

The way to find your talent is to try everything. This is the way to find what you never lost, but never knew you had in the first place. It is a treasure hunt for a piece of who we are, and every piece answers the question of why we are.

"To do easily what is difficult for others is the mark of talent. To do what is impossible for talent is the mark of genius."

-- Henri Frederic Amiel (1821-1881), philosopher, poet, critic

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 a chaplain at the regional medical center. 

Does Religion Keep Missing the Target?

“Protestantism has the method of Jesus with His secret too much left out of mind; Catholicism has His secret with His method too much left out of mind; neither has His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness. But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power.”

-- Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), poet and social critic

I love this quote (above) and will probably continue to use it throughout my posts as it reflects my view of how organized Christian religion continues to miss the target.  "His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness" are attributed to Jesus by Mr. Arnold.  However, I would offer that these attributes could be extended to Muhammad, Budah, and others, as well.  The caretakers of their legacy are the ones that leave much of our prophet's method "left out of mind."  It is finding this lost methodology that should occupy most of our lives.

Think about how glorious and peaceful life would be if we were to practice, in our own daily lives, the unerring balance, intuition, and sweet reasonableness of our prophets.  What if governments agreed to deal with each other in this way?  How would this play out in a "world court" comprised of all countries?  What if they agreed to abide by the rules of United Nations arbitration of a disagreement, knowing that refusal to abide by a U.N. finding would result in their country being totally shunned.  There will be no embargos, no sanctions, no threats, no freezing of assets.  No travel outside of your borders.  Your choice is to get with the program or go it alone.  Would this work?  Considering the U.N. is as dysfunctional as the U.S. Congress, I would have to say no.

Should we be concerned about the "soul" of a nation?  Does not the nation reflect the "soul" of the people?  If the Syrian government has its boot on the neck of the people, does the soul of Syria reflect the soul of the people?  Not necessarily.  This is why people in countries like this rise up in revolt.  When people control their nation then the soul of that nation directly reflects the soul people.

Right now the soul of Islam is a direct reflection of the soul of the heretics running roughshod over the faithful followers of the Qur'an.  Until the faithful choose to make an obvious stand against the heretics, in full view of the world, loud enough so there can be no denial, the world will continue to be at odds with where the true soul of Islam rests.  In cases such as this, we all need to be concerned about the soul of a nation.  Our nations define our planet, our peoples, faiths, and our beliefs.  When we lose a nation we lose a piece of who we are as a world.

I think we can start to practice this in our own daily lives.  There is nothing wrong with the premise, even an atheist should be able to get on board with it; unerring balance, intuition, and sweet reasonableness.

Soon, we may not first mention where we are from on earth.  We will more likely tell new beings we meet that we are humans from the planet Earth.  And maybe this is a good thing to remember anyway. We will always be humans first.  We have forgotten this fine point.  I am a human from Earth.  I hail from Washington in the United States of America.  I am Sicilian by heritage, and a Christian by faith.  We may not see eye to eye on every issue, and we are inherently different in race, faith, politics, gender, and sexual orientation.  We are human, it's what we do.  We are tolerant, reasonable, intuitive, and we possess an unerring balance.  However, if you mess with just one of us, you mess with all of us.  We all have hold of great truth and, if we need to, we can get from it great power.  So, our alien brethren, when you come to visit, do so in peace.

I guess the point here is Jesus really didn't hold onto a secret, He told us everything.  This was His mission.  I find it hard to believe He had a "method."  Most of the stories that make up His life are spontaneous moments.  I can't see spontaneity being a breeding ground for method unless one argues spontaneity was His method.  Or was His method lost to us, as Matthew Arnold might seem to be asking?  Was this lost method simply the unerring balance, intuition, and sweet reasonableness mentioned in Arnold's quote, above?  I have to repeat, I feel it is the finding of these tenets of Jesus' His lost methodology which should occupy our lives.

As for me, balance is easy; unerring balance, on the other hand, will be tough.  I like to joke that I'm seldom wrong but, to be unerring, at anything, is a slippery hog to hold onto.

I suppose, failing at unerring balance, I can always fall back on my sweet reasonableness.  After all, I am a fairly sweet guy.

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 a chaplain at the regional medical center.

My God

“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely.  He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”

-- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I was baptized a Catholic, my father’s religious heritage as his family all hailed from either Palermo or Messina, Sicily.  We went to church and I went to catechism prior to my First Communion.  I actually made it through two years of Catholic school at St. Angela’s before Mother Superior mentioned to my parents that it might be better if I continue to explore the virtues of secular education.  I never made it to my Confirmation, which is probably for the best, as I began to question certain discrepancies in the Holy Scripture, the biblical text.

High school in the late 1960s found me following the path of many young people as we search for alternate spiritual beliefs with the Krishna’s, Scientology, Zen, and many others.  My search continued into college, and for two years I signed up for every psychology course they offered.  I was making a 3.2 GPA for the first time in my life.  My professor’s plans for me to attend Stanford and continue toward a Psychology degree went south as my birth date was chosen as number nine on the military draft lottery during that little unpleasantness in Vietnam. I opted to join the Air Force.

As I entered the military in 1972, I was engaging in self-study of  Zen and Mahayana Buddhism.  This route inevitably led me to the writer/philosopher Lao Tzu (c. 500 BCE), and his philosophy of Taoism, as I continued my meditation and introspective self-analysis learned in college.  My two years of psychology background bought me a slot with Air Force Intelligence where I would learn how to, theoretically, send millions of innocent women and children to be with God using only one bomb.  I would spend the next 22 years of my life in a world of information collection, analysis, and the ever-popular concept of death and destruction we euphemistically referred to as "military deterrence."  The expression, “Kill them all and let God sort them out,”  did nothing to help me try and juggle the tenets of Christianity, Taoist philosophy, the death and destruction required by a strong military while embracing the Intelligence penchant for lies and deceit.

All through my military career, I kept running into “devout” Christians insisting that God loved me less because of my uniform while waving their bible in my face and quoting man’s interpretation of God’s "WORD" while they tried to convince me that their God of "death and destruction" really loved me.  Their hypocrisy was painful to watch and hear.  I was never able to justify a cruel and game playing God to myself.  If Christianity has the “WORD of God” then there would be no reason for multiple reinterpretations of what God said.  The problem isn’t with the WORD of God, the problem lies in the scripture set down on paper by fallible men with questionable agendas.

These were stories, not set to paper immediately; stories passed down, for up to hundreds of years, before being voted on by some pious counsel trying to determine which “words of God" were worthy of inclusion into a tome of parables we would come to know as Holy Scripture.  This doesn’t mean the Bible has no value, it simply means it's a great reference book to assist you along your path to God.

My spiritual belief system was never very strong due to all the doubt over scripture and Christianity.  But, don't get me wrong, God was always in my life, and I loved Jesus as a great prophet and teacher.  Then, in 2000, after being out of the military for four years, my marriage that I had fought to keep together for 20 years finally went south.  She took everything I owned, including my children, lied about me to the police, and had me arrested.  The woman I thought I loved, I ended up hating.  I had never hated anyone before.  I didn't like the emotion, but it kept me going.  It kept me alive.

Stress is a funny thing.  I had never thought about stress and I had never encountered hate in my life.  I found myself coming to the realization that I had just wasted one-third of my life married to a woman who never loved me.  She had used me as an escape route, and everyone knew it, except me.  I had reached the bottom of my emotional bucket.  I had given, and given, and given, and never thought about refilling the bucket.  I didn’t blame God.  I didn’t even blame this woman I hated so very much.  I immediately took the Sicilian high road and, as a man, blamed myself.  This was a "gun in your mouth" moment.  This was "bits of grey matter and blood sprayed across the living room wall" time.  This is where "I'll show her" comes into play.  Right?

Like a bad mystery novel, it really was a "dark a stormy night."    This is where I'll show her, what?  That she wins?  That all the lies she ever told about me were true?  And, what would this tell my children, or my parents, about who I really was?  I never paid attention to the little voices in my head.  I heard them loud and clear that particular evening.  I remember looking up, past the ceiling, and feeling a warm embrace of forgiveness and love that I had never experienced in my life.  I cried for a while.  I cried because of the realization of how small and insignificant I felt in the universe.  I cried because I knew at that moment I would never be at this point, the lowest point in my life, ever again.  Life is truly all about choice, and I was about to make the greatest choice of my life - to be happy.  To be happy always!

I cried until I started laughing.  I laughed with a joy that would define the rest of my life.  I got up off of the floor, stood erect, and looked through the ceiling once more.  I pointed my finger in the air and told myself there is only one way out of this empty bucket, this pit of despair I had fallen into – up!

I laughed and cried for the rest of the evening until I finally fell into a fitful sleep.  I had let loose of everything, all of the emotional baggage that I had been holding onto.  I had even, subconsciously, forgiven my soon-to-be ex-wife, although it would take several more years for me to finally realize it and actually put it into words so I could own it.  I even accepted the apology from her that I knew I was never going to hear.  I have only truly ever hated this one person, but any hatred is baggage you pay for every day you carry it, and it is not something you want to carry to your grave.  Better to get shed of it immediately, than to let it fester for more than a moment.

For the next fourteen years, I would be accused by those around me of being too damned happy all the time.  I was always whistling or humming, and I always had a kind word.  I went out of my way to make other people’s bad days a little bit rosier.  I left sticky notes, decorated with my own cartoon characters and a kind word, on computer monitors of fellow employees.  People asked me how I could always be so happy.  The alternative is putting a gun in your mouth.  The alternative sucks.  Better to be happy always!

My God isn’t the God of the Bible, the God that man used to judge others, justify wars, and to fulfill hidden agendas.  My God is a loving and forgiving God that doesn’t play favorites; everyone is equal in the eyes of God.  My God is more interested in you doing selfless good and developing a personal sense of faith.  When it comes down to it, what is evil really afraid of here?  Is it the Bible, or is it our undying faith in the unlimited love, grace, and glory of our God?  The Bible, the cross, and other items of religion are simply the focal point for the faith inside of us.  The tip of the spear with which to focus our righteous belief toward whatever evil confronts us.  The only fear of my God is that fear which I might create in my own mind.  Weeds can’t grow in a healthy, well-tended garden.  Get thee behind me Satan!  There is nothing for you here.

I finally reached the end of my ability to listen to those hypocritical Christians who would dare to condemn me for my personal spiritual beliefs, while they, in the same breath, condemn all of peaceful Islam for the actions of their own heretics.  As though Christianity had a laudable past. If this isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

I went online and became an ordained minister.  I started the Congregation for Religious Tolerance as a vehicle to try to bring people together.  To ask people to take a moment and listen to each other before you condemn and, even then, to try and be understanding of their culture and their own issues.  We need to finally understand that we all can’t be right, nor does this mean that we are all wrong.  Ou peaceful faith, our peaceful spirituality, is our common denominator.  It matters not to God how we practice our faith, as long as it is a peaceful, loving, and enduring faith.  It matters to God that we have faith in God’s love for us.  It matters to God that we share that intense love, understanding, and forgiveness... with each other.  This is my God, and there is only one.

No human has the authority to wield the power of God, except God.

“Protestantism has the method of Jesus with His secret too much left out of mind; Catholicism has His secret with His method too much left out of mind; neither has His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness. But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power.”

-- Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), poet and social critic

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 a chaplain at the regional medical center.