Answering Happiness

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), lawyer, ethicist

What are you going for in this life?

Happiness! Absolute happiness! Life is nothing without it, and we tend to collect so much drama around us we forget to be happy, we forget what life is supposed to be about. I strive for happiness because the alternative simply sucks.

I’m the best person in the world. What should I do?

Learn humility.

Should accepting charity be degrading or humbling?

I’d say it’s both. It is degrading to know you’ve fallen so low that you have to accept charity, and it is humbling when you accept the charity from those willing to give it.  It really matters how you perceive it.

Which is better, blessing or luck? Which of these gives you more privilege in your life?

I am blessed each and every morning I wake up. I give thanks for God’s gift of another beautiful day in paradise and another chance to excel in life. The chance to excel is a privilege many squander. They would rather hope that something better is right around the corner. Hope is nothing but luck, and luck is dicey, at best. So, in answer to your question, being blessed with the ability to excel, to work my ass off, gives me the best chance at privilege. 

What does "philosophy of everyday life" mean?

Answering this is so easy, so it doesn’t have to be made difficult. It means “having a clue.” It means understanding life as a series of good choices we must make to get through this mess. It means waking up each and every morning and thanking God for the gift of another day in paradise and another chance to excel in this life. More importantly, it means learning to be happy always.

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."

-- Groucho Marx, comedian, actor

Can changing our own questions, actually help ourselves to change our life for the better?

Start asking “why” things happen. If you’re honest it will ultimately come back to a decision or choice that you made. Only you can choose and decide for your life, no one else has that power unless you give it to them, like an employer, but you make the choice to give that up. Once you understand this, you can stop trying to shift the blame, take ownership of your life, and start making better choices and decisions.

Taking the first step is always the hardest.  Why?

There are a few reasons, but I think they all come down to trepidation, “a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.” Fear of the unknown. Once we start something anything can happen, or we know we have to finish what we start and, perhaps, we’re not certain we can. Again, anything can happen.

To be successful, do you have to be extraordinary or perfect?

Nobody is perfect, and you really don’t have to be extraordinary, either. Be yourself and learn to be happy always. But, if it means much for you to be more, then strive to be extraordinary. Extraordinary is actually achievable. 

“Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible”

-- Cherie Carter-Scott, author, life coach

What is your #1 priority in life?

Happiness! It should be the #1 priority in everyone’s life, but we let so much drama into our lives that happiness gets lost in all the grief we bring upon ourselves and we rarely ever find it again.  Learn to be happy always!

What are the top 3 reasons that motivate you to start a side project?

Selfless interest, need, or assistance. Projects have to interest me, or I have to have a need for the project, or the project must assist someone in some way. Most importantly, I try not to involve myself in anything with selfish motives. If the project isn’t selfless I stay away from it.

What are some examples of pure and noble thoughts on which to dwell?

I found this online while doing research.  No name was attached to it, so let’s say “author unknown” for now. It was one long paragraph, so I broke it up best I could for ease of reading. I thought it might be of use in answering your question:

Noble Thoughts Our world needs noble thoughts. Not the kind that kings and queens and dukes and duchesses might have, but thoughts that look higher and better for all people. The dictionary defines noble as having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals. That’s what God wants for us.

We humans don’t have a problem being petty and small-minded and mean. But it takes God to make us always think of others, to think big thoughts, and to exhibit kindness to all we meet. We may have to look hard and long for noble thoughts and actions in today’s world. God has them and stands ready to share them with his people. Even people who don’t know God can have noble thoughts, but they are limited by our human imperfections and limits. When Jesus said that he came to give his life for others, and calls us to do the same, those are noble thoughts. When Jesus calls us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, those are noble thoughts as well. Perhaps we must begin with a mindset to look for the good rather than the bad each day. If we look for the good, we will find it. If we look for the bad, the same is also true. “Look for something positive in each day,” writes Harvey Mackay, “even if some days you have to look a little harder.”

There are many wonderful things about our country and the world. We have much in common, and there are many good things we can do together. Rather than focusing on the desires of one over the other, we must come together to celebrate the good of all. The same sun comes upon us all. The same wind blows, the same God created and loves us. He seeks unity and blessing for all of his people. I cannot for the life of me see anything good about criticism, anger, and negativity. Building up, loving, and forgiving no matter what, and looking for the good is God’s only way. If we keep focused on Christ our Lord, and the noble tasks of the Christian he has set before us, we will see wonder and majesty. Sometimes we are blind because we do not see.

Helen Keller, a blind teacher who shows us much about faith, said, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” The scripture records at one point that Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, and the day he would accomplish salvation for his people. To that end he did great things, thoughtless of himself than others, and changed the world forever If we can do the same, and walk with him as he continues to do it, we will bring hope, healing, and blessing to the world.

Henri Nouwen, who gave up a teaching position to care for the disabled, has written much on this subject. “Did I," writes Nouwen, “offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.” We must ask ourselves how we affect the world around us. Do we raise life or do we lower it? Do people want to be around us or do they run from us?

Perhaps today can be a new beginning for us. For the first time, we see life as it is meant to be seen. Baby steps of love begin quietly and hopefully, and we do not walk alone. Find a group of people who love others and do good things and think good thoughts. This is the church in its highest description. Other groups can be similar but lack the divine power and influence that only God can bring. We must bring our hurts and dreams there to be healed and nurtured.

“The best thing to do,” Karen Armstrong says, “when you find yourself in a hurting or vulnerable place, is to surround yourself with the strongest, finest, most positive people you know. In God, we must trust. With God all things are possible. Noble things can happen when we look toward heaven and measure the worth of what we are about to do. In a very real sense, we are all children of the King of Kings, so we have a very real claim to some bit of nobility, even in our humanness.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” ~Philippians 4:8

Think noble thoughts, dear reader. And our world will be much better for it.

"God be thanked for the thinkers of good and noble thoughts! It wakes up all the best in ourselves, to come into close contact with others greater and better in every way than we are."

-- Lucy Larcom (1824-1893), teacher, poet, 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.