Answers: The Reality of Opinion

“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true."

-- Aristotle

What is the most "F**k this, I'm out" moment of your relationship?

This would be when my ex-wife had me arrested by telling the police I threatened to kill her, which I never did. Being arrested, having an “ankle bracelet” monitor, then being on probation, all for something you never did, has a way of finally pounding home that having any kind of relationship, even for the good of the children, is going to be an impossibility. This was my wakeup call, the “F**k this, I’m out” moment of my non-existent relationship with a woman who never really loved me and who I never really knew.

If there is only one reason for failure, what is it?

Giving up. That lack of perseverance. The inability to “persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.”

Immanuel Kant said, "Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind." Do you consider this a fair statement or has Kant missed something in his statement?

I agree with the first thought but disagree with the second. Intuition is defined as “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.” According to Kent, this definition is in error if, in fact, intuition must include a concept he would define as “conscious reasoning.” I think Kent has a poor concept of intuition.

There is a balance, a harmony to be nurtured, between the head and the heart. When the intuition rings clear and true, loving impulses are favored.”

-- Brian Weiss

What do I do if living the next 50 years of my life working a 7-5 job for a company I will most likely despise for money I don't even want doesn't appeal to me?

Why are you still with this company? Find work that makes you happy with a company you will respect. Life is all about making choices and decisions. This means that, if your life is misery, you have only yourself to blame for the bad decisions you’ve made. The good thing about life is that it's all about learning. Go back and change the decisions and make better ones. In this way we can, ultimately, learn to be happy always.

Is the ultimate goal of morality all about the preservation of life?

No. We can preserve life without morality. The quality of that life might be misery, but it will be preserved. The ultimate goal of morality is goodness, kindness, love, and understanding; to do no harm. It develops a sense of moral ethics that will assist us in moving forward from this life into the next.

What do you think makes you successful?

First, I have to ask myself “why” I feel successful. The answer is that I’m happy. Why am I happy? I have retired for the third time from jobs I liked doing. I have two wonderful children and two wonderful grandchildren. I have good relationships, good friends, and just enough money to not want for much. I have learned to be happy always, even when life throws me a curve; I smile, catch it, work it, and throw it back. Life is that simple. What makes me successful? I do. I embrace life and am happy always. How much more can a person really want? 

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”

-- Albert Einstein (1879-1955), theoretical physicist 

What job did you have in the past that, looking back on it now, makes you wonder how your life would be now had you stayed with it?

The military. I stayed in for over 22 years. I was ready to get out at 20, but they refused my request “for the good of the Air Force.” I worked around that and managed to finally retire as a Master Sergeant. I had been offered Air Force One, and Area 51 as rewards for services rendered. I turned them down in favor of establishing a “one-man” Intelligence office at Sigonella NAS, in Sicily, just prior to Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

I always wondered how things would be different if I’d held out for the 30-year mark. I certainly would have made Senior Master Sergeant, maybe even Chief Master, and the retired pay would have been significantly higher, but half of it would have still been permanently ripped away from me during the divorce, anyway. The added rank probably would have opened more doors of opportunity, but I really did pretty well, all things considered. After the divorce, I finally learned how to be happy always.

What does it do your conscience to arrogantly misrepresent opportunity for hard work, when you know deep down that your fortunes have very little to do with hard work and very much to do with opportunity?

I would hope the relationship of someone’s fortunes to hard work and opportunity would be very much at the forefront of their mind so they don’t have to reach “deep down” to consider them as one. A person’s fortunes are, almost always, tied to hard work and opportunity. To misrepresent any of this would seem counterproductive and, perhaps, even arrogant. Although, if this is how they are, their conscience probably doesn’t recognize it as anything but business as usual.

“Second, (success/succeeding) as a professor has far more to do with ambition, creativity…” What is the difference between “success” and “succeeding” in this example?

Success is something you have already achieved. Succeeding is the egotistical notion you are still actively "accomplishing" the goal.  I think, as a professor, this will be realized with the award of "tenure," the title of "Emeritus," or some other recognition of success.

"Reality is what it is, and what it ain't, it ain't.

Sometimes, what it is it ain't, and what it ain't, well... it is.

Other times it is nothing, and then it ain't nothing.

But, if it is nothing, it ain't, and if it ain't nothing, it is.

Acknowledging nothing gives nothing existence;

Therefore, whether it is or it ain't, it must be,

Because even nothing that ain't, already is."

-- Tony Villari, semi-ancient bathroom philosopher

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.