A Question of Time

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

-- Mother Theresa

Which theoretical perspective is the most interesting to you?

Time does not exist. Time is a human construct we developed to give structure to everyday life. In reality, only the current moment is real. The past is gone and the future is uncertain. The “now” is all we have. Time does not exist, except in the tick of a clock. The real challenge is to live between them.

 If you were to write a message to your past self, what would you write?

Invest heavily in Microsoft!

I had another interesting exchange concerning this question:

Her Comment: Don't marry XXXXX, he's going to be the biggest hurt, and regret of your life, you wasted 20 of the best yrs of your life with him and it was all for nothing because now 3 and 1/2 yrs later your alone and trust no man while he moved on to someone else.

My Answer: Sounds like my 20-year marriage to the female version. Trust is hard-won, nowadays.

Her Comment: Yes it is, and most people I meet nowadays just don't understand what I mean when I tell them I'm still damaged and broken because it's been almost 4yrs now and I should just let that crap go.

My Answer: Hate will eat you alive, and then he wins. I forgave her and forgave myself. Then, I accepted the apology I knew I was never going to receive from her. I began to heal. Let it go, Doll. It isn’t worth it. He isn’t worth it.

Buddha: Holding on to your anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Me taking notes: Buddha says to make sure you give the poison to the other person.

At what things can you take a whole night thinking over? - What are some things good to think of?

Time, space, space-time, time travel, quantum theory, women, well, okay, women take up more than an entire night; my God! The only good thing really worth devoting an entire night too? How to be happy always!

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."   

-- Oscar Wilde

Are people with low paying jobs unhappy?

If that is their choice. Happiness is a state of mind. Happiness is a choice each of us must make to be. If we’re unhappy in a low paying job and do nothing to change our circumstance, then we have made a choice. Be happy in the choice you make, or make a better choice; the choice is up to you, no one else. If you wallow in misery, you do so of your own volition. Better to be happy always.

Do you feel more appreciated since the whole pandemic, since a lot more people have had to experience your everyday lives?

They’ve experienced enough of me before the pandemic. I’d say they’re ready to be rid of me at this point. To know me is to love me, but you can only take so much of me.

Why does the US have more mentally ill people who go on mass killing sprees by far than anywhere else in the world! What is the true cause of this?

Recently, I’d have to say anarchist brainwashing and socialist programming by the head of the Black Lives Matter movement who is a self-proclaimed “trained socialist.” Socialism is all about control. Is it any wonder people feel mentally ill?

A Comment to my response: "You say 'recently'. What about all the mass shootings over the last 20 years. Say since Columbine High School. Those kids don't match your reasoning. Racial discrimination has never left the USA. It's now like the proverbial “Straw that broke the camel's back “. Fueled by what's coming out of the White House."

I don't answer bait laid out by the League of the Perpetually Offended (e.g., liberal hacks), especially with puntuation issues.  They operate from a faulty premise and any discussion simply becomes an argument with no foreseeable end. I tend to leave their fate to other readers.  Anarchist are murdering thugs, I sure I'm on their hit list.  This particular "offended person" seems to not realize what they are, nor does he realize Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was President during Columbine. Another citizen in need of history lessons, I'd dare to assume.  Ignorance is bliss?  Update:  I just checked and saw that other readers are hammering this poor sot, God bless his little heart. My answer has four "upvotes" so far.

“There is nothing sane, merciful, heroic, devout, redemptive, wise, holy, loving, peaceful, joyous, righteous, gracious, remotely spiritual, or worthy of praise where mass murder is concerned. We have been in this world long enough to know that by now and to understand that nonviolent conflict resolution informed by mutual compassion is the far better option.”

-- Aberjhani, historian, columnist, novelist, poet, artist, editor

Do y'all think it's necessary to have a goal in life when you can live a purposeful, healthy life without one such as by simply being and following your self valued life principles? Goals are often, sadly, conflated with purpose.

If living “a purposeful, healthy life without one and following your self-valued life principles” is your goal, I suppose you would have nothing left to strive for. Congratulations! The only goal any of us really needs is to be happy always!

Her Comment:  Hmm now thinking about it, [I] also think that living a healthy, meaningful life in which one sticks to their principles is, essentially, in itself a goal, whether or not one states that it is…hmm.

My Answer:  There she is.

When you join a 'team' of any sort including a sports team, a gang, or a workplace, why is it important to give up one's individuality or individual objectives for the sake of the common goal?

It must be a “team” effort or the job suffers, or people get hurt due to selfish motives. Everyone has a job to do, and are expected to do it in order to achieve the goal. In the military, this is especially important, or people die. 

What is something that if you knew earlier in life you’d be set for life?

I wish I’d known how piss poor marriage was going to be. Half of my military retirement went to someone who never really earned it and, by her own admission, certainly never loved me. Someone makes you fight to save a marriage for 20 years, just to get your retirement? How sad is that? She took everything I owned, so yeah, otherwise I’d really be set for what life is left, as would my grandkids. But, it is what it is.

Do you have time to really think about things that matter?

When you retire, that’s about all you have time for. What matters most to me is being happy always!

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

-- Marthe Troly-Curtin, 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.