Questioning Acceptance and Such

 

“Wanting to be someone else 

is a waste of the person you are.”

-- Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), actress, model, singer

Whenever I open Instagram or Facebook I see all these wonderful girls with great outfits. This makes me feel ugly and poor. How can I handle this?

Get off the internet and start focussing on why you “feel ugly and poor.” Stop comparing yourself to others. You don’t have any idea what problems they have to endure in order to be who they are. Are they any happier than you could be if you tried?  If you'd rather be them, be careful what you wish for. Don’t let being poor prevent you from being who you want to be. It takes work and time, but strive to be happy always.

Life is a classroom and we have many lessons to learn, especially about life.  We are dealt cards in a game we must learn to play.  Some become wealthy in order to learn humility, and some are born poor in order to learn the value of life itself.  What we learn here we take forward into our next life and all the lives that follow.  Learn this lesson and become more than you are.  

But, the most important lesson we must all learn is to be happy always.   Strive to do this, and to be the beacon for others to follow.  Rise above things for which you feel you have little or no control and you might just surprise yourself.

When is it not okay to say “Happy Thanksgiving”?

When it’s not Thanksgiving. Even an atheist, if they are accepting of other people’s beliefs, can wish a Christian a Happy Thanksgiving.

(And, wait for it... from under their rock comes the League of the Perpetually Offended... you could have put money on it.)

Reader Comment:  Since Thanksgiving is a secular and not a religious holiday, I fail to see what being Christian or atheist or anything else has to do with wishing someone a happy Thanksgiving.

My Answer:  History is a terrible thing to waste:  "It began as a day of giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. ... Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well." — Wikipedia

What is one definition of life you agree with?

“Cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am.”) - René Descartes

How do I make my team follow my decision?

I have never made my team do anything I haven’t done or was not willing to do myself. Team members must respect the team leader if there is to be any cohesiveness and success. But, when you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Own your errors in judgment and applaud those team members who have better ideas. One day those team members might be your second. You might also consider the old adage, "Work hard, play hard."

“As a leader, I am tough on myself and I raise the standard for everybody; however I am very caring because I want people to excel at what they are doing so that they can aspire to be me in the future.”

-- Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo

How do I spend time alone, when no one wants to show up?

If it is important to you, I think I’d spend my time alone contemplating why “no one wants to show up.”

What can I love about you right now?

What isn’t to love? I am “cute,” after all. If I had to choose, however, I strive to be happy always. It is a humble goal that I strive for constantly. 

“Life gets so much easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got” do you agree?

I have said it many times. Hate can eat you alive. It is so much easier to forgive those who don’t feel they warrant it and to accept the apology you know you’ll never receive from them. I had to do this with my ex-wife so I could move on with my life and strive to be happy always.

“In this life, when you deny someone an apology, you will remember it at time you beg forgiveness.”

-- Toba Beta, author, economist, poet

What goes through your mind each time you go out in public?

Is my zipper up?

Is 9 months too soon to leave a depressing work environment with no growth?

No. You should have left the “depressing work environment with no growth” the minute you realized this. Why waste valuable time trying to make a purse out of a sow's ear? It might look like a purse, but… hell no. Better to move on and hope for better. Strive to be happy always! 

What is the only question in the world?

I beg to disagree. “Why?” is the only question in the world. You are probably wondering why? This would be my point, yes?

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), philosopher

What is the most profound thing you have learned?

Be happy always, because the alternative simply sucks.

If you a woman with an accomplished career, would you marry a man you've had a crush on since high school, but has a lower income than you, or a wealthier man you don't like as much?

Gee, love just never entered into this. How about marrying the man you love? You know, the one who accepts you, and loves you, for who you are and expects the same courtesy.

Why are the guys at my particular college so rude to women? This never happened to me in high school, and guys in my friends' universities seem nice.

Don’t concern yourself with things you don’t or cannot control. You’re at college to learn. If you want to date, go visit your friends… where the “nice” guys hang out.

“Don’t ever stray from yourself, in order to be close to someone that doesn’t have the courtesy to remind you of your worth or the integrity of a gentleman to walk you home.”

-- Shannon L. Alder, inspirational author

How far can you go for the one you love?

If they truly love you, they’ll never ask. If you truly love them, never far enough.

What are some useful things you know?

The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is around 20.1 miles per hour. Granted, it isn’t very useful, but it is a very interesting piece of useless information. But, then, I'm a bit over in left field. 

What happens between two people who love differently? Do they survive or separate?

It would depend much on how accepting they are of each other's differences. If one thinks love is having an “open” relationship, this might not sit well with one who craves commitment.

"Because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."

-- Unknown

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.