Questioning Life's Greatness

“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”

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

When was the time when you need to practice limits in your life?

Always when I spread myself too thin. I try to take on too much at one time. I can handle it, no question, but it wears me out and I find that I forget to take time for myself. I have since learned to only do what I can comfortably accomplish and stay happy doing it.

Are motivated and inspiration the same?

Not for me. I can be motivated to do a job that in no way inspires me. Some people inspire me by what they say, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to jump up and follow their path.

What is the best example of integrity that you have ever seen in your life?

I was waiting to give an intelligence briefing to a Brigadier General, the Wing Commander, when a Captian came out of his office and told the administration clerk to get hold of the building custodian and tell him to get down here and fix the furnace in the basement.

It was Spokane, Washington in the middle of winter. It was freezing. The General came out of his office and told the Captian that, when the civilian custodian arrived, he was to speak to him in a friendly manner, without attitude, to ensure the civilian repaired the unit in short order. The Captain acknowledged the General and went to make the phone call.

The General invited me into his office for the briefing and asked me what I thought. I suggested the Captain had not been in as long as the General and I had. He had not been presented the opportunity to enjoy the fullness of winter on a northern-tier flight line and to appreciate the coffee and warmth afforded to him by our civilian counterparts. The General laughed and was happy to hear I agreed with his handling of the situation. The Captain was transferred to the flying squadron, on the flight line, several months later.

I thought the General showed integrity, respect, and leadership. To someone at the lower end of the ladder, his actions were a reminder to me that even custodians deserve respect for what they bring to the table. They dump the trash, clean up behind us and keep the fifty-year-old furnaces running, and if not them, then who? Everyone deserves respect and appreciation.

“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”

-- Roy T. Bennett, inspirational author

Is the best better than the greatest?

It depends. Muhammad Ali was the “greatest” as a fighter but, as a patriot, I thought he fell short of being “better” by dodging the draft for Vietnam. You can be great in one respect and fall down in another.

Why can't anybody do anything for us but ourselves?

Others can do much for us… if we allow them to. Only we can make choices and decisions concerning our lives. Others might think they can force us in a direction, but we let them because we allow it. I always think of the victims of Auschwitz when this subject comes up. I can’t see myself willingly going to the “showers” for the Nazis. I would rather charge at them and hope I can take one or two of them with me before they shoot me. Only we can make choices for what we do or allow others to do to or for us.

"It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car."  -- Michael Pollan. What are your thoughts on this statement?

It’s not healthy food if it arrived through the window of your car, but it is food. At times, this is all some people have. I don’t care if my glass is half empty or half full. I just glad I have a glass.

“If you are drinking a cup of herb tea as you read this, you might want to put it down for another hundred pages or so. Pour yourself a Scotch whisky instead, one of the few reliably Real Foods.”

-- Larry Olmsted, author, journalist

What do you think about this quote I just made up: "Laziness induces creativity and ingenuity."? How true do you believe it is? Is there another already-existing quote similar to mine?

I think it would be more proper to say, “Laziness can induce creativity and ingenuity.” It doesn’t necessarily follow that it will, but if someone is lazy enough to think there should be an easier way to do something they have to do, it can stir the creative juices to get a handle on that idea. For the most part, however, I think laziness induces beer drinking and boob-tube watching.

Why should settings give more importance and focus?

If you’re having a discussion with people about river pollution, don’t do it in a boardroom in a highrise in the middle of Cincinnati, Ohio. You can drive the importance and focus home by having it on the banks of the Ohio River where AK Steel dumps industrial waste causing high mercury levels in the fish.

Depending on what you’re trying to get across, the setting can be very important to a discussion or argument.

Is it possible that we come into this world pre-programmed, and our fate (work, friends, and events) is planned at the time of birth?

It is possible, but not likely. We come into this life as an empty vessel. What we are filled with is the product of our environment, friends, family, situations, and the choices and decisions we make concerning all of them. We are here to learn so we can move forward. Why would anyone pre-program an animal like Adolf Hitler?  To what end?  A lesson?  Maybe to teach us we don't have to march willingly to our death, that the choice is ours? 

I have great respect for the past. If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going. I have respect for the past, but I'm a person of the moment. I'm here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I'm at, then I go forward to the next place.

-- Maya Angelou (1928-2014), poet, civil rights activist

"Life doesn't always give you what you want, but instead gives you what you need." Why do people say this? Shouldn't I be the one who decides what I need? Why do people just give in and allow life to make decisions? Always hold onto the reigns! No?

If people give in, it is a decision they make for their life. Whether people want to admit it or not, everything that happens in life has to do with a decision or choice they have to make for themselves. If you don’t like your circumstances, you have to change them. It is your choice to wallow in self-pity or to rise above it. You are always the one who decides what you need. People tend  to fall back on the “I never asked to be poor, I was born into it.” Yes, and it is your decision to stay there or rise above it. Excuses are also a choice and a way for us to never move forward.

Do you sometimes have a difficult time telling the difference between a need and a want? Why?

No. I need to get my tire fixed so I can keep my job. I want a hamburger. This is not rocket science. If you have to have something for a reason that has to do with your life continuing down its path, it is probably a need. I don’t need a hamburger. I would be just as alive, or more, by having an endive salad, or something else more nourishing and better for me than the greasy burger.

How do you stop chasing your own tail when you have much to get done?

Prioritize your projects and then take them one at a time, most important first.

"Life is made of ups and downs, if you are not chasing something then something will be chasing you, just make sure you are chasing what you really need."

-- Blaze Olamiday, writer

There is a saying “You get what you settle for.” In what ways does this saying pertain to some aspect of your life?

It not only pertains to some aspect, it now pertains to my life. I have learned to be happy always and, at 67, I see no reason to strive for anything more. I am comfortable with who and what I am. I am comfortable with myself. I have two retirement checks and medical insurance that give me enough to live without much worry. I have kids and grandkids. I have my health. What’s not to settle for?

Why does poor planning lead to a lack of blessings?

Equate this to farming. If you poorly plan the planting of the crops, the crops will come in too early or too late, and not be as good as they could be. Your blessing of a good harvest, if there is one, will be lacking. So it is with most of the blessings in life. Good planning tends to guarantee a good harvest, a good outcome.

Are we actually unique or in the aim to be unique are we all the same?

We are actually unique. We may think we’re the same, but we really aren’t. I think the more we try to be the same the more we show how different we really are.

“Never compare yourself with other people because you are unique, special, and too much precious. If you compare yourself with others it will defame, degrade and down you.”

-- Lord Robin

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.