Questions of Strength & Character

 

“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit. 

It's the kind of character that I am going to develop. I am going to pretend that all life is just a game which I must play as skillfully and fairly as I can. If I lose, I am going to shrug my shoulders and laugh - also if I win.”

-- Jean Webster

"The first rule of the internet is: never read the comments." What do you think of this statement?

I’m used to having to deal with the League of the Perpetually Offended. These people have no cogent comments, and it would seem they don't really read all that is written. Their idea of commenting on an answer or post is to call people names and not explain or offer an answer of their own. You’re wrong, and that’s all they can see. They read their newspaper and believe everything in it, not realizing that no journalism is in evidence, as it’s all editorial viewpoint laced with little fact. No. I seldom read comments, certainly not to my own answers or posts. If you have a viewpoint, you should answer the question or leave an intelligent comment, not attack others for their input. Most of the time their attack ends up proving my point. They need to learn to stop helping my point along.

What does it mean when said, "the outcome requires priority"?

You find this a lot in the military. The outcome of an important operation usually takes priority over anything else because lives or weapon platforms are at risk, or there are time constraints. So, in these situations, it means the risk outweighs attention to any other operation.

Who would you say is "a beacon of hope in our darkest hour"?

For the world of today? I can’t think of one. We hand out the Nobel Peace Prize to people that haven’t done anything to deserve it. We hand out the Medal of Honor for simply doing your duty, nothing significantly above and beyond. Martin Luther King, Jr. has his words twisted to meet the selfish agenda of a person or group, and religious leaders use their followers to fill the church coffers, not to save their souls. I mean, how many private jets does one evangelist require?

If we look for a “beacon of hope” we will find a few regionally, like Malala Yousafza who, actually did something to become a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and, to this day fights for the rights of girls and women in Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and probably more countries. She did not ask for this. This calling was thrust upon her by her own experience.

A “beacon of hope” can more times be found in the lesser among us. Those people we do not see, or have not heard. These are our lights in the darkness.  Just saying.

...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.

-- Margaret Atwood

What does the phrase 'focus on experiences rather than things' mean to you?

We shouldn’t base happiness on the material things of life. Happiness should be based on the living of life, whether working or relaxing, strive to be happy, always, in what you do.

Everyone has their breaking point, what’s yours? Why?

Stupidity. I can only be around it for so long. If it’s a manager or a supervisor, I can tolerate it even less, especially if there’s a safety concern because they adhere to outdated S.O.P.s or regulations. If you want to be in charge, there’s more to it than ordering people about. You also have to know when to throw the book away and wing it, do what's right, earn the respect of the people under you, and accept the responsibility for the flak you’ll probably catch.  If you don't get fired you'll probably get promoted for "out of the box" thinking on your feet.

How would you finish this sentence, “If only I had…”?

…known then what I know now.

“If only there was a way to escape this reality, if only there was a way to erase all this formality, if only there was a way to figure out your mentality, if only there was a way to rid all the theatricality, if only...however sadly all we think of is practicality, so we will never reach any finality.”

-- Dalal Gabara

Does this quote tell the truth: "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are"?

It depends on who you are, I suppose. I spent my career in military intelligence, so I’m not certain this holds true.

What is the hardest thing to say, but what should always be known?

It probably used to be what your sexual preference was. Not so much in today's world. Now it’s probably that you have a raging STD.

What is your comment on this statement, “what I believe must be true if I feel very strongly about it”?

What I believe is a matter of faith, and faith is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. Is it true? I don’t know, but I believe it to be so.

Atheists would have me prove the existence of my God and, yet, how do I prove something for which there is no proof? My faith tells me, God exists. But, faith is something that seems to escape the comprehension of certain people. Because I have faith, I have no need for proof. If I have no need for proof, the onus is, then, on the atheist to prove God does not exist. So, as a person of faith, what I believe must be true, not because I feel strongly about it, but because I have undying faith in it. If I’m right, I have life ever after. If I’m wrong? Well, let’s hope I’m not.  But, either way, the atheist has nothing to look forward to. It is what they believe. So be it.

Author comment:  Well put thank you, I always said it was not just a “feeling”. At times my faith gives me feelings on situations but that is with anything, such as singing a hymn may give you feelings such as singing a pop song. But that’s how feelings work with my belief in God & Jesus. Thank you again.

My reply:  You are very welcome.

If a darker part of yourself were to speak its truth right now, what would it say?

I need to spank someone… hard and barehanded. Believe me, it’s the lesser of two evils.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

What is the single most important line/quote said that pretty much changed the world?

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" 

— Ronald Reagan, June 12, 1987, Berlin Wall Speech

What words helped you through the darkest times of your life?

“Get rid of all the drama you’ve invited into your life, and strive to be happy always.” I don’t have “darkest times” anymore, and I strive to be happy always. Any day you’re on this side of the dirt is a good day, so revel in it, make the most of it, and live it! 

Can you finish the sentence, "Revenge is.."?

…a dish best served cold.

“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?

If you prick us, do we not bleed? If

you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?

And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”

-- William Shakespeare

"You can't tell a book by its cover" is a saying that's been around for a long time. When in your life experience or in the experience of someone close to you, have you been able to accurately judge a person by their "cover" -- how they look and act?

The best I’ve found one can do is determine the cover of the book is bullshit. Most people put on a facade, for whatever reason, that makes it difficult to read them. “What you see is what you get,” scares the hell out of me. This proper and pretty little thing is an ax murderer as her true self.

What automatically comes to mind when you read “everything that could go wrong went wrong all at once”?

It was a disaster.

Are you able to independently learn without being taught, told, and/or asking questions?

Have you ever owned a house? Owning a home is a sure-fire way to independently learn, unless you can afford to pay for all the maintenance costs that will arise, sooner than later. Oh, and anyone that has put together furniture with third and fourth world directions, also knows the joy of learning, and some even learn the location of the nearest dumpster.

“Genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person.”

-- Immanuel Kant

 

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.