Questioning Goodness?

 

"Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.”

-- Kent M. Keith

Can you give 3 situations for purpose of communication "to persuade"?

Marry me. Hire me. Please don’t kill me. In each circumstance, persuasion is paramount to success and communication is paramount to persuasion.

What makes us think we are just as good as anyone else?

We are, but how much effort we put into it is what sets us apart. Like everything else, it is a matter of ownership. Believing you’re as good as everyone else, is a choice.

I struggle with doubts about God’s goodness. How do I mute Satan's thoughts?

Is it God’s goodness you doubt, or God’s reason? Sometimes what you think is wrong is for your own good, a lesson for you to learn, understand, and take with you. As far as evil is concerned, it can only have an effect if you invite it in. Evil will always try to invade our thoughts, but all we have to do is close the door and ignore it, which is difficult considering all evil offers you to invite it into your life. Better to be secure in your spirituality, have a good set of moral ethics, and strive to be happy always! 

“If we all knew who God really was and what he really wanted for each and every one of us, we would all know that only a fool could really deny him.”

-- Criss Jami

Why did my crush, that sits in front of me, look at me and giggle after she got eye contact with her friend? She knows I like her.

They’ve been talking about you. When she does that, give her a “knowing” grin, and see what happens. 

Am I the only person on Earth who thinks America's racial classifications and obsession with categorizing people into races is retarded?

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a line from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. It is spoken by Queen Gertrude in response to the insincere overacting of a character in the play within a play created by Prince Hamlet to prove his uncle's guilt in the murder of his father, the King of Denmark. — Wikipedia

It seems those who scream the loudest are more guilty of what they scream about. Antifa is an anarchist anti-fascist fascist organization. Black Lives Matter “embraces” ending racism, yet followers seem against believing that all lives matter, to the point of deadly violence in some cases. People leave the socialist oppression of their own countries and then try to recreate the same oppression here. The liberal half of America would put the conservative half in gulags, given the opportunity, and yet they believe in freedom in all things, including responsibility. Believe what you want to, as long as you believe what we believe. And it goes on and on. Classifications have brought us to the verge of socialism and revolution.

No, you’re not the only one. There is a storm on the horizon.

Why is hard work easy but hard work for something important so hard?

Hard work is just work that is hard. “Importance” is usually followed with caveats that make it so. Exactness, time constraints, a judgment of the project by management, and how well you completed the work, and other such criteria that must be met.

“...talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.”

-- Patrick Süskind

My profile is dying and I feel like quitting. How can I cope with this feeling because if I quit, I stop making money because I’m paid by my friend to give answers to people, please help?

If your “profile” is dying, start looking at yourself face-on, instead of from the side. Take stock of who you are, who you see in the mirror. If you see issues, then address the issues. “Quitting” is another step, to just another step, to giving up on life and dooming yourself to repeat it down the road. Better to confront your issues, rise above them, and become what you are truly capable of being. By quitting you make a decision to either die or become an anchor around the neck of society, family, or friends. Better you should learn to be happy always.

How do you achieve true personal prosperity?

If you define prosperity as financial success, then you must work very hard to achieve it. True personal prosperity has little to do with material things, it is a state of mind, a choice to be happy always, and at peace, even in the face of adversity. 

How can we feel the presence of God?

Immerse yourself in the wonders of nature. Smell the roses, just don’t look at them, and if you do look at them look deeply at the construction, the wonder of the flower. Wonder at the birth of a child, erosion of rock by water, the warmth of the sun on your face. Do this with all things around you and, soon, you will feel the presence of a power greater than yourself. Call this feeling the presence of God. 

“It takes practice to become proficient at something. Practicing the presence of God will make us good at it.”

-- R. Alan Woods

What are some things you can do daily to make yourself an interesting person?

Read voraciously. Poetry, philosophy, theology, theoretical physics, quantum theory, and if you really want to lose people, “The Pillars of Enoch,” or any of the writings of Zecharia Sitchin.

How can you appear relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk without appearing to be harsh?

I’ve never met someone who was “relaxed. informal, and cheerily brisk” that was anywhere near to being harsh, unless it was all an act. It just doesn’t follow. And, if it is all an act, then they are not appearing to be harsh so… Bravo!

Is it ok to think you're right all the time?

You’ll be lucky if you’re right even some of the time. No, it's not okay, especially if people find out you only think you’re right, or they know for a fact you’re not.

“People who base their self-worth on being right about everything, prevent themselves from learning from their mistakes. They lack the ability to take on new perspectives and empathize with others. They close themselves off to new and important information. It's far more helpful to assume that you're ignorant and don't know a whole lot. This keeps you unattached to superstitious or poorly informed beliefs and promotes a constant state of learning and growth.”

-- Mark Manson

Does chronic pain make others less painful?

You can have mild chronic pain, so it really depends on how much the others hurt.

Did you know Abraham Lincoln had concentration camps?

Did I miss the term “concentration camp” in this article? They were, however, rightly held in internment camps since they were technically prisoners of war. Concentration camps are for non-POWs, political prisoners, and the like, as in Auschwitz.

What is the opposite of morale?

There are two kinds of morale, good morale, and bad morale. The opposite would be the other one.

“You are well aware that it is not numbers or strength that bring the victories in war. No, it is when one side goes against the enemy with the gods' gift of a stronger morale that their adversaries, as a rule, cannot withstand them. I have noticed this point too, my friends, that in soldiering the people whose one aim is to keep alive usually find a wretched and dishonorable death, while the people who, realizing that death is the common lot of all men, make it their endeavour to die with honour, somehow seem more often to reach old age and to have a happier life when they are alive. These are facts which you too should realize (our situation demands it) and should show that you yourselves are brave men and should call on the rest to do likewise.”

-- Xenophon

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 volunteered as a chaplain at the regional medical center.