Questioning Nuts

 

"It is until a mosquito lands on your testicles when you learn that violence does not solve all problems."

-- African proverb

What is so important about the word “nuts”?

Nothing much, unless someone’s gonna kick them… hard, or not.

I’m 16 and I met this girl today. We both liked each other so we decided to hang out. She kept calling me cute and it went well. It was a bit awkward but it wasn’t too bad. Now she’s giving me blunt one-sentence replies. What does this mean?

Better you should ask her, instead of strangers. But, just offhand, maybe you need to try harder to be with her. She might feel, for some reason, that even when you’re with her you’re not.  Be more attentive, not like the other guys she's met.

What is a word for something that is both present and past at the same time?

Confused.

“God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites so that you will have two wings to fly, not one”

-- Rumi

How do I stop being an enabling friend without coming off as self-righteous?

You probably should have never started. Now you have this issue, which probably would have been an issue either way. The first thing you need to embrace is… they’re your friend. Friendship incurs a responsibility to do right and ethical things by your friends. If they feel you’re “self-righteous” so be it. You need to explain to them why you’re stopping the enabling, if they can’t handle that, well, you did what you needed to do. Tell them you’re there for them, to support them when they want to stop whatever you’re enabling.

Do you tend to respond in a literal way and miss the meaning?

If the question is framed properly there should be little chance of miscommunication. If we miss the meaning, who has more work to do?

How would you explain this line, “because I was false, is everything false too”?

One doesn’t follow the other. Because I was bad it stands to reason all are bad? No. If someone is false, they have much work to do other than playing it off on everything else. You really can’t explain this line because it is a question, not a statement. It asks for an opinion, not a judgment.

“The great thing about ten-year-olds is they don't balk at non-sequiturs.”

-- Rebecca Makkai

Does the saying, "life [is] about making decisions" hold true?

It is one of my teachings. Life is about making choices and decisions. If we make good choices we get good circumstances, and bad begets bad. The choices we make determine our path and our path determines the information we will glean from this life and take with us into the next. Our information is downloaded to the universe and knowledge is spread far and wide. Better we should make good choices and decisions and learn, early on, to be happy always.

How can one know when they’ve run their course on this site?

You’re still asking questions. Does that help?

How can I feel the rewards that come from hard work and being a good person?

Stop trying. the feelings are there but you’re looking too hard to find them. Like looking for the eyeglasses on your forehead. Relax and let feelings of selfless accomplishment come to you.

“The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit.”

-- Gretchen Rubin

Why do people always want to know rich people but never poor? Are poor people bad?

Why would you want to? I sure don’t. I have nothing in common with them, and they certainly have nothing in common with me. The poor are much more colorful, and if they’re trying to get ahead, we have stuff in common.

What does the statement "time is the ultimate truth-teller" mean?

The truth will always win out in the end, our prisons are full of very intelligent crooks. Nobody can hide behind lies forever. Sooner or later the facade will crumble and they will be revealed. It may take years, but time simply compounds the guilt.

What is it called when someone tries to control and demean everything you do?

I call it “time to find better people to hang around,” especially if this person is a love interest. Nobody needs this drama in their lives. Strive to be happy always!

"Most adults who have been in the victim role cringe when anyone tells them they are sensitive. In fact, sensitivity is a lovely trait and one to be cherished in any human being."

-- Renee Fredrickson

What is the foundation of a conversation?

Good communication.  Oh, and more than one person.

Why does a friend reply and seem to want to hang out and then stop replying?

You mean, an acquaintance. Friends don’t act that way. 

In English, what does it mean if an event of the past is no longer in "living memory"? Does it mean society is trying to forget the past?

Cancel Culture in full swing, trying to destroy who we are. We teach alternate history if we teach history at all. Ask anyone from the Southern states and they’ll tell you the Union’s version of the Civil War is tainted. Lincoln freed the slaves but is having his name removed from schools. There is an ignorant part of society that doesn’t want to remember the bad part of history, only the history they like to remember or make up as they go. I always tell young people, don’t believe what you’re taught, go out and do your own due diligence.  Do not fall prey to indoctrination.  Read George Orwell's "1984," or any other offering on the "banned book" list.  If they don't want you to read it, read it, and become educated.

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”

-- George Orwell

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.