A Question of Communication

 

“A million years ago - some hairy bastard daubed a horse on the wall of his cave, he saw it, he drew it - well done! Flash forward: 'Hello, welcome to my vlog. Today I bought a plum”

-- Patrick Marber

Are there any benefits to gossiping? If so, what are they?

Only if you’re listening to it. If you have nothing else to do, gossip gives you a font of information to validate, since a good bit of it is probably blown out of proportion depending on how many people have repeated it before it got to you. You also learn that the gossipers can’t be trusted with anything, even that which isn’t reality.

Do you think that "prayer" is the most powerful strategy for improving your intrapersonal communication? Why or why not?

No, because I’ve known people who pray all the time, and their intrapersonal communication sucks. Prayer might help you strengthen your skills, but if you have poor skills, to begin with, well, good luck with that.

If you acknowledge perception, are you forced to acknowledge a spirit? If you choose only man's perception are you choosing Satan's lie?

Perception: The ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses. The state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses. A way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.

If I “perceive “ something, it doesn’t make it true. It is my own perception of it. We can pay attention to the perception of animals, insects, and plants, in order to better understand nature, but I’m not certain what other perception we’re supposed to give attention to.

The fact that I acknowledge the “spirit” is a perception of things out of the realm of my understanding. It becomes a matter of my faith in a power greater than myself at work in the universe.

Evil is another perception, and accepting that perception is a choice an individual must make, to accept evil into their lives. I perceive evil, yet I choose to keep it at arm’s length in my life. I make a conscious choice for good, and there continues to be balance.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

-- W.B. Yeats

I don‘t have original thoughts but I live and study in an environment where unique thinking is demanded. How should I act?

Does everybody there ask questions on this site? If not, you’ve had an original thought. Does it matter if they know it? If so, maybe you’re hanging out in the wrong environment. I think what I think, unique or not, no one “demands” that I do it. Demanding is contrary to freedom.

How do you think people could truly understand each other to eliminate prejudice?

As long as only one set of lives matters, this will be a pipe dream. Prejudice ends when we understand that we are all equal under the law. Prejudice ends when greed in our capitols takes a second seat to our understanding that all people have a voice in what happens with constitutions and laws. Prejudice ends when lawmakers remember they work for the people who elected them, and not for their own agendas. What happens when you screw around with the laws of the greatest country in the world in order to make one group more important than another? It becomes not so much. It becomes a recipe for revolution.

Are humans meant for change or to remain static?

Change is the only constant in the universe. Nothing is truly static, especially not humans. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

“Our problem isn't that we're individualists. It's that our individualism is static rather than dynamic. We value what we think rather than what we do. We forget that we haven't done, or been, what we thought; that the first function of life is action, just as the first property of things is motion.”

-- Fernando Pessoa

Do you have any respect for God's level?

As a deist, far be it for me to ever disrespect God. Since God sits at the very top of His creation, how do you not respect that?

What do you think the quotation “If no one thinks you can, then you have to.” means?

You don’t really have to take that dare, but it simply means that you shouldn't let others tell you what you’re capable of. If someone thinks I can’t drink an entire 1.75-liter bottle of bourbon, I’m certainly not going to prove I can. That would just be stupid. The answer I would have for them is, “You first.” After the ambulance leaves with them due to alcohol poisoning, there will be no reason for me to comply. If no one thinks you can do something, you have a choice to agree with them, applaud their attempt to do it, or show them you can. It is your choice, not theirs, and it should never be theirs.

Why is competition said to be inherently Impersonal?

Because the people saying it are naive. Competition is inherently personal. You are competing against others, or yourself, for a reason. Usually, that reason has to do with proving something to yourself or to others. How can that not be personal?  Of course, there's always an "economics" definition:

"Competition represents a kind of impersonal coercion that will cause many individuals to change their behavior in a way that could not be brought about by any kind of instructions or commands."

-- F.A. Hayek

What are your thoughts on this saying successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?"

My thought would be to remove the word “always” and replace it with “usually.”

What does it mean for someone to say “you’re too easily brainwashed by what the media or society tells you”?

You’re naive. You’re also mentally too weak to recognize or defy the brainwashing. We all have to do our own due diligence when we are told something that makes little sense. The media is constantly milking society’s propensity for naivete in order to try and boost ratings. They either ultimately fail, or they have a base filled with naive morons, or both. I choose both. 

Can you sum up success in a few words?

Accomplishing a goal. There you have it, in a “few” words.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” 

-- Winston Churchill

What are the different perspectives of quality?

This is a tough one, but I'll give it a shot.  You can have no quality, poor quality, average quality, above-average quality, and the perfection which few people, if any, can claim. Of course, these are just my perspectives.

What is the definition of alertness, strength, discipline, and focus?

A robust life.

Why do people associate negative as being bad or positive as being good?

Positivity rarely does harm, whereas negativity has the very likely probability of doing harm. Both offer an opportunity for learning, which is always a good thing if we recognize the opportunity and use it to great benefit.

“Here is a universal law: that when it comes to negative and positive, you will always thrive more powerfully in the positive if you have first been immersed in, and have heroically overcome, the polar opposite negative of that thing. To abide in the positive existence of something, without having known and overcome its polar opposite— that is to be only a frame of the real structure. Easily toppled down and taken apart. True power is in the hands of the one who thrives in the positive, after having known and conquered the negative. Because when the demons come along, she will say to those demons: “I know you, I have owned you, but now you bow down to me.”

-- C. JoyBell C.

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.