Questioning Reactions and the Unexpected

“There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.”

-- Mary Renault

What technology cannot get any better?

The moment we say it "can’t" is when someone will come along to prove us wrong. All technology can improve. Change, after all, is the only true constant in the universe.

What's the best example of "not going down without a fight"?

The Alamo.

What would your reaction be to someone laying on the ground, faced down, in public?

“Has anybody checked for a pulse? No? Is there a good reason you’re all standing around gawking and no one has taken their thumb out of their ass to check? Ah! Humans. I forgot. My bad.”

“I looked at myself in that window, oblivious to all the people around me and I stared and smiled that particular smile. You know that smile that seems to knock you and tell you how pathetic you are? That's the smile I was smiling.”

-- Markus Zusak

What are the steps in managing cross-cultural conflict?

Knowledge, understanding, and legal recourse. 

What is more challenging to successful public speaking - fear, or being unprepared?

I briefed and did presentations for my 23 years of service in military intelligence. Being unprepared isn’t a challenge as much as it is being stupid. If you’re well prepared, fear will dissipate. If you think you’re well prepared, go over it again until you know you are. Practice, practice, practice, and then practice again, and ensure you practice at least once in front of someone sitting in the back of the room you’ll be presenting in. Check the equipment, lights, audio, and practice while the HVAC in the room is running. The “white noise” will drown you out.

When do we say a problem exists?

The moment you realize a problem obviously exists, and if you see it coming a “heads up” might be in order.

"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."

-- Unknown

What’s one good thing you do for yourself on a regular basis, perhaps daily?

I thank God for the gift of another glorious day in paradise and another chance to excel in this life, and I strive to be happy always.

How do they destroy my credibility and mental status?

Who are “they” of which you speak? Nobody ever elaborates.

 What does the statement “my legacy can never be undone” mean?

They are issuing a challenge for someone to undo it. Laws are flexible and no one is perfect. We have founders of our nation whose "legacy" is the Constitution but, oops, now their legacy is being touted by the perpetually offended as being “slave owners.” Have we forgotten that the people who sold Africans into slavery were, wait for it… Africans? Why keep the conquered village people for your own slaves when you can sell them to the Portuguese for beads and knives?

A “legacy” seems to be only as strong as everyone else wants it to be, their ignorance of the culture of the times notwithstanding.

“The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.”

-- William Shakespeare

Which is a better motivator, pain or spite?

Spite is usually driven by the emotional pain someone has inflicted on you, so they are really synonymous. You left “desire” off your choices. Rarely does anyone desire pain or spite, but they might just desire motivation.

Why is it important to know what to do in unexpected situations?

I’m on the third floor and the building is on fire. Gee, I didn’t expect that. Good thing I know the emergency procedures for this building or I might just burn to death while I run around with my hair on fire.

Why am I living a hard depressing life living with honesty and hard work while my other colleagues get by easily with deceit and cheating?

What your colleagues do has no bearing on your personal code of ethics. Stop being depressed and strive to be happy in the knowledge that you are able to look in the mirror and see the one person who is truly living life with hard work and honesty. If your bosses don’t see this, they are truly ignorant of your worth. Maybe you should be looking for different circumstances instead of being depressed about being alive. Strive to be happy always, and ignore those that cheat their way through life.

"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."

-- Unknown

What if we don't have a hero?

Become one. A hero is someone who does good in the face of overwhelming odds. It doesn’t have to be a soldier. More often it is a first responder. But, they can actually be a mentor, teacher, or foster parent. Anyone who has a positive effect on someone else's life. Age, gender, and the like, are not requirements to affect positive change.

Are Americans currently on the right path?

If, by “right path”, you mean another “Apology Tour”, then, no. We are on the left path to socialism, which has never worked out. If we were on the “right” path we’d all be celebrating the Constitution that made us all free people with God-given freedom of choice. Awaken to the fact you used to live in the greatest country on earth. Let’s find our way back, shall we, and not cheat doing it?

Why am I always ready to fight? Since I was a child, I felt like boys bigger than me was a threat. I am 41 now and I am always on high alert, for no apparent reason.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) would be a likely cause. Find a PTSD support group to get involved with.

“Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive. When someone enters the pain and hears the screams healing can begin.”

-- Danielle Bernock

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.