Questions About Thinking

“Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”

-- Thomas A. Edison

How do you learn how to think before you speak?

Try biting your lower lip and actually listening. Everything doesn’t necessarily need a comment. When you decide you might want to open your pie hole, think about what you’re going to say and how it will be received. Is it intelligent, or just more noise being thrown up against other noise?

Dad used to call me “constant comment.” When I joined the military I learned to control my mouth. I learned that I needed to actually know the subject matter on which I was going to comment. Those around me learned that when I sat in a meeting tapping my eraser on the table, I was chomping at the bit to give my humble two cent’s worth. I had formed an opinion.  All that eraser tapping, however, was me taking some “time-well-spent” re-thinking what I was going to say.

The best way to learn how to think before you speak is to not speak at all. Spend more time actively listening, and then form an opinion that actually means something. More importantly, ensure you know what you’re going to talk about, otherwise, you'll sound like just another donkey braying.

I have a lot of problems choosing words to speak and arranging them neatly. What can I do to eliminate this problem?

Write. Writing teaches you to put your thoughts down in order, or you have to put them down again. It also teaches you to choose your words wisely.

How do we establish good communication?

Make certain your receiver is paying attention and giving you feedback. Keep your communications concise - short, and to the point.

“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

If a behavior is motivated by unconscious forces, to what degree are people actually responsible or accountable for their actions?

First of all, if you’re “unconscious” you are out like a light and incapable of behaving. If you’re conscious, however, behavior is learned, and your behavior can, therefore, be changed. Behavior can become “second nature” and, in that way, might be viewed as a “subconscious” behavior. If you have a “knee-jerk” reaction to something, though, perhaps you need to learn some self-control.

You are always responsible and accountable for your actions because they are your actions or reactions. You have freedom of choice. You can allow somebody to force you to do something, but you are allowing them, and this is your choice to give up your freedom to choose.

The only thing we truly own is who we are, and who we are is a reflection of the choices we make for our lives. We have to own everything we do, forced or not, and then be held accountable for our choices.

What would you say about the quote "without followers, there would be no leaders"?

If you think you’re a leader, show me your followers. If you are in a group of one, you’re in charge of yourself. Lead away, McDuff!

Do you agree with the statement, "Not many people understand irony today"?

Would it be ironic to say that, as educated as we think we are, most people don’t even know what irony means?

“It’s sarcasm, Josh.”

        “Sarcasm?”

“It’s from the Greek, sarkasmos. To bite the lips. It means that you aren’t really saying what you mean, but people will get your point. I invented it, Bartholomew named it.”

        “Well, if the village idiot named it, I’m sure it’s a good thing.”

“There you go, you got it.”

        “Got what?”

“Sarcasm.”

        “No, I meant it.”

“Sure you did.”

        “Is that sarcasm?”

“Irony, I think.”

        “What’s the difference?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea.”

        “So you’re being ironic now, right?”

    “No, I really don’t know.”

        “Maybe you should ask the idiot.”

“Now you’ve got it.”

        “What?”

“Sarcasm.”

-- Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

Did God intentionally set the Bible to not give direct proof because true love is required to become compatible with Him for eternity?

God did not write the Bible, man did. God did write ten very easy-to-understand commandments, in stone, that man thought needed a user’s manual, whether to fulfill a need for control, or some misogynistic hidden agenda that, at the time, wasn’t so hidden. With or without Holy Scripture, those of us who believe in something greater than ourselves, have faith. Faith is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof, like a loving God.

Do you find yourself on the opposite side of any viewpoints you used to hold?

I used to feel the only difference between democrats and republicans came down to how we pay for things. Republicans wanted to ensure what we spent money on was smart and sustainable; democrats wanted a bridge to nowhere now and would worry about how to pay for it later. Packing “pork” into a bill so only 9% of the money actually supported the reason for the bill was the least of our worries.

To what extent is working hard effective, and to what extent, is working smart effective?

Both are effective, but working smart is also “cost” effective.

“I don't believe in luck or in hard work without the so-called "work smart". It's not all about how you work hard but it's about how you manage your time, resources, mind to work together for a better output.”

-- Jayson Zabate

Is God a feeling? Everything only exists in our heads.

The concept of God is probably a feeling, but an "ultimate power" in the universe? Strong faith in such a power would make the existence of it undeniable, for many. We have to always remember that faith, for all we make of it, is simply an unwavering belief in something for which there is little or no proof, like God. Whether we define God as energy, a feeling, a being, or some other way, it is this undeniable faith in it that creates a mutual bond for a majority of loving, peacefully spiritual, people.

Do you have a spouse who cannot speak?

No, but I found out that’s what divorce is good for. 

Do you think that we trust too much in authorities?

In a free and democratic society, the authorities are hired, paid, and fired, by the people of the society. We hand that responsibility over to officials who we also hire. It is these officials we should watch putting too much trust in. Every two to four years we have elections to reward those who do a good job for us by re-electing them to their office. If they have failed us, we fire them… if the elections are honest.

The people of free societies tend to forget who their government works for. When this happens, the government tries to seize control and no longer listens to the people. The government, mistakenly, thinks they know better than the majority of their citizens. Sooner or later the government is violently overthrown and the leaders are jailed or shot for crimes against society.

Society does not learn from history, and the government is complicit in ensuring history is not taught to the masses to this very end.

“I think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom.”

-- Noam Chomsky

How do you know your shyness is getting out of hand?

When you realize you have no friends, would be a thought.

How do I make the less enjoyable parts of writing fun for myself?

If it isn’t enjoyable maybe it doesn’t belong with what you’re writing that’s fun. I’ve written two books of 300 to 400-plus pages “just for fun” because I was bored. I found writing them to be exciting and so much fun that it only took me a couple of months to finish each of them. If it isn’t fun, there is an issue you need to fix about your writing. It’s hard to say what that is having not read what you write. 

Are you capable of being verbally offended by a random stranger?

I’m capable of it, but I choose to let it go. They’re a “random stranger” who has no concept of who and what I am. Their verbal offense says more about them and nothing about me.  They don’t really know who I am; if I’m capable of knocking them down and peeling their… well, let’s just say, there’s much you can do with a dull, plastic, lunch implement. And, that’s the point. A "random stranger" who chooses to verbally offend someone they don't know is ignorant to the possibility they're probably a dead man walking and a waste of the oxygen they breathe. You will usually find them in violent riots and protests.

“To any survivor who may be doubting whether what they’ve experienced is truly abuse, remember that emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse will never be, and should never be, considered part of the messy equation of a normal relationship. As both mental health professionals and survivors can attest to, the traumatic highs and lows of being with a narcissist, a sociopath, or a psychopath are not the natural highs and lows of regular relationships. That suggestion is quite damaging to society and to survivors all around the world.”

-- Shahida Arabi

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.