Questions of Appreciation

 

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”

-- Alice Walker

What does the quote "to become financially secure, a person has to mind their business" mean?

You really have to pay attention to good business practices, in your personal and business life. Stay out of debt. Debt retards appreciation and only succeeds in making other people wealthy. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. If you really don’t need it, don’t buy it. If you’re in debt, pay on the principle like there’s no tomorrow and get out from under the shackles of debt ASAP. It isn’t what’s in your wallet, but who is in your wallet. You are an indentured servant to everyone you owe, and it is their best interest to keep you in debt. So, mind your business and mind your your life, if you want it to remain your life. Slavery wasn’t really abolished, the masters just got smarter.

What are the shares with great potential for appreciation at the moment?

SHMP looks to be pretty good, but you always have to do your own due diligence. Never let anyone blow your money for you, because it’s still going to be your fault when it's gone.

Is consistency more important or speed?

What good is speed if the job is consistently bad? If you can speed up and be consistently good, I say that’s okay as long as it's appreciated. Unfortunately, the excess speed tends to squirrel up the quality of anything. I’d much rather be consistently good than fast. Ladies?

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.”

-- E. James Rohn

Why don't you think that you can be no good?

I absolutely know I can be “no good” considering my time in the military. However, being good or bad is a choice each of us must make. I made my choice in the military due to “military necessity” and I make my choice now, as a civilian, to make amends and always strive to be good and happy. 

What is meant by the term, "actuality precedes potentiality"?

Taken at face value, the statement makes no sense. Actual must follow potential if this is in context. You have to read more into it, put it in a different context, which isn’t provided, in order for it to make sense any other way. Any quote that can be read several ways, or if you have to think this hard, to my mind, it is a poor quote. But, then, I’m not that intelligent.

In which person do you have an absolute trust?

Myself.  Is it "absolute" as in without question?  Probably not, but it is as close to the definition as I can get.

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."

-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I don't understand why a person who seems intelligent finds it important to know who my grandparents were or what my background is. I find it very judgmental.

Why don’t you ask them and find out? As it is, you’re kind of jumping to judgment.

What's your opinion on people who lead by example?

I’ve done it my entire career, especially in the military. I like for people to know I’ll never ask of them what I would not do myself. If people are going to follow you, you must show them you’re willing to lead.

Who do you think are the worst enemies of ambitious people in life?

People with the same ambitions, especially if they’re more ambitious.

“Fake friends; those who only drill holes under your boat to get it leaking; those who discredit your ambitions and those who pretend they love you, but behind their backs they know they are in to destroy your legacies.”

-- Israelmore Ayivor

Can separation happen from God if Christ is our bridge to The Father? Are there levels of separation? Is a renewed spirit a full connection? Is there a difference for those going to the lake of fire? Is forsakenness losing your chance to connect?

I’m giving my take on each question as they came:

If you stray from the bridge.

Yes.

It depends on how full the renewal is.

According to scripture, they will suffer a “second” death.

“Forsaking” is straying from the bridge. You will need to get back on it.

Better for us to strive to be good and happy always. Treat others with respect and love, help those who cannot help themselves, and hold to a morally ethical code. We tend to make salvation more complicated than it has to be.

Note to my readers:  Now, one would think this answer would be simple enough, and wouldn't offend anyone.  It actually got several "upvotes" in just a few minutes' time.  But, never underestimate the League of the Perpetually Offended to chime in on it, anyway.  See the LPO comment, here:

LPO comment: Come now you are an adult. Salvation is a false concept. No god no devil no heaven no hell. It’s simple. It’s fact. 

My thought on this?  No supporting evidence to back up what he says.  He rightly assumes I'm an adult, just as I rightly withheld my way too honest opinion of his statement.  My beliefs are a matter of faith, and faith, as we should all know, is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof - either way.  Having said this, I'd like to see this proof he has which bears out his "fact," but the LPO can rarely produce anything factual or of substance.  He simply has "faith" that he is right.  If I were to answer him, which I won't waste my precious oxygen doing, I'd ask him to please stop helping me, and please learn to use commas.  Just saying.

What is the most asinine question you've ever had to answer?

Questions with no context. Am I good-looking, why am I stupid, why can’t I be happy, is my father a moron, and the like. I mean, you can’t answer any of those without more information or a photo. If you try, the League of the Perpetually Offended jumps you with asinine comments. The LPO I can ignore, but why people can’t ask questions with some context is a mystery.  I wish you'd asked me about asinine comments.  I just had one of those.

Is billionaire investor Gundlah correct that spreading the wealth in society makes things worse or does it actually even things out more altogether?

If people constantly get something for free they tend to rely on it, like the welfare system in the United States, it perpetuates the wrong end because there will be no end. Spreading wealth by making more jobs and job training, upgrading schools, and hiring teachers who actually teach the truth, are ways to “even things out” and make things better for those who want better. You will never truly appreciate what you get handed to you as much as you will if you are able to work for it.

Author comment:  Having said all that, Tony, is Gundlah correct? Billionaires are in the minority yes? Is he looking after his own greedy interests perhaps?

My reply:  He is correct if it is done as a “hand out” instead of a “hand up.” But, since it seems he isn’t interested in doing either, I’d have to say “greedy interests” are probably in play.

“You are essentially who you create yourself to be and all that occurs in your life is the result of your own making.”

-- Stephen Richards

Who stood by you when no one else would?

My true friends, as I would stand by them.

Reader comment:  Yes, a friend in need is a friend indeed and a friend indeed is a friend in need. Not a friend who is their because of what you own. Friendship that builds during your lowest moments builds a great real castle that is admired by all and a tutor for all those with good intentions in life and it can help build a sane society.

You need a friend who can’ t stab you in the back. He is there for you in times of sorrow and in rejoicing. One who can dress the wound until it heals or it is much better. One who extends a hand all the time, be it physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, spiritually, socially name it. Come rain come sunshine friendship.

He corrects you when you are wrong and recommends when you do well. Distance does not count.

Those friends who have been there for me all the time. The “ I will scratch your back and scratch mine too” kind of friends. 

My reply:  Indeed!

What do we know about self-criticism?

It can be ugly. I am my own worst critic. I’ve thrown out main course dinners I made, simply because I was not going to serve it. I don’t dwell on the decision, I make it and move on.

"An average person is closer to a monkey than to a genius." What is your opinion about this statement?

I’ve met these people.

“I think the discomfort that some people feel in going to the monkey cages at the zoo is a warning sign.”

-- Carl Sagan

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.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com