Questions of Work and Usefulness

“Even a wasted life stands as an important example and therefore can never be useless.”

― Mark Wallace

********************

Note to anyone who cares:  I had 5,397 views of my answers last week.  Maybe I should write that book I keep threatening to write.

********************

How old were you before you realized the tag at the hemline of a top/t-shirt tells you which is the front so you do not put it on backward?

Too young to remember. But the pocket and the neckline are usually my “go-to” when it comes to front and back.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do."  Can I get your opinion about this quote?

I consider this to be the “end game” to achieve happiness. Whether the work is great or not, you need to be truly satisfied with it and, more importantly, love what you do. There will always be drama in life. We can get rid of as much of it as we can, and only allow the drama in that does not affect our happiness.

I did “great work” in the military, and in my civilian job afterward. I have done great work as a chaplain, and as a blogger. I am satisfied with my life and love what I do, always.

I have always loved my work. I loved my work so much that it finally ended my marriage. She had issues with me enjoying my work more than enjoying her destroying our marriage. This was drama I could not sidestep, but my life endured the “speedbump” and I was back on the road again. My only regret was her inability to be anything but miserable in life, but this was her shortfall, not mine., and our children did not inherit this trait from her.

Each morning, I thank God for the gift of another day in paradise and another chance to excel in this life. Anything else would just suck.

Do you agree with the saying "everyone is useful but no one is indispensable"?

Everyone is useful who wants to work, but no one is indispensable if all they do is bitch about the work. God save us from able-bodied people who think welfare is a way of life.

“The only way to get what you're worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.”

-- Seth Godin

What 3 things should a person always take care of?

Debt, their health, and happiness.

Is it true or false that the answer to this question is "false"?

“Have you stopped beating your wife? Answer yes or no.” The answers to questions like this are never that simple because there is no context with which to form a valid answer, one way or the other. So, the answer must be “maybe” regardless of your parameters.

How do you feel about what I think?

How I feel about what you think will not express itself until you put a voice to it. When you speak what you think you are making a decision to own the thought and share it. By sharing it you are asking for others to agree or disagree. Now, it is incumbent upon those of us who feel something about what you have said to own our feelings and voice our opinions; to agree or disagree with what you felt necessary to let spew out of your pie hole. Personally, I prefer not to stand in judgment of others, but there are those who won’t leave well enough alone until we opine on it so they can feel offended.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”

-- Voltaire

How do people know that they are correct when they claim that "everyone is judgmental"? What if there are people who aren't judgmental, because they have good judgment?

Yes, well, that is a very good question. Maybe “everyone” is painting with too wide of a brush. I’d have to say that, just perhaps, someone might want to think about what it means to be judgmental. Just saying.

What is something that you're glad you did not learn early on in life?

Child support. I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun. I was very lucky.

Where would you draw a line between Idealists who simply want the world to be a better place and Utopians who are seeking impossible change?

Between idealism and socialism would seem to be a good place. Please want the world to be a better place, but don’t destroy what good we have, already, in the process.

“Totalitarianism is not only hell, but all the dream of paradise-- the age-old dream of a world where everybody would live in harmony, united by a single common will and faith, without secrets from one another. Andre Breton, too, dreamed of this paradise when he talked about the glasshouse in which he longed to live. If totalitarianism did not exploit these archetypes, which are deep inside us all and rooted deep in all religions, it could never attract so many people, especially during the early phases of its existence. Once the dream of paradise starts to turn into reality, however, here and there people begin to crop up who stand in its way, and so the rulers of paradise must build a little gulag on the side of Eden. In the course of time, this gulag grows ever bigger and more perfect, while the adjoining paradise gets even smaller and poorer.”

-- Milan Kundera

What could it mean if a woman I think likes me, helps me do something and it's not necessary for her to help with it?

Uh… maybe she likes you? If you like her, ask her out and see what she says.

Is it true that if a male is not already bald in his 30s, he will never be bald for his entire life?

Nope. I started going bald in my 40s. I’m now 67 and still have a good bit of my hair. I was never really worried about it. If it gets to a certain point I plan on shaving the rest off. I never really needed it, anyway. Women always liked me for who I am, except for my ex-wife. Okay, one fricking mistake.

If you could do everything you wanted to do ‘all the time with no limitations’, do you feel like you would make the world a better place or not? Why?

The limitations of mankind’s greed would then be no issue. With greed set aside and understanding simply a matter of knowledge and education, making the world a better place would then fall squarely on my shoulders. It would simply become my choice to make it happen, and why not turn off welfare systems and end war and hunger?  Give people a reason to want to work, other than greed.

“Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else; it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being... There are NO limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

-- Bruce Lee

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” What do you think this quote from Ida B. Wells means to you?

This has always been the preferred way to right the wrongs in a law-abiding society. Unfortunately, some people have no use for the “rule of law” and those who enforce it. They turn their backs on law and order in a preference for anarchy, death, and rampant crime.

What’s something you own just because you can?

Weapons, but for more reasons than just because I can.  It is one's patriotic duty to protect the citizens from government overeach.

Why can other people do it but I can’t? We’re all living the same life, but why are they so much better than me?

Each to their abilities. It isn’t that they’re so much better at “it” than you, you just haven’t found what “it” you do better. Finding “it” takes work, and whining about “it” isn’t going to help you find “it” for you.

“Just for today, smile a little more. Just for today, ask someone how he or she is really doing. Just for today, remember, while some may have it better than you do, there are others whom definitely have it worse than you! Just for today, just let go, just for today….”

-- James A. Murphy

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