Questioning Validation, the Offensive, Shallow, Symbolic, et Al.

 

"A mind that questions everything, unless strong enough to bear the weight of its ignorance, risks questioning itself and being engulfed in doubt."

-- Emile Durkheim

If some statement about you hurts you or offends you, how likely is it that it's true?

Usually, but a statement that tries to intentionally hurt or offend me says more about the person spreading it than it does me. Many times what they say is true in so far as it’s been taken out of context. Put in context, however, and the story falls apart. I had to chuckle at this question because the people in the League of the Perpetually Offended are the ones I usually come up against in this, and they’re only about cursing and calling me names which, I’m happy to say, neither hurts nor offends me. Trying to hurt or offend someone doesn’t require much intelligence, and they evidence this every time they try. What takes intelligence is to form a cogent argument, which they seldom do, between the name-calling and cursing. If this kind of activity hurts or offends people, they really need to grow broader shoulders and let this crap roll off of them. Again, what these people do says more about them than you.

What kind of people should I never help selflessly?

Adolf Hitler comes to mind. Lil’ Kim, Xi Jinping, any other leader or person who dictates genocide against a group of people. Some “bad” apples can actually heal from kindness, others simply need to be plucked out. If they absolutely know they’re using you, thinking that they always will be able to, I’d smile and walk away. If they ask you why you decline, be honest and upfront with them. If enough people see through them, they might learn.

Is it bad being a shallow person, who easily gets pleased with and desires superficial and materialistic things?

If you don’t mind being viewed as a “shallow” person, it is neither good nor bad. Personally, I like my bar set a bit higher. As with the 18th-century French philosopher, Donatien Alphonse François, my desires are oftentimes superficial, but seldom materialistic. I try to remain humble, and a light in the darkness. This balance keeps me occupied.

“In deep waters, you encounter only the wise and the brave; in shallow waters, the ignorant and the coward!”

-- Mehmet Murat ildan

What is a status symbol? Are other people impressed by your status symbol?

A “status symbol” is nothing more than a symbol one uses to impress the impressable. It’s a way of saying, “I’ve made it. Neener, neener, neener.” Not one to be impressed easily, I wait for them to wrap the million-dollar vehicle around a power pole, the private jet to nose into the runway, the mansion to burn, or the yacht to spring a leak and sink. Hey, easy come, easy go, and exactly why I don’t do “status symbols.” Give me my next stripe and the raise in pay and I’ll take the office for a beer. Having their respect, along with my own, doesn’t require a symbol. It does, however, require honesty, integrity, and all the other ethical behavior. Abide by this, and you have a status symbol that can’t be taken from you.

Is almost, enough?

Almost.

Should I call the police when I am being bullied?

I’d wait for them to touch you, without your permission and in front of witnesses. This is called assault, and I’d let them know it. Now you have the choice to call the police or to kick the living shit out of them in self-defense. If you fear for your safety, call the police. If you choose to try and kick the living shit out of them in self-defense, I’d make sure it looks like you’re trying to defend yourself. This way it might still be seen as an assault on the part of the bully. If they’re really stupid, they’ll probably bully you again. I’d try to take out a “no contact” order, then you can have them arrested just for ignoring it. They might never bully anyone again.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

-- Desmond Tutu

What do you call a society that derives power from happiness instead of wealth?

Successful, and happy. After all, you really can’t purchase happiness with wealth.

How do you become a functioning member of society when everything you value seems to have low value to most people and the things you could care less about tend to be highly valued?

Do you really want to become a “functioning member” of that society? So what you value is different, and what you care less about is valued by society. You seem to march to your own drummer and, by doing so, are the only one functioning in reality. Are you discussing a “socialist” society that demands your compliance to their way of thinking, or can you give them the finger, smile, and go about your business with no fear of repercussions? I wouldn’t dwell on this too much. Better you go have a cigar and a beer and strive to be happy always. These loons sound like they really suck.

What do you own that is timeless?

I own my happiness, and since happiness is a personal choice I have made for my life, it is timeless. What we think and feel is a choice. If we let others dictate our choices, that is also a choice. Everything we do is based on a choice we have made to either allow someone to dictate the terms of our life or to control our own destiny. Recognize that your life is your life and you control what happens in it, no one else. Do this and then choose happiness. The happiness you choose is timeless.

“The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.”

-- Khalil Gibran

Why does everyone need a "month" dedicated to them to validate their existence?

Everyone doesn’t. My existence is validated every morning when I wake up and thank God for the gift of another day of life and another chance to excel in it. If you have a need to “validate” your existence, do something selfless for someone today, then do it again tomorrow without the need to validate anything. Now it becomes truly selfless.

What makes each and every one of us unique?

Our differences. We can be the same in many aspects, but we are unique in our differences.

It is said nature never changes. Do you agree?

Everything changes, most of all nature. Change is the only true constant in the universe. It is the “nature” of things.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

-- Lao Tzu

What does “making do” mean?

You might not have everything you’d like to have, but you will “make do” with what you do have. Having more might make things easier, but your talent and your ability tell you that what you do have at your disposal is enough to get you through, to accomplish a task, to “make do.”

We find this a lot in the military when budgets are cut. The mission isn’t put on hold until the budget is in line, and whining about it isn't going to help, you simply have to “make do” with what you do have in order to get the mission accomplished.

What are you doing for genuine conscience formation to reach a post-conventional level of moral development, the full internalization of universal ethical principles?

What in God’s good name does any of that really mean? It seems to be a long-winded way of saying something that is probably much simpler for everyone to understand.

I do what I always do, each and every day, and figure whatever you’re talking about will shake out in the end. I strive to be happy always. Anything else is just a waste of my energy.

How do I write a slogan statement advocating a morally defensible position on ethical issues of an entrepreneur?

Do you actually have a “morally defensible position on an ethical issue”? State it in the simplest way possible. A slogan simply advocates a position, an opinion, it doesn’t fight the battle.

“Abortion is morally and ethically abhorrent.” I can simplify this by saying, “Abortion is murder.” Each of these “slogans” is a “morally defensible position on an ethical issue” that every member of the League of the Perpetually Offended, however, will take issue with. Anything that is defined as “defensible” is something that will, by definition, probably have to be defended against people who simply won't accept it.

“Live in the moment, just do it - those are phrases thrown around by people who don't know what they mean. Just do it - it's idiotic. You could slap that slogan on a picture of Hitler and it would make as much sense. He did it, all right.”

-- Gregory Galloway

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