Questions of the Corrupt

 

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

-- Carl Sagan

When life is unfair to me, can I be unfair to others and manipulate them for my benefits like most people do or should I still value morals in this corrupted world?

Two wrongs don’t make a right. The fact that you asked this question is evidence that you already know this. But, if you’re simply looking for a reason to be corrupt, this would be as good as any, I suppose. Don’t become an anarchist burning down cities, looting, killing, and wrongly decrying the only race that matters are those touting the death of all others. Personally, I would put some value behind a morally ethical set of values and conduct that protects innocence. If this also doesn’t work for you, you can always join the ranks of the League of the Perpetually Offended.

How can I be opportunistic without feeling guilty?

There’s nothing wrong with being opportunistic, as long as you hold to a personal code of moral ethics. Opportunism isn’t about lying, cheating, and stealing. Sooner or later people see through all that. 

If your client suggests an informal meeting, what does that mean if they do not say “where”?

They’ve opened the door for you to show them how important they are to you by suggesting lunch on your dime since “where” is now your suggestion. Personally, I’d tell them to wear jeans the next morning and they can enjoy coffee and Danish in my office while we banter “informally.” This pretty much puts the ball back in their court. I was never on for games.

"We came here for a quiet, small, informal meeting - strictly business. We find you've turned it into a circus. Well, if you're going to have a circus, you've got to have elephants and there's no two ways about it."

 -- Robert A. Heinlein

Were you once famous, but now consider yourself a "has been"?

If you were famous, you still are, regardless of what you might consider yourself to be. It’s what other people think that makes you famous. If you’re now a “has been,” you can revel in the fact that, at one time, you “had been” enough to make yourself famous.

Which do you consider to be the strongest impediment to human actions, that which is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to overcome?

A good work ethic. Somewhere down the road, we stopped teaching this to our children. They either picked it up on their own, usually through the school of hard knocks, or it still eludes them. I ran into this all the time as a manager in the military, and then in the civilian sector. I always gave them a choice: Get with the program or go find other employment. Most people got the message and I taught them good work ethics. Everyone seems to have whining down to an embarrassing art, but good work ethics, not so much.

How can I be opportunistic without feeling guilty?

There’s nothing wrong with being opportunistic, as long as you hold to a personal code of moral ethics. Opportunism isn’t about lying, cheating, and stealing. Sooner or later people see through all that.

“There's a difference between an opportunist and someone who seizes an opportunity. One selfishly harvests the fruits of another's labor, the other strategically helps plant the seeds. The latter can be an asset, the former will always be a leech. That climb to the top is already back-breaking enough! Don't carry opportunists up your ladder of success!”

-- Carlos Wallace

Have you given up on people? Why?

No. Why? We’re all we have. I’ve given up on factions, the groups' people support. The League of the Perpetually Offended, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, the KKK, and so many other hate groups too numerous to mention. I just don’t have time to have non-discussions with them, so I leave them for others to deal with and these others do a som much better job of it. I just can’t drop my bar that low. I have become tired of waiting for the cogent discussion while they curse me, call me names, and wrongly accuse me of doing exactly what these groups do, especially to their own. But, I haven’t given up on people.

What develops in emotional development?

Emotions. Hah! Aced another trick question.

Do you think that people understand that not everyone is meant to be cookie-cutter?

Socialists and communists certainly don’t seem to understand it, but I think at least half the people really do. The rest of us should either die or go to gulags for “retraining” to their singular way of thought.  Personally, I like cookies, but I don't use a cookie-cutter simply because I like the variety of shapes and sizes.

"For young women, I would say don't worry so much about your weight. Girls spend way too much time thinking about that, and there are better things. For young men, and women, too, what makes you different or weird - that's your strength. Everyone tries to look a cookie-cutter kind of way, and actually, the people who look different are the ones who get picked up. I used to hate my nose. Now I don't. It's OK."

-- Meryl Streep

What do you say, patience is a virtue or a great skill?

Having to learn it, I can honestly say that, for me, it is both a virtue and a great skill. The fact that some folks force me to exercise patience is evidence that I learned my lessons well. The reason I learned it? It was a virtue I had not totally mastered. Now, there is still one I need to work on, but, I fear my weakness will prevent it. It is what it is.

Is the benefit of the doubt an entitlement or a right? If a person does not know the facts, do they owe you a benefit of the doubt?

They owe you what you earn. It is incumbent upon you to teach them the facts of who you really are.

How do I stop my brain from thinking I don't deserve to be happy? My mind justifies that I need suffering because others who are the same or better than me are suffering as well. How to logically defeat my mind on her game?

Everyone deserves happiness. You have fallen into a societal trap. Happiness is a state of mind that you, for whatever reason, feel you don’t deserve. Happiness is a conscious choice each of us must make for our life. We must make the choice and then live it. Most importantly, we must take everyone around us along for the ride. Instead of everyone thinking they need to suffer, how about everyone pissing people off by being happy in our circumstances. Once we make this choice, we will be able to see other ways in which we can rise above our misery, and show others how to rise above it, as well. If you can do nothing else in life, strive to be happy always!  It is a simple choice.  Make the right one.

The hard part is the mindset, and to not self-sabotage, because you don’t believe in yourself. We often think we can’t achieve our wildest dreams or that we are somehow incapable, and then we never, ever take that first step.

I never felt that I was a very confident person, but with the support of some wonderful people and my own inner fire, I kept going. The hardest part after working and working was to actually accept that I deserved success.

Success in itself is kind of scary too, as it comes with having to be responsible, and not flake out. The people who have supported you and invested in you deserve that.

I guess what I am trying to say is that if you want something, you have to take action. A little step towards it every day. Then there is a reason to feel accomplished every day. Match your energy and vibration with what you envision. Believe. You deserve success, so go for it.”

-- Riitta Klint

How do I discreetly know if someone is taken?

The U.S.S. Decreet sailed years ago. The best thing to do is just come out and ask if they have a significant other. If they say no, ask if they’d like to go have a drink or dinner one night. If all of that is too forward for you, just ask them if they’d like to have lunch. They’ll let you know their situation in short order. Life is too short to play around with “discreet.”

Would we fix the world if we chucked greed in the proverbial "F**K-it Bucket"?

If we could find a way to pay for everything, this would be outstanding. Unfortunately, of all the evils in the universe, greed is what makes the world work. People need to be paid for their products or services so they can, in turn, have money to buy products or services. Otherwise, we just print money… and for what? Sooner or later the "big lie" that our money is actually worth something is going to fall apart, and this is when real greed will take hold. This is one reason socialism doesn’t work. The philosophy has a real issue of how to deal with the greed properly.

Once you run out of other people’s money, the state has to pay for everything. This means the state, for as long as it will last, takes everything. The state then overlooks alcohol and drug abuse because it keeps people mindless of their plight which is caused by the state. Black markets, crime, cartels, all sanctioned by the state which takes their cut to keep the status quo and the political system running. No, a little greed in the economy isn’t such a bad thing if it keep freedom alive.

Why do people think less of me I have been a month alcohol-free I have goals I want to set why do they think less of me?

Screw them. You’re clean for a month, a feat to take some pride in. Set your goals and start working toward them. If they think less of you, you really don’t need them in your life. They are drama you are better off without. Find people who will support you. Let them know you are a recovering alcoholic and ask them to support you in this, so NO drinking! I, for one, applaud you, and I hope others will follow my lead. Keep up the good work, and good luck with your goals.

"If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."

-- Zen proverb

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