Questions of Responsibility, Ethics, and Communication

“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 you have ever had a moment of clarity where you realize you have been listening to all the wrong information, did you make a change or just keep going the same way you always have?

The “Peace & Freedom” movement of the 1960s. For one, they should not have grouped civil rights with anti-war. I woke up and realized I was all for civil rights, but I was, also, all about fighting to keep socialism and communism out of freedom-loving countries, like my own. If we really wanted sustainable peace in the United States, we needed to remain free so we could keep working it. Now, it seems all the work may have been for nothing, but I will still fight to keep socialism and communism from getting more than the foothold some have allowed them to have.

Are there episodes of horrific failure caused by ignorance?

I guess I’d have to look at this with an “all-encompassing” comment. If there is a failure, assuming humans were involved, then something went wrong. It could be either by ignorance or by incompetence. Citing a specific event won’t change what is, so pick one, ignorance, incompetence, or both. “Horrific failure” would lead one to believe the cause might have been both. A failure in nature, on the other hand, might be built-in obsolescence or “Mother Nature” simply reminding us how powerful she is.

What is a common gesture that is actually immoral?

I think giving someone the finger is an immoral gesture, but I know it is rude. I really need to stop doing it.

“It is a well-known fact that very often, putting the period of boyhood out of the argument, the older we grow the more cynical and hardened we become; indeed, many of us are only saved by timely death from moral petrification, if not from moral corruption.”

-- H. Rider Haggard 

What are the most important 10 laws of manhood?

Be strong, humble, tolerant, understanding, loyal, honest, faithful, moral, working, and happy.

Why do I believe I can’t win all the time?

Because you can’t. Winning is about taking a gamble, and gambling is about winning and losing. If you want to win more times than not, you need to be proficient in what you wish to win.

What often leads people to exercise poor judgment in a given situation, often leaving undesirable consequences?

Lack of adequate information and planning can lead to poor decision-making and failure. Plan for success and failure, then pray for the best outcome for both.

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”

― Rita Mae Brown

Explain in the light of Plato’s virtue ethics, how do we decide what is moral and right?

We are taught by Plato, or some other mentor, like parents, friends, society, etc., what is moral and right. Once we know what they are, it is then incumbent upon us to choose our path and, hopefully, do what is moral and right.

When people don't want to volunteer to help make a big good cause, how else do you catch the public's attention and strive?

Do it yourself. But, if the public isn’t interested in volunteering to make it happen, how interested can the public really be in this “big good cause”? If the public isn’t interested you’ll never catch their attention. Maybe, for them, it really isn’t that big or good.

Is virtue inborn or acquired? Explain the light of Socratic ethical philosophy.

If we are, in fact, born without sin, then we must be born virtuous. We must be taught to hold on to this virtue, to nurture it. If we choose not to, then we risk doing wrong and falling into sin. Having virtue and keeping virtue are two different things.

“The ultimate aim of Socrates' philosophical method is always ethical. Socrates believed that if one knows what the good is, one will always do what is good. Thus if one truly understands the meaning of courage, self-control, or justice, one will act in a courageous, self-controlled and just manner.”

-- Sophia-project.org

Why do many fun and easy-going people become rigid and robotic when they get a position of authority?

Having spent almost 23 years in the military, mostly as a supervisor and manager, we always walk a fine line between “fun and easy” and get the job done, and most people understand this. We work hard and we party hard, but “Rule #1” is to get the job done, and supervision has to become "rigid and robotic" to accomplish this smoothly and effectively, especially in those fields where people might die if the job isn’t done right. I would really hate for a court to find that someone died because I was the “fun and easy-going” authoritative figure. That would just suck, and the family of the dead would agree.

How would you finish this sentence, “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve ___________”?

“…our attention.” 

What's your guide to disagreeing better?

Shut up and listen better, might be a thought. It isn’t enough to just mindlessly disagree, you need to have a cogent argument for your disagreement. You need to learn basic communication skills.

“It's not about going around trying to stir up trouble. As long as you're honest and you articulate what you believe to be true, somebody somewhere will become your enemy whether you like it or not.”

-- Criss Jami

Should you put yourself first all the time?

Yes, even if it’s just a moment to ask yourself if you can handle whatever is at hand. If you don’t take care of yourself, how do you expect to be able to take care of others? “Put on your oxygen mask first, before assisting the passenger next to you.” Great advice from airline passenger safety briefings. 

Is it better that we strengthen our differences and help create a better society or we just live separate lives cultivating a sense of hatred brought by our differences?

It’s the same thing. You can’t strengthen differences and be all-inclusive. This is the message the current administration is trying to push onto the American people, and it just doesn’t wash. All lives matter and our differences are what make us a diversely robust country. Trying to force new “theories” and canceling culture cultivates this sense of hatred. Better that we should do what has worked since the time of Dr. King, come together to get a job done, and recognize it doesn’t happen overnight. A roast done “low and slow” will give you the moist and tender meat everyone will enjoy.

Do you have a desire to make things right with someone when you’ve made a mistake but sometimes don’t know how to proceed because it feels like if you were to do the ‘right thing’ it would cause so much shame and expose you to their wrath and anger?

Absolutely! But, I never have a question of how to proceed. Wrong will always be wrong, so it is always better to confront the issue as soon as possible. You can get over any shame you might feel but, more importantly, people will see you as someone who takes responsibility for mistakes they make. This, alone, might temper any “wrath and anger” some idiot might feel about you since their “wrath and anger” signals their loss of control of a situation.

“I will never have greater respect than for the man that realizes he was wrong and graciously admits it without a single excuse.”

-- Dan Pearce

 

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