Questioning Life and Things

 
"The same it has always been.  Survival."

Why am I always expecting the worse of the worse?

Asks “Lucifer.” I’m thinking a name change might help.

Can you share the hypocrisy of the self-help guru you looked up to?

Leo Buscaglia was my only “self-help guru” and he is sorely missed. I don’t think he had a hypocritical bone in his body. Check him out here: Leo Buscaglia - Wikipedia. And, then, check out his lectures on YouTube.  In my constant battle to be upfront with my followers, I'm a self-proclaimed hypocrite, and my humility would be sorely tested should anybody deign to look up to me. 

Why don’t my friends like me?

I don’t know why they don’t like you, I don’t know you. But, I think your definition needs some work. Friend: “A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.”

So, right off the bat, these are not your friends! There is no “mutual affection” required for friendship. I recommend you dump them and find some real “friends.”

“If you choose bad companions, no one will believe that you are anything but bad yourself.”

-- Aesop

Who has understood life better, I who really wanted something and yet couldn't make it done or someone who has always achieved what she wanted?

Oh, failure always provides better insight into success than just having success. Anytime you have to jump through hoops you learn so much more about a process than those who don’t.

I have been trying a lot in life each time I'm near success everything crumbles down what is wrong with me?

Subconscious fear of success.

Does achievement define you, or do you define achievement?

I learned in the military that achieving an “excellent” rating during our Operational Readiness Inspection was all about our attention to detail. I was never part of an office that did not get this rating. Because it was all about our attention to detail, we defined our achievement and, in return, our achievement defined us.

“It's not the shit we face that defines us, it's how we deal with it.”

-- Ahmed Mostafa

What habit did you start years ago that is now paying off?

Cooking for myself. I always get to eat what I want.

What are some of the inspirational quotes about family strength?

“There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends.” -- John 15:13

Certainly, if you will lay down your life for friends, you will do the same for your family.

What mystical, magical, miraculous experiences have you had that changed your perspective on life?

I have always had an affinity for the paranormal. I’ve chased shadow figures, had something grasp my hand and, the next night, my arm, and have been witness to many “haunting” occurrences. I also dabbled in self-hypnotic regression, during my psychology years, and know in my heart I was a young boy handing out ladles of water from a wooden cask to pony soldiers in the Mojave Desert. It changes one’s perspective on the afterlife.

“Any day above ground is a good day. Before you complain about anything, be thankful for your life and the things that are still going well.”

-- Germany Kent

How can you learn hard skills that pay off forever?

Go into the medical field. I hesitate to use this, but… if you want to really teach, and not just pull a paycheck while you aren’t teaching, go into real teaching… if there’s still such a thing. You may have to search hard for it, though. 

How do you replace the expression "never give up"?

Keep trying. Never surrender. “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” 

Is it possible to manifest something you don't want? Like if you paid a ton of money for someone to be an accountant. You worked so hard and now they are over you and you find you don't want to do it anymore. But, you are supposed to want it because you worked so hard.

How selfish is that? To pay a lot of money so someone can be successful and then complain when they attain success? Did they spend the money hoping the person would fail?  I doubt it.  Perhaps they should work harder instead of complaining about their investment, or, better yet, be happy that their money made a difference in someone’s life.

“Never surrender your hopes and dreams to the fateful limitations others have placed on their own lives. The vision of your true destiny does not reside within the blinkered outlook of the naysayers and the doom prophets. Judge not by their words, but accept advice based on the evidence of actual results. Do not be surprised should you find a complete absence of anything mystical or miraculous in the manifested reality of those who are so eager to advise you. Friends and family who suffer the lack of abundance, joy, love, fulfillment, and prosperity in their own lives really have no business imposing their self-limiting beliefs on your reality experience.”

-- Anthon St. Maarten

Do you find it harder to save these days than you used to? Why?

It used to be hard for me to save. I was in debt. When my wife divorced me was when I really started to come into my own money. I carried no debt, month to month. I paid my credit card balances every month. I bought good used vehicles for cash. Even though my ex took half of my military retirement for not supporting me, morally, psychologically, or monetarily, for 20 years of marriage she never wanted to be in, I am still comfortable in my retirement.

What is your understanding and point of view on life?

Life is about learning and making choices and decisions. We start learning from the minute of birth, and we continue learning until we pass into the next great adventure. We begin our learning as a task, and we gradually grow into learning for enjoyment and to support ourselves while we continue to learn.

Our choices and decisions are driven by what we have learned. If we make bad ones, we need to go back and critique where we went wrong and, if possible, change our choice or decision, or learn from them so we don’t repeat the mistake.

We do this learning in preparation for the many lives to come, and we will learn in those lives, as well, if we intend to continue moving forward. Or, we can repeat this life as many times as it takes to finally get the clue and, then, move forward. It is a choice we make, based on what we learn. 

Is everybody at 20 years old pretty much lost trying to find themselves and figure out life?  Is this quite natural?

Most people at 20 years of age are too damned busy to “find” themselves, much less figure out life. Unfortunately, this has become all too natural for our young people. Most of them don’t start getting a clue until their mid-twenties and, by then, they’ve probably screwed up their lives with marriage, children, and debt they will never get on top of. We fight life, tooth, and nail.

However, figuring out life is quite natural. We just make it so complicated because nobody teaches us about life anymore. I will give you a non-secret: Life is all about being happy. If you do nothing else in life, smile constantly. It really pisses people off, because their misery is a non-starter.

Make good choices and decisions. You will need to get a job, so get one you can be happy doing and do it until you want to move on. Leeching off the public teat we call "welfare" is a non-starter for true happiness as you begin life morally in debt.  Invest your money wisely and stay out of debt, morally and financially. Marry the one you know you really love and who really loves you, have children, and share your happiness. Make friends you can love, and share happiness with them, as well. Grow old in happiness, surrounded by happy people.

“Life is painful and messed up. It gets complicated at the worst of times, and sometimes you have no idea where to go or what to do. Lots of times people just let themselves get lost, dropping into a wide-open, huge abyss. But that's why we have to keep trying. We have to push through all that hurts us, work past all our memories that are haunting us. Sometimes the things that hurt us are the things that make us strongest. A life without experience, in my opinion, is no life at all. And that's why I tell everyone that, even when it hurts, never stop yourself from living.”

-- Alysha Speer

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