Questioning Glory, Goals, and Imagination

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.”

-- Robert Fulghum

How can I discover my hidden glory?

Stop looking for it and strive to be truly happy always. Anything hidden will show up eventually. But, if it doesn’t, you’ll still be happy, and true happiness is the key to true success.

Is measuring your progress key to achieving your goals?

No, but it helps to know where you are in the process, especially if a deadline is involved. I can achieve a goal without measuring my progress. Sometimes it's better to just keep your eye on the ball.

What is the importance of being a critical thinker?

If you don’t look at things critically, you risk letting your own beliefs and experience color your opinion or decision-making. You risk being wrong more than you would be by looking at something objectively. By definition, critical thinking allows you to exercise “objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.”

Reader comment:  It’s possible to think outside of how you’ve been conditioned to?

My reply:  Yes. Nobody says it’ll be easy, though.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”

-- Christopher Hitchens

What did an employer say that made you instantly regret working for them?

I just started working as a delivery driver for a florist, part-time while in the military. A day later, the owner accused me of flirting with the florists, his daughters, which I hadn’t. He let me go. One daughter wanted the job and this was his way of making it happen. I told him if his daughter needed the job all he had to do was “man up” and tell me to my face, not make up a bullshit story that everyone knew wasn’t true. I said this in front of the girls, as I was leaving, so they would all understand that they, and their father, were nothing more than lying assholes.

How do you let go of dreams and unrealistic aspirations which you previously thought were attainable for decades?

For decades? Life’s too short. If you finally, after decades, recognize that they’re unattainable, it’s definitely time to move on.

Why do or don't you feel that you're falling apart?

Physically, I’m feeling all of my 68 years, the aches and pains of a misspent youth. Mentally, I feel like I could do 20 more years in the military. Falling apart? I’m feeling the questionable choices I’ve had to make right, more than anything else.

“You aren’t falling apart. You’re well beyond that. You’re just rattling along now. Elven dolls doing what little you can to gather the pieces as they fall away. But you don’t know how to properly reattach them—a doll does not repair itself. So you hug those brittle fragments to your chest until you simply cannot hug anymore. Until you’ve had to leave so many behind that you no longer remember what it is you’re missing.”

-- Darrell Drake

Is asking questions that should be common sense a bad thing or a good thing?

When did “good sense” become common again? If “common sense” were prevalent, asking the question should be viewed the same way it should be now, “There is no bad question, just bad answers.” I constantly answer questions I think should be obvious, but to whom? Just because I think I know the answer doesn’t mean I do any more than my answer should be obvious to all.

What are encounters with hopeless challenges like?

The “League of the Perpetually Offended” are a hopeless challenge for me. The conversation starts out combative and quickly deteriorates into name-calling. This usually occurs when they discover they’ve been proving my point for me, and this is usually pointed out by others reading the comments. I prefer to leave the “League” to my readers.  I find they rarely write anything to publish online, but are very active in ripping apart the efforts of those that do.

Is it impossible to imagine an impossibility?

If it were, you just answered your own question.

Is God impossible? Some say yes, others say no, when, in reality, there is no proof one way or the other. Both sides will argue this lack of proof. One side will demand “common sense” while the other will offer up “faith” since there is little or no proof for either belief. But, for the faithful, they seem to imagine an impossibility.

"Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible."

-- Alan Turing

Could you stay true to your values ​​even when you are very successful in life? What do you think?

If I stayed true to my values to get there, why would I risk losing it all by corrupting them? Success is nothing without happiness, and holding to my values, though tough at times, has kept me very happy.

How do you react in life when you miss an opportunity that is important to you?

I kick and cuss and berate myself for a second, then I laugh and remember - it is what it is. If the opportunity is mine, it will be presented to me again. Miss an opportunity once, shame on me. Miss it twice, just shoot me for wasting everyone else’s precious oxygen.

When people play competitive games, is their main motivation just to have a good game or to win the game?

If you play a game, play to win, but don’t win at the expense of honor or not having a good game. If you can’t have fun honorably, what’s the point? It always pisses me off when athletes lose their pea brains and pick fights during a game. How childish is that?

“Jealousy says, “Compete with each other.” Envy says, “Destroy each other.” Empathy says, “Help each other.” Love says, “Empower each other.”

-- Matshona Dhliwayo

And... the short answers:

How do you identify a good evaluation?

Positive comments.

What is fear related to?

Freddy Krueger movies.

How many times did you lose before you won?

Numerous.

Has it ever happened to you in your life that a "game" turns into your work?

Always the other way around.

What’s the meaning of the word “there” in the phrase “Hi there!”?

“You, over there. Hi!”

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