Questions of Advice, Curiosity, and Sayings

 

“I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant.”

-- Paul Newman

What advice do you wish you could have received sooner?

Stock investing. Although I’m not doing too bad after several years of a rocky start, I would be so far ahead of where I am now had I received sound advice on investing.

Reader comment:  At what age did you start stock investing? I'm in my late 20s and I wonder if the door on that is closing.

My reply:  It is so not closing. I didn’t start until I was in my early 40s. I lucked into a stock 401k at work and managed to learn through trial and error. If you want to play and learn, do your due diligence on SHMP. I mean read everything about it. This is a “penny” stock selling for about $.26 from a high of about $.90, and my average purchase price for this sits at $.065/share. I would be interested in hearing your opinion when you finish reading about it.

What is something you were curious about until you tried it?

Other than “exotic” sex, I’d have to say goat meat. I did a tour in Turkey while in the Intelligence field. The Turks in Adana love to eat goats. I finally got the chance to try it, and I was hooked. I little greasier than lamb and I found the flavor strong but not as gamey. I have brought their preparation for goat meat to my lamb recipes with great success.

What do you think of the phrase, “If you want to get a better result, then something needs to be sacrificed or changed”? Is this a true statement based on your lived experience?

Yes, and it usually means I have to change how I’m approaching the issue or how hard I working on the issue. When you ask why the result isn’t better, it usually comes down to something you or your team did or didn’t do.

“The TV scientist who mutters sadly, "The experiment is a failure; we have failed to achieve what we had hoped for," is suffering mainly from a bad scriptwriter. An experiment is never a failure solely because it fails to achieve predicted results. An experiment is a failure only when it also fails adequately to test the hypothesis in question, when the data it produces don't prove anything one way or another.”

-- Robert M. Pirsig

Do you believe happiness is based on certain discoverable principles? If so, are we meant to (or supposed to) discover those principles over the course of a lifetime? Why do many people not find, or if found, not live these truths or principles?

Yes, the “principle” is the ability to make the conscious choice to be happy always. We should learn this from our parents and mentors early in life, so we don’t waste money trying to purchase what we already have inside of us. Many people don’t find it for this reason, or something horrible happens in their life and they give up on it.

Regardless of our circumstances, our financial status, or what has happened in our lives, we must endeavor to put these behind us and find the ability to choose real happiness over wasting our lives purchasing phony "bandaids" for a temporary high. Happiness is a personal choice. It is a choice especially for the most miserable of us. The alternative is living a life that is a neverending suck-fest. We learn nothing and probably end up back here, again, to try and learn the lessons we missed.

Which is more important, gratitude or ambition?

Ambition is very important, but not at the expense of common courtesy. One should always show gratitude to those deserving of it. If your ambition garners your success at the expense of treating others poorly, it is a very shallow success, indeed.

Do people's expectations from their offspring represent their unfulfilled desires?

I think most of us hope our offspring do so much better than we do. Damned is the parent who holds back their progeny from enjoying any success due to their own selfish jealousy.

“I don't care what baggage they dragged over the ocean. They have no right to make me carry it the rest of my life.”

-- Abigail Hing Wen

How do I tell my friend that I am not comfortable with her having an affair?

“It’s none of my business what you do with your life, but I thought you should know, I’m not comfortable with you having this affair.”  If telling your friend is for a better reason, you might want to add, "Because, I love you."

How do I regain trust in women since I have lost trust from being hurt so many times?

You don’t. The best you can do is explain yourself to those you choose to be with. If they love you, they stay and help you work through it. Their effort, however, might help you to regain some trust. 

What are some of the pros and cons of someone actually earning or deserving the wealth that they accumulated? Did they actually earn it or is it because they deserved it?

If they earned the wealth ethically, then they deserved it. The pros would be a clear conscience, real happiness, and an honest feeling of a success well earned.

“The Seven Social Sins are:

Wealth without work.

Pleasure without conscience.

Knowledge without character.

Commerce without morality.

Science without humanity.

Worship without sacrifice.

Politics without principle."

-- Frederick Lewis Donaldson

Why is it considered wrong to take revenge?

An eye for an eye? Will it bring the eye back? Take away the pain? We have the rule of law that we hold dear, but if we act contrary to the rule of law we dance with the devil. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and if you think you’ve made it right, try that excuse on the jury of your peers. It may work.

Reader comment: It may bring short term satisfaction, but long term sadness; lose-lose.

What are the practical lessons of science in our daily lives?

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Walk, run, drive a car, ride a bike, throw a ball, fly a kite, fire a gun, gravity, inertia, attraction, repulsion, we experience Newton’s “Third Law of Motion” in everything we do.

Women treat my son like the scumbag he is for being gay. Is this too harsh?

A parent just called their son a “scumbag” for being different. Can you make your “mistake” go away? We donate our genes, so our children are actually a reflection of us, whether we like it or not. Parents spend about 18 years mentoring their child to be a good reflection of the family. Of course, most parents don’t refer to the child as “scumbag.” It isn’t my place to judge, but, since you asked, yeah, I think it’s a bit harsh coming from a loving parent.

"Then come at me! Instead of being fucking cowards, bashing someone that's all tied up. Won't it be more fun to beat up a person of color? Kill me before I infect your brains and turn all of you into homosexuals! Kill me first! Stupid scumbags!”

-- JUNS, "Dark Heaven"

 

And... the short answers:

Are love and/or pleasure a distraction to one's purpose or goal in life?

Yes, but what great distraction happiness is!

What do you do that makes your life and your daily workload more efficient?

Deny distraction, and focus on work.

Why should we anticipate problems?

So we’re prepared to mitigate them.

Why do teenage boys get so upset when a girl rejects them?

Uh... They’re teenage boys.

What can’t a narcissist stand?

Someone else getting all the attention.

What does the question "Am I right or am I right" even mean? The two choices are literally the same.

They’re supposed to be. The person is right.

(My "short" answer is based on the question, above, before it was changed to be totally different: "What is the meaning of "am I right or am I right" with detail?"  Personally, I wish people would leave the questions alone once they’re posted. The answers tend to make no sense, like mine makes little sense to this, and has no detail.)

What do you think is the most important quality of a person who stands above others?

Humility.

Are you generally a positive person or a negative person?

Positive, positive, positive!

I don't respect money at all. Does that make me a psychopath?

Do you expect an honest answer?

What is a short sentence that changed your life forever?

Suck it up.

“I remembered the lesson my mom taught me at age seven in a swimming pool in Hawaii. I was a shy little girl and an only child, so on vacations, I was usually playing alone, too afraid to go up to the happy groups of kids and introduce myself. Finally, on one vacation, my mom asked me which I'd rather have: a vacation with no friends, or one scary moment... After that, one scary moment became something I was always willing to have in exchange for the possible payoff. I became a girl who knew how to take a deep breath, suck it up, and walk into any room by herself.”

-- Kristin Newman

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