Questions of Training, Planning, and Benefitting

 

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”

-- Allen Saunders

 

If you had to define love, how would that be done?

Love is caring about something, or someone, deeply. Love has many levels, though. I will be your loyal partner in life, I will care for you, I will support you, I will stand up for you, I will fight for you, I will die for you, all are different levels of what many define as “love” and there are probably others.

Is it hard work or belief that can lead to success?

Believing you are capable of the hard work it will take to be successful, can lead to success. Doing the hard work will help you prove it.

How do you view the people around you, and the world you are in, and are you a person who would be happy with repeating life, week-by-week, or would you strive to better yourself and constantly look for new and exciting things?

Even retired, I wake up every morning to thank God for the gift of another glorious day in paradise and another chance to excel in life. How boring would be a repeating life? We should always strive to better ourselves and do new and exciting people. I mean, things.

“People need to repeat data… and sense repetition… If I spend my time for that shit… I am going to waste my life, I just want sense new and genuine stuff.”

-- Deyth Banger

Why shouldn’t we regret past failures and mistakes?

Because failure and mistake are the best way to learn if you don’t regret them. Critique the failure, ask why it happened so you know what not to do. Learn from it and move forward. The first rockets we tested for manned flights to the moon didn’t work either, but we eventually got it right through perseverance and learning from our mistakes.

What advice completely backfired on the one giving it?

When I left the military, my civilian boss sent me to management training with AMA. He didn’t like the way I managed. I returned with a stack of material and my trip report stating that the week had been well spent validating my management technique, information attached. I “aced” the course, and was held up as an example of the only one dressed to take the course seriously.  Good management is good management, no matter where you learn it.

How does happiness come from within? It makes no sense every other emotion is a reaction to outside stimuli. Why would happiness be the one & only exception?

It isn’t. Life is all about making conscious choices that move you forward. Happiness is one, misery is another, boredom, social welfare, etc., these are all choices we make for life, and these choices come from within. You can choose to be or not be. It is a choice you must make for yourself, and outside stimuli be damned.

People like to shift the blame for the happiness or misery on outside stimuli when, in reality, you must choose to be happy or miserable with the circumstances you choose.

Reader comment:  We are all products of our childhood conditioning. My father imprisoned me as a child, made me an introvert/anti-social (I was defenseless to prevent), and I still am, his choice, NOT mine. We are all products of our childhood conditioning.

My response:  Stop agreeing with me.  

“HAPPINESS comes from within. To be happy is to know oneself. It's not in the material things that we own, it's the love we have and show to the world.”

-- Angie Karan

Why is it "multiple-choice questions" and not "multiple choices question"?

Not a clue. These are the kind of questions that make the world come to a complete stop.  Maybe because the first is plural and the example you offer is singular.

If one intends to retire at age 65 and is currently 52, should they leave their 401k in "high risk"?

I’d ask an investment counselor. It’s your money, you should lose when you want to.

Why do some small things ruin my day sometimes?

We see the big things coming and can prepare to mitigate what effect they’ll have on our day. The small things, not so much.

"Life is short, but it's long enough to ruin any man who wants to be ruined."

--Josh Billings

A new theory says our weirdest dreams could be training us for life. Can you relate? What are your thoughts?

If my dreams are training me for life, I’m a sexual animal. Why wasn’t I having these “training” dreams when I was young enough to enjoy graduation?

Why do we benefit from making the wrong choices?

Probably because what we think are the wrong choices, are actually the right choices, but we don’t recognize them as such. We will probably continue to make the same kind of poor choices until we finally get a clue.

Does anyone feel like the world won't change?

If they do, they’re wrong. Change is the only true constant in the universe. Everything changes, even if they feel it won’t. And, if they really feel it won’t, they need to stop feeling miserable about it and be the impetus for the change they seek. Or, they can just shut up and stop dragging everyone else down.

“You can't plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.”

-- Gordon B. Hinckley

Where and when did the phrase "slowly but surely" originate?

Aesop's fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare."

How do you draft a plan to introduce a new institution? Take, for example, starting a college of science.

What makes it stand out from other institutions? What are the qualifications of the instructors, their Curriculum Vitae? Is the institution accredited? What are the costs, and what guarantee is there that it will continue to operate as long as a student needs it to?

Introducing something new means answering all the questions potential users have concerning the venture. 

How do we know that an online approach from an unknown person is legitimate?

You don’t. It’s an opinion, just like a doctor would give as he “practices” medicine on you. What you do with the opinion being offered is your choice. If you use the approach and it fails, it’s not the fault of the person giving you the advice, as it was just their, albeit, "educated" opinion. It’s your fault for taking it as gospel and running with it. Even the most intelligent people can fall prey to not being very smart. In the end, you have to make a choice.

"The only legitimate use of a computer is to play games."

-- Eugene Jarvis

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