Questioning Actions, Philosophy, and Success

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”

-- Albert Einstein

Apparently, everyone will have a time of fame. What led to your 15 minutes of fame?

Helping to prove the low-level bombing capability of the B-52 bomber, in order to save it from the boneyard. That was thirty years ago, and it is still performing good service today. The B-52 is an airframe that has kept on giving, in many rolls, since 1954.

Why do you always do your best for your company or the place where you work?

A good work ethic was the way I was raised. If you don’t like where you work, find another job. If you don’t give your best effort, you’ll be looking for another job, anyway.

Is life itself basically just your own perspective?

With politics consuming everything else, I would seriously hate my life to be in the hands of someone else’s perspective. It is, after all, my life, for better or worse. I choose better! Much better than politicians, anyway.

“The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

-- Douglas Adams

Is there any such thing as right and wrong actions?

Yes, that’s why they’re called right and wrong actions. In everything there must be balance; light and dark, sweet and bitter, good and bad, loud and silent, right and wrong.

Who influenced you in your idea of right and wrong, good or bad? Can you rate them from the most to the least influential and explain why?

My mother, Buddha, Lao Tsu, Sister Rosalie (my 5th grade teacher). Sister Rosalie probably thought there was a special place in hell for boys like me. Turns out it was just Cathoicism.

What’s the highest value but least impressive item in the world?

A 5.4 billion dollar yacht. Really? That kind of extravagance doesn’t impress me as much as a large, well-cut gemstone would.

“The whole point of extravagance is to act like a fool and feel like a fool, but enjoy it.”

-- Alfred Bester

How did philosophy help us address our situation?

Philosophy has given many much to think about. Unfortunately, few utilize anything they learn. Our circumstances look like the feed from a heart monitor, ups and downs. I keep waiting for the flatline and the inevitible shock back into reality.

What technology scares you if you know the facts about it?

Any technology we take for granted, like artificial intelligence (AI), scares me, and I know the facts about it. It isn’t the technology that scares me, though. Technology is good. We learn from it. Governments, on the other hand, will always use technology for the right reasons in all the wrong ways, or for the wrong reasons in all the right ways. It seems they like to corrupt for the simple sake of corruption. With great power comes great responsibility.

How do you think you will change in the future?

Every time I wake up, the future changes. Everything I do, every choice and decision I make, will change the future in some way. It is this way for all of us. How we change the future depends on what goal we set for any particular day. Personally, I choose not to think about the future. I choose to live in the “now” and make the best choices I can. In this way, the future stands a better chance of being brighter.

"If you want to change the future, you must change what you're doing in the present."

-- Mark Twain

What bad business tactics do you know?

Fraud and dishonety come to mind, but anything unethical should be viewed as bad business tactics. It will come back to haunt.

Looking, but finding no one…What does this equate to?

A waste of time?

What's a prime example of a government service that needs to be fixed immediately?

Welfare. We’ve been letting people suck from the public teat and invest nothing of themselves for far too long.

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the canidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy--to be followed by a dictatorship.”

-- Alexander Fraser Tytler Woodhouselee

What is your realization about "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift"?

Well, pretty much that it’s true?

What is the biggest fail that people do when they try to be successful in life?

They forget to be truly happy in the process. If they had found true happiness, to begin with, they’d already be successful.

Aristotle said, “good habits formed at youth make all the difference.” Does that mean that if you don’t form good habits when you’re young, for example, waking up early, you never will be able to once you're older?

Not a very good quote, is it? Leaves late bloomers in a lurch. I think it would be better to say that good habits formed at youth tend to jump-start success, for the most part. I find his quote a bit too damning.

“Don't, for heaven's sake, be afraid of talking nonsense! But, you must pay attention to your nonsense.”

-- Ludwig Wittgenstein

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