Questioning Money, Freedom, and Success

 

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

-- Epictetus

How would you define the relationship between money and power?

The “power” that "money" buys is tenuous, at best. Real power cannot be bought. The real power lies in the hearts and minds of the people who give it freely to the poorest of leaders in order to support an idea they would be willing to die for. This is real power. The only thing money does is grease the wheels of success, providing any greed can be held at bay. And this is the rub, the inevitable greed that corrupts the wielder of power. It, more times than not, unfortunately, allows a leader to be bought…for money.

When are you the freest, and your truest self?

When I write. Others may try to bait me, corrupt my sense of ethics, but my writing owes nothing to anyone but myself. My writing is truly who I am and, right or wrong, it reflects the best I can be, which, unfortunately at times, is found wanting.

Do you think a limited government will lead to greater human freedom?

It isn’t the size of government, it is the amount of control they think they can exercise over personal freedoms. The government needs to pay attention to the “Rule of Law” the people have put into place. The government needs to remember, at all times, who they work for. Governments can’t just ignore the Rule of Law, nor can they simply rewrite it at their whim. We have the ability to remove the government and replace it. It is what revolution was created for. To quote Thomas Jefferson:

“And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”

What are the five insights into how constructive journalism pays off?

I’ll give you my five: People receive factual information, from ethical reporters, which builds a foundation of truth that allows us to make informed decisions to ensure freedom of thought continues in our society. Unfortunately, in the United States, we haven’t seen factual and constructive journalism in quite a while. Our “journalism” seems to have aligned itself with socialism, which is counterintuitive considering socialism is no friend of facts or the truth.

Why is it important to question everything? What reason is there to do this, especially now?

Considering the current political administration, the reasons are too numerous to list, especially after losing our southern border and our cowardly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and our arming of terrorists with state-of-the-art weaponry they will feel free to use against us. All one has to do is listen and watch with critical intent, to see all the reasons.

How do you increase and decrease the value of moral damages?

How extensive was the damage?

“As beasts are beneath human restraints, gods are above them... It would be foolish and untruthful to deny the appeal of exalted, godlike intoxication... We have seen the paradox that these godlike exalted moments often correspond to times when the men who have survived them say that they have acted like beasts... Above all, a sense of merely human virtue, a sense of being valued and of valuing anything seems to have fled their lives... However, all of our virtues come from not being gods. Generosity is meaningless to a god, who never suffers shortage or want. Courage is meaningless to a god, who is immortal and can never suffer permanent injury. The godlike berserk state can destroy the capacity for virtue. Whether the berserker is beneath humanity as an animal, above it as a god, or both, he is cut off from all human community when he is in this state.”

-- Jonathan Shay

What does success in the classroom mean to you? How would you define it?

Success is how an individual views it. I almost didn’t graduate high school, but, the fact that I did, I viewed it as a success. It also was the impetus to make me redefine “success” in my life. In my first two years of college, majoring in psychology, I carried a 3.2 GPA. The psychology knowledge was a prime factor in my getting a position in the intelligence field. My military career led me to another long career in the civilian sector. So, success is how one defines it for themselves.

Is it time to abandon expectations of life returning to pre-COVID-19 norms?

That ship sailed some time back. This will continue to be political in our lives for years to come.

What do you think about the statement, “the greatest burdens we carry are the thoughts in our head”?

The quote is actually, "The heaviest burdens we carry, are the thoughts in our head."  But, that is minutia, and the quote, unfortunately, is attributed to no one.  Also unfortunate, is that most of the time, the thoughts in our heads are due to the reality around us which is making it harder and harder to keep good thoughts. I constantly strive to be happy always, despite what I hear and read in the news. It is a “burden” I struggle with daily.

“Stay away from lazy parasites, who perch on you just to satisfy their needs, they do not come to alleviate your burdens, hence, their mission is to distract, detract and extract, and make you live in abject poverty.”

-- Michael Bassey Johnson

Do you believe that if you initially do something for love, the money will come anyway?

What? No. If I do something for love, initially or not, it is done selflessly or it really isn’t for love. Why in God’s name would money enter into a selfless act of love?

To what extent is it true that the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity, as Rollo May asserts?

I would say that Rollo May is mostly wrong. I conform when the argument is sound and it makes perfect sense to do so. I also have the courage to balk when I’m told to conform and the argument to do so sucks. The opposite of courage is cowardice, whether you run from what is the right thing to do, or you do nothing in the face of danger, negativity, or something wrong. Now, having said this, if you conform to something that is ethically and morally wrong, you would be a coward for not taking a stand when you should.

" The future of the last is in the future. The future of the present is in the past. The future of the future is in the present."?

Wha... what? The past is done, so learn from it. The present is now, so use what you learned from the past to prepare for the future. The future is what we make of it now, so let us begin.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."

-- Albert Einstein

Why did you or someone you know retire at the top of their game?

I had to retire, so I suppose I was as close to the top of my game as I was going to get, since the game was called due to illness.

My dad had a stroke and I retired, for the third time, to take care of him and mom. He would have two more strokes over the coming few years, and another while we were at the hospital for the third. That last stroke left him with a feeding tube, unable to drink or talk. He was a Sicilian that was full of life, now a prisoner in his own body and mind. A week later I asked the powers that be for kindness. They took him a week later. Now, I take care of my mother, whose memory is not all that sharp anymore.

We need to redefine “top of their game.” For some, the game changes, and not always of their own choosing. Am I at the top of this game? To be determined.

What is a promise you always seem to break?

Making promises I can’t keep. I can’t help but only make promises I can, no matter how hard I try not to.

What if money wasn’t a motivational factor for the majority of the population? How would people push themselves in life?

Even though we need money in order to survive in society, we are motivated in so many other ways to learn music, art, sports, and many other creative endeavors. Money is a necessity, more than anything else, but true happiness is a pursuit that motivates most of everything else.

“Top 15 Things Money Can’t Buy

Time. Happiness. Inner Peace. Integrity. Love. Character. Manners. Health. Respect. Morals. Trust. Patience. Class. Common sense. Dignity.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

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