Questioning Sex, Belief, and Philosophy

 

“Sex is as much about opening yourself and showing your sexuality to another human being as it is about allowing them to show you theirs. If you want your lover to expand their horizons with you, it’s vital that you give them the same courtesy of hearing their secrets without making them feel creepy about it.”

-- Roberto Hogue

Has the fact that everyone knows every detail of your life brought you good or bad returns?

No one knows “every detail” of my life, and no one should. Most of my life is no one’s business, and what they do know I allow them to know. as much as some would like to see it come to pass, this is not communist China, or North Korea, or any other communist or socialist state, as yet.

If you could make your own "philosophical phrase" or profound statement, like "life is like a box of chocolates" or "all things come to those who wait", what would it be?

Strive to be happy always, because the alternative simply sucks.

When do you think that luck is real?

Luck is simply “chance” and “chance” is always real. There is a real chance that anything will go well or fail. You can mitigate the chance of failure through knowledge and hard work, but “chance” still exists that success might be the deserved outcome due to the mitigation one has taken to ward off failure. So, there is always the chance that things will succeed, fail, or simply stay the same.

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”

-- Dalai Lama XIV

Why do some successful people at some point think they don't deserve it? What do you think?

Maybe they didn’t really work for it. Maybe they come to a realization that their success was built on the backs of the workers who made it happen for them. Maybe they discover a sense of humility.

Do you believe that communication is important in our lives? Why or why not?

Yes. Communication is how information, critical or trivial, travels from one point to another and how feedback returns to the source.

How does Hebrews 12:27 apply to 2020 in your life? : This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

It doesn’t apply in my life. That which cannot be shaken is nothing, so we can take from this that “nothing” will remain. Yet, if God created all, then we can assume that God also created nothing. So, am I to take from this that shaking nothing is beyond the power of God? I think not. It doesn’t apply in my life because it makes little sense, and my God would not say something that makes such little sense. That which is passed down by man can always be misinterpreted by man. Perhaps this is an example.

“Now it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as the final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God. 

The argument goes something like this: "I refuse to prove that I exist,'" says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."

"But," says Man, "The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so, therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED." 

"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic. 

"Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.”

-- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

If you are prepared to die then you are prepared to live. Does this quote make sense?

It doesn’t necessarily follow. What if you have no will to live and, therefore, have prepared to die? As for me, I’m very prepared to die, but it’s the last thing I’d be willing to consider since there is so much more living I’m looking forward to enjoying.

Why won't the President answer questions after he reads a speech? He should be able to explain his positions.

Explain his positions? We’re talking about Biden, right? First, Pelosi would have to tell him what his "position" is supposed to be, if she lets him answer questions, to begin with.

Are you innately negative or positive?

I’m always positive, even when I’m negative. I can be positively pissed off, at times, and then it positively passes. I strive to be positively happy always!

“Life is such unutterable hell, solely because it is sometimes beautiful. If we could only be miserable all the time, if there could be no such things as love or beauty or faith or hope, if I could be absolutely certain that my love would never be returned: how much more simple life would be. One could plod through the Siberian salt mines of existence without being bothered about happiness. Unfortunately the happiness is there. There is always the chance (about eight hundred and fifty to one) that another heart will come to mine. I can't help hoping, and keeping faith, and loving beauty. Quite frequently I am not so miserable as it would be wise to be.”

-- T.H. White

Why is it important to list experiences that support your positive or negative beliefs about yourself?

Is it? So, in other words, I’m supposed to find the time to be listing experiences? I think I’ll just be me, make the best choices I can in my life, and let the chips fall where they may. It has worked so far, except for that nasty little divorce. One mistake, and I try not to dwell on it in favor of being happy always.

The expression "writing on the wall" means there are clear signs that a situation is going to become very difficult or unpleasant if you stay on the path you're on. How has this saying worked in your life?

Pretty well. I’ve always had pretty good intuition.

If you would have only two choices, which would you like to choose, work in a position you don't like in a rich country with better living standards, or work in a position you want to work in a poor country with worse living standards?

I’ve done poor countries pretty well. Living conditions are what you make of them. I’ve always been good at making a purse out of a sow’s ear.  It is, after all, part of the adventure.

"For me, every day is a new thing. I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did. And I get the sweats. I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going. If I knew where I was going I wouldn't do it."

-- Frank Gehry

And... the short answers:

Would you rather be smart or sexy?

Well, I’m already sexy...

What can we call knowledge without wisdom?

Dangerous.

What are the most important knowledge, skills, and value that I learned?

You don’t know?

People say talent isn't enough. Why then do they say every winner is talented?

Not the same people.

What lifestyle are you into?

Kinky.  Okay, retirement.  But, I like kinky.

How do you define your emotions?

Under control, for the time being.

What do people ruin their lives with?

Marriage to the wrong person, or debt, or both.

How would your life be when you start earning $3,000 monthly?

Just as it is.

What do you learn in your free time?

Whatever I want.

When did you learn a lesson you really didn't want to learn?

When I got mine, but she didn’t… yet.  

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”

-- Socrates

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