Questioning Knowledge, Teamwork, and Choices

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

-- Phil Jackson

When it comes to failures, why do team members blame somebody for the unfinished goals?

This is evidence of a poor team and even worse leadership. If the team fails, the TEAM fails. Blame is the purview of leadership, not the team members. A good team member willingly admits their shortcoming and asks the team, and leadership, for assistance. Leadership needs to find why the team failed and work to solve the issue by replacing or counseling the lackluster member. The rest of the team needs to hang tough and learn to cover a struggling member, as does leadership. The members are supposed to be chosen for the team for their skills, but mistakes can be made.

Can you say you're doing exactly what you were created for?

Well, since we assume God doesn't make mistakes, and that each of us makes our own destiny, I must be doing, and have done, what I was created for. Who is qualified to judge me, but myself?

Someone I live with is extremely ignorant as in he’ll say something that is wrong and when corrected still act as if he was right to avoid admitting to being wrong (it could be something extremely minuscule). How do you cope with people like that?

Confront them with what you know. Advise them that their hard stand on their obvious error defines the kind of person they are to others and that they might what to think about that. Who they are seen as is a choice they must make. If they choose to be seen as ignorant, there is nothing to do for them. If they are a good roommate, then “coping” would be to stop asking for their poor opinions.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

-- Daniel J. Boorstin

Life is all about choices. Choice defines us and sculpts us. What will your choices say about you?

I tout this about choices, all the time. Life is all about making good choices, and those choices and decisions help to define who we are to those around us. My choices, unfortunately, say I am perpetually offended by those who are perpetually offended. But, I offend myself all the time, so this is no surprise. I strive to hold to a set of morally ethical values, which is very hard to do.  But, what is so very much more important is that I constantly try.

What happens when you lose your hope?

I have never "lost" hope. I don't think anyone can.  You can choose to forget about hope, to ignore it, but it is still there.  I came very close to ignoring hope, only one time, but I made a better choice to hold onto hope instead of giving up. It worked out so very well for me, as I am still here and doing better than I ever hoped. Never give up. Never surrender. There is always room for undying hope. Hope is another choice each of us must make in order to try and survive situations in life.

Do you think being poor is a mistake? Why?

No, I think being poor is a choice. If your choice makes to exceedingly happy, how can it be a mistake? The mistake would be sucking from the public teat, as an able-bodied person, simply because you can, and giving nothing back to society in return.

"Poor people have been voting for Democrats for the last 50 years and they're still poor."

-- Charles Barkley

What do you do if you feel like nothing in life is worth living for and there is nothing more you want to do?

Committing suicide would be a poor choice, as life, itself, is a great reason for living. We know what we’ve been through, and we know where we are, but it is up to us to determine where we will be in the next moment and what tomorrow will offer us. Nobody is a waste of oxygen until they choose to be. Make better choices.

Why do problems persevere?

Ignorance, and laziness. We don’t have the tools to solve them, and even if we did, would we? It is a choice each of us must make, and life is all about making choices. Solving problems is why we exist. It is why we are here, to learn, to be creative, to build, and to solve problems that show up in life. It is a choice, and we should all be making good ones.

Have you ever had a moment where you stopped and said, “so this is what it feels like”?

Yes! But, propriety prevents me from discussing it.

“The "aha" moment is a validating experience for your efforts and at the same time changes your paradigm of the world in favor of a more accurate one. Campbell simply says “it wipes out the ego.”

-- Roumen Bezergianov

I don’t want to grow up. I just want to live school life forever with my friends. How do I convince myself to keep going?

Your friends will move on. You will grow up, regardless of what you want. You don’t really have to convince yourself to “keep going” as you will anyway unless you want to be looked at as a peculiarity in society and, most probably, not really be happy. You will have to support yourself unless you’re committed, I suppose. But, how people view you is totally up to them. How you view yourself, or how you want others to view you, should be what matters to you. If you think that never growing up will make you exceedingly happy all through life, so be it. When you reach the ripe old age of 88, let us know how it worked out. 

Why do people say you can't get married in your 20s?

I wasn’t “mature” enough to get married in my 20s, but I did it anyway and suffered through trying to be a parent and trying to hold together a failed marriage for 25 years. Most of us are too busy to consider the responsibility involved in it, and the responsibility can be a lifetime. Better to wait until both of you are mature enough to understand the ramifications of the decision.

What is it like to have your life figured out?

What is it like to think you have your life figured out? Life constantly changes, so trying to figure it out is a crapshoot.

"I have finally figured out the meaning of life: there's no such thing. And that's a beautiful thing, because that means that WE get to choose it ourselves. Life has no meaning besides the meaning you give it. You are indeed the author of your destiny. So why not write a book worth reading?" 

-- Dean Bokhari

What do you find solace in when everything is wrong with the world?

Nuclear deterrence.

Is success a matter of luck and genetics, or a matter of how hard you work?

Success is a matter of hard work. It can be a matter of good luck, but when that good luck runs out, the sustainability of success will be a matter of hard work.

What don't you know for sure, but wish you did?

What I know.

“The Only Thing I Know For Sure Is That I Know Nothing At All, For Sure”

-- 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