Questioning Blame, Opinions, and Choices

 

“An important decision I made was to resist playing the Blame Game. The day I realized that I am in charge of how I will approach problems in my life, that things will turn out better or worse because of me and nobody else, that was the day I knew I would be a happier and healthier person. And that was the day I knew I could truly build a life that matters.”

-- Steve Goodier

Do you have to be competitive to be successful?

You have to be truly happy to be successful. You have to be competitive to be top of your field, or better than others.

Did anyone else stop believing in Santa Claus and Jesus at the same time?

They’re both characters offering philosophies I can believe and have faith in. In this way, I never stopped believing in the “magic” of either.

Do you blame people for your failure?

Only my supervisor or manager, or the owner of the company, if they told me to do something that I told them wouldn’t work without changing the parameters. If I, then, gave my all to attain the goal, as directed, and it failed, my failure would be mitigated by the fact that I told them it wouldn’t be successful as they directed. If it was my failure, I'd own it. I see no reason to own theirs.

“It’s time to care; it’s time to take responsibility; it’s time to lead; it’s time for a change; it’s time to be true to our greatest self; it’s time to stop blaming others.”

-- Steve Maraboli

I'm failing most of my classes. I'm a failure to my family (they say this). Am I a lost cause?

Only if you’re not really trying. Your family should be offering moral support, not giving you more reason to stop trying. You aren’t a lost cause until you quit trying not to be. This is a choice you must make for yourself, not for them.

Do successful people follow people that are failures?

I think this would be counterproductive.

Can you denounce your old belief just to save your life?

Only if my “old belief” is no longer valid.

“If the second date seems to be going well, it's pretty much a given that by dessert I'll renounce my faith”

-- Josh Stern

Can a strong opinion cause offense to someone?

There will always be members of the League of the Perpetually Offended you’ll have to deal with.

Can meeting new people lead to success?

Only if you’re successful at meeting new people.

Why are you a coward by stopping replies?

You aren’t. I stop replies when I know I’m being baited to satisfy some desire of theirs to be perpetually offended no matter what I say. I consider it more of a strategic retreat.

“Without silence, we can neither know ourselves, another, or the depth of anything beautiful. We learn how to take silence into the noise.”

-- Donna Goddard

My coworker told me he had a dream that I crash the truck. We’re both truck drivers. What does it mean?

Does he need to stop drinking?

Why am I average at everything and not excellent at one thing?

You’re the quintessential jack of all trade and master of none?

Has it gotten easier or harder to make a successful life without a college degree?

Easier. Many trade jobs are almost paying better than doctors as you get more proficient.

"Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom."

-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Do opinions not have the power to influence others?

If the opinion is valid and you can convince others of its validity, it can have the power to influence.

What should the youth of today be empowered with in order to be good leaders of tomorrow? When is this "tomorrow"?

Good common sense, which isn’t very common anymore, and its goodness is in question, as well. I’m not sure who would empower them, or how, sense good parenting, in general, seems to be a thing of the past. “Tomorrow” would be their tomorrow, which would be when they come of age.

Is it weird for a 21-year-old girl to have a crush on a 17-year-old guy?

Not if you wait till he’s 18.

For some people, a gap of, say, five months means that one will perversely always think of himself – herself – as wiser and more knowledgeable than the other, whatever the evidence to the contrary. Or perhaps I should say because of the evidence to the contrary. Because it is perfectly clear to any objective observer that the balance has shifted to the marginally younger person, the other one maintains the assumption of superiority all the more rigorously. All the more neurotically.”

-- Julian Barnes

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