Questioning Change, Belief, and Success

 

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

-- Rob Siltanen

How come I no longer think? I just do.

Don’t just cut the red wire. Don’t just pull the pin on the grenade. Don’t just yell “FIRE!” Don’t just perform brain surgery on yourself. Don’t just do anything without thinking, unless it’s to just get out of the way of imminent danger, like some idiot pulling the pin on a grenade.

What thing other than money hastened the permanent departure from your work?

New owners. The meat ax was being sharpened. I’d worked for the company for 17 years and they seemed intent on getting rid of core knowledge. I decided to take my second retirement, early, in lieu of working for idiots.

How important is gratitude for leaders?

If they want to be remembered as good leaders, very important.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

-- Epicurus

A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present?

What does his future, equal or not, have to do with respect that he has not earned? Youth deserve the respect they give, no more, no less, until they prove themselves worthy of more. But, the humble youth will expect nothing more than equality, though they may be deserving of so much more.

What is a new routine you seek to adopt to change your life in 2022?

Not wearing a damned mask.

"Hobbies of any kind are boring except to people who have the same hobby." — Dave Barry. What do you make of this statement?

Dave Barry doesn’t like hobbies? But, that can’t be right, because Barry’s “hobbies” are writing and humor, both of which he is great at but would not be doing unless people enjoyed his writing and humor, I suppose.

I’ve had many hobbies over the years, coins, stamps, tracking UFO and bigfoot sightings, and the writing/commentary that I currently enjoy. All but one of my “hobbies” I did strictly for my own edification and enjoyment. The “commentary” I do because people ask my opinion or I just want to put a needle under someone’s skin.

“What is a hobby anyway? Where is the line of demarcation between hobbies and ordinary normal pursuits? I have been unable to answer this question to my own satisfaction. At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant. Certainly many of our most satisfying avocations today consist of making something by hand which machines can usually make more quickly and cheaply, and sometimes better. Nevertheless I must in fairness admit that in a different age the mere fashioning of a machine might have been an excellent hobby... Today the invention of a new machine, however noteworthy to industry, would, as a hobby, be trite stuff. Perhaps we have here the real inwardness of our own question: A hobby is a defiance of the contemporary. It is an assertion of those permanent values which the momentary eddies of social evolution have contravened or overlooked. If this is true, then we may also say that every hobbyist is inherently a radical, and that his tribe is inherently a minority.

This, however, is serious: Becoming serious is a grievous fault in hobbyists. It is an axiom that no hobby should either seek or need rational justification. To wish to do it is reason enough. To find reasons why it is useful or beneficial converts it at once from an avocation into an industry–lowers it at once to the ignominious category of an 'exercise' undertaken for health, power, or profit. Lifting dumbbells is not a hobby. It is a confession of subservience, not an assertion of liberty.”

-- Aldo Leopold

Do you think that you are completely capable?

Of what?

How do you explain, “Desires are attitudes toward contents.”?

I’m not sure this statement, as put forward, is correct. I have seen it written as “desires are attitudes toward propositions” or “desires have propositional content.” Both, of these, I would be more inclined to agree with.

Do you think that you are completely good?

As opposed to being completely bad, yes. But, I do have my moments.

“Complete package is overrated.

We're not a complete package, we're the package we're completing together.”

-- Marion Bekoe

How do you plan to make 2022 a year of happiness?

The same way I strive to make every year a year of happiness, I plan to strive to be happy always and in all things. The alternative, to my way of thinking, simply sucks.

Does it make a person dum if he or she focus on education and forgets about the world…because she or he wants to be success?

No, but you’ve misspelled “dumb," "focus" should be "focuses," and "success" should read "a success" or "successful," according to my references. Just saying.

Is it better to agree than to be right?

Nope, but you’d better be right.

“The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.”

-- Gore Vidal

Is it unprofessional when your child interrupts your office Zoom meeting?

Absolutely.

Why do we have to believe in a reason to move forward?

Do we? How about just moving forward because you’ve already experienced what’s behind you? How about moving forward because you have no alternative? Some people don’t believe it’s all about the journey more than the destination, but they still move inexorably toward the destination. Many people don’t believe in God, yet they still move toward death. Is death a reason to move toward it? Wouldn’t they rather live?

Why is it so hard to let go of believing in superstitions, even when we know deep down inside it’s irrational?

Faith. Faith is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. God is a superstition. My belief in God is, therefore, irrational, but I have undying faith in my definition of God.

Again, there is little or no proof that God does or does not exist, so my belief is just as irrational as those believing that God does not exist. Yet, I have faith that my version of God does exist, just as those who have faith that God does not exist.

“I do not pretend to be able to prove that there is no God. I equally cannot prove that Satan is a fiction. The Christian god may exist; so may the gods of Olympus, or of ancient Egypt, or of Babylon. But no one of these hypotheses is more probable than any other: they lie outside the region of even probable knowledge, and therefore there is no reason to consider any of them.”

-- Bertrand Russell

Why do so many people allow their work and personal life to collide?

They either have no idea how to separate them or they, by virtue of the job, are forced to separate them, which can be just as bad. I was in military intelligence and could not discuss what I did at work, where I went, or when I’d be home. This has a negative impact on a relationship when your partner has little understanding or maturity to accept the job you had when she married you. Needless to say, that stress-filled marriage ended 22 years before the divorce. Yep. I was a stubborn idiot.

Why do people not tell you the secret behind their success?

Because rule number one is to keep your mouth shut, or you’ll have to deal with competition. 

I feel I am of lower intelligence and I love knowledge and am scared of not truly understanding, any advice?

We are what we are until we aren’t. If you judge yourself today and learn something tonight, how will you judge yourself tomorrow? If you don’t think you understand, ask someone to explain it. I consider myself to be fairly smart and, yet, I constantly ask people to elaborate or explain. The “crime” isn’t in not understanding, the crime is in not asking questions so you do understand. Read, listen, question, question, question, and when you’re done... question some more. It is what we do.

"Fear is a question.  What are you afraid of and why? Our fears are a treasure house of self-knowledge if we explore them."

-- Marilyn French

Do people really think having a lot of money is a success?

Yes, unfortunately, yet, few of them are truly happy. True happiness is the true gauge of success. Whether you are rich or poor, to be happy always and in all things is the true gauge of success.

What are the three main things that make people successful?

True happiness, family, and friends.

I am struggling this Christmas and don't have anything. What should I do?

Work on your priorities. Are you alive? You are struggling, so, yes, you have life. Now that we know you’re alive, you can begin working on being happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. Happiness is the true gauge of success, whether you’re rich or poor.

You have mentioned Christmas, so I will assume you also have faith. That makes two things you have, so to say you have nothing is selling yourself short. You already have the two most important things, life, and faith. Oh, that really makes three, because if you have faith you must also have hope. Three things! You don’t really have “nothing” now, do you?

When you wake up Christmas morning, thank God for the gift of another day in paradise and another chance to excel in this life you have. It is what it is until it isn’t. The change comes from the struggle, and the choices we make in life. Make good choices, and strive to be happy always and in all things.  By the way, if you have friends and family, you are richer than many others.  Oh, and that would also make four and five - things you have.

"A man's true wealth is the good he does in this world."

-- Muhammad

What’s a better thing to do than blaming people for things they did to you?

Forgive them. Accept the apology you’ll probably never get, then find better people to hang out with and move forward.

From a spiritual viewpoint, what is the best way to rebalance or transmute negative "karma"? For example, do good deeds help to balance negative karma, and are there any specific techniques to help balance karma?

Yes, but you just can’t do bad things and think that doing good will continue to balance it out. You would have learned nothing. The best way to “balance” karma is to not. You must strive to do good always, in this way good karma is always with you.

What are the lessons you learn from grief?

To let go of it. Life moves on, with you or without you. Better to be on the bus than to be left behind. Pack up the memories and get onboard. Strive to be happy always.

“I lack myself.”

-- Anne Carson

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