Questioning Patience, Passion, and Talent

 

“Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping... waiting... and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we'd be truly dead.”

-- Joss Whedon

If I ask you to rate your being “patient” on a scale of 1-5, what would it be? Why?

3 - This has been asked of me differently, but I think my answer is still valid: I need to learn patience. I tend to have none of it where I perceive ignorance, and we’re all ignorant to some point. I also try not to judge, but people make their blatant stupidity difficult to ignore and I become impatient. None of us is perfect. There is, in all probability, a special place in hell for people like me.

For what reason can security risk never be fully eliminated?

Greed, choice, and stupidity. People will turn for money. People will turn by choice. People turn or will unintentionally foster insecurity through stupidity. We are only human, after all.

Have you ever felt ashamed or embarrassed to be in the social class you were born to?

Hell, no. Mom’s family were poor dirt farmers in Mississippi. They worked the field alongside the black families. Dad was from Rhode Island, stationed at Keesler. They met, married, had me, and moved to California due to the racism mom didn’t want me to be subjected to. They worked their asses off to make a good life for us. They stayed out of debt and retired with property and were financially secure. Mom brought me up to judge everyone by their character, not by their class or color. I was raised to embrace hard work. Why would I be embarrassed by this?

I stand with my minority brothers and sisters in denouncing Critical Race Theory and its attempt to segregate us by “social class.” We are what we strive to be, by the choices we make, and the character we project, not due to the money we make or the color of our skin. God bless the United States of America and our guaranteed freedom of choice to become more than we are.

“Cultural and religious traditions that forbid cross-cultural unions prevent peace on earth. Instead of rejoicing that our sons and daughters are heart-driven and love other humans outside of their familiar religious, social or cultural domains, we punish and insult them. This is wrong. Honor killings are not honorable by God. They are driven by ignorance and ego and nothing more. The Creator favors the man who loves over the man who hates. If you think God will punish you or your child for allowing them to marry outside of your tribe or faith, then you do not know God. Love is his religion and the light of love sees no walls. Anybody who unconditionally loves another human being for the goodness of their heart and nothing more is already on the right side of God.”

-- Suzy Kassem

Is there ever a time when short-term thinking is better for a business?

When your expenses are more than your profits? This might be a time to cut expenses for the short term and see if the business survives. If it does, you can learn from the mistakes and try to grow the business, again.

Can one lose passion in something? Can one try to regain it again?

Yeah, but, for the most part, I don’t think the “passion” will ever be the same. Lose passion in your marriage, for instance, and then regain it. Really? What are the chances you’ll lose it again? And will others involved in your passion believe you?  Maybe they'll think it better to cut thier losses, due to the shortness of life.

Is it true that the truth always comes out?

For the most part, sooner or later. Usually, later. Even hundreds of years later, new information, new science, will make people start to question the assumed “reality” of things.

"Historians ought to be precise, faithful, and unprejudiced; and neither interest nor fear, hatred nor affection, should make them swerve from the way of truth."

-- Miguel De Cervantes

What are the powerful truths that people around you can't tell you and you can’t even hear?

Infidelity used to be the big one. People would talk, but you don’t want to hear it. Trust becomes a hard thing to gain, but it also becomes such an easy thing to lose. After a while, just trusting oneself even comes into question.

Do you consider yourself to be a creative person? In what particular areas do you believe your creativity most stands out?

I think on my feet. I see issues in everything around me. I can look at blueprints and see them in three dimensions. If you show me a set of plans and tell me there’s a problem, I can redraw the plans, solve the problem and solve several other unnoticed issues in the process.

The company I worked for grew at such a rate they were always expanding. I always had a set of plans on my desk to review, even though that wasn’t my job. They knew I would save them money and headaches by pointing out problems beforehand. It was hard to remain humble. 

Will there ever be a person more infamous than Hitler or is he the forever G.O.A.T. for evil human beings?

If there is ever a leader found to be responsible for the death of more than 20 million people, not counting the Allied war dead, Hitler will be relegated to “second chair” in history.

“You said something slightly off-color about her shoes and she brought up the fact that you had a slow eye and danced like a goat with a rock stuck in its ass. Ouch. You would just be playing and homegirl would be coming down on you off the top rope.”

-- Junot Díaz

What is one sad truth about being a student?

You may not, necessarily, be learning the “truth” from the instructor. You might be getting what they’ve been told you need to know, by the powers that be. Opinion and propaganda seem to be replacing what we all know as truth.

What do you waste at least 15 hours a week doing?

Sleeping.

Why do narcissists never laugh?

They only laugh if they do something funny, so they must never do anything funny?

"I almost once wanted to publish a self-help book saying 'How To Be Happy by Stephen Fry: Guaranteed success'. And people buy this huge book and it's all blank pages, and the first page would just say - ' Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself - And you will be happy '. Use the rest of the book to write down your interesting thoughts and drawings, and that's what the book would be, and it would be true. And it sounds like 'Oh that's so simple, because it's not simple to stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's bloody hard. Because we do feel sorry for ourselves, it's what Genesis is all about."

-- Stephen Fry

What is a stand you took for taking extended time off work that you will never apologize for?

I was one of those lucky individuals who never had to take a stand in my 46 years of employment history. I always liked what I did, and I always worked for reasonable employers. I never refused work and they never refused time off for cause.

What if laziness never existed?

A lot more people would have been looking for gainful employment, instead of sucking from the public teat. With more people working, infrastructure wouldn’t be a political talking point, and the current administration would still have no reason to saddle the future great-grandchildren of my kids with the yoke of debt they’ll never get out from under. Heck, the current administration would actually be working at their job instead of playing the blame game. What a concept.

Will there be a day when I don't have to do things I don't want to?

In most states, the age is 18. In the United States, other than obeying society’s laws, you have the freedom of choice to do only those things you want to do. It says so in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” So, if you are considered a mature adult, go pursue happiness.

“Learn to say no to demands, requests, invitations, and activities that leave you with no time for yourself. Until I learned to say no, and mean it, I was always overloaded by stress. You may feel guilty and selfish at first for guarding your downtime, but you’ll soon find that you are a much nicer, more present, more productive person in each instance you do choose to say yes.”

-- Holly Mosier

Why am I not good at the things I devote my life to?

You are very critical about what you devote your life to. You might see it as not good enough and endeavor to do better, not realizing that what you’ve done is fine.

Is doing a business, a talent, or a profession?

Business is a profession you’ve created out of your talent.

I am finding it hard to choose a career path. I am equally passionate about filmmaking, politics, and tech entrepreneurship. What do I do?

Make a film about the other two. One of the three will certainly stand out.

“I'll let you in on a little secret. We don't all love our jobs every day. And doing something you have passion for doesn't make the work part of it any easier...It just makes you less likely to quit."

-- Kate Jacobs

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