Questions on Choice, Ethics, and the Point

 “The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.”

-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Note to my readers:  The 8.340 views of my answers in the past week will help explain the over 38,330 views in the past month.

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What can you not compete for?

The U.S. Olympic Team. Unless eating pizza has become an event.

What accomplishment in life came by accident?

My firstborn.

What's the biggest factor that has helped you be successful, and what are your success habits?

Perseverance, but knowledge, hard work, and an ability to strive for happiness always and in everything, also played a big part.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

-- Aristotle

If you get to choose between being successful and a good person, what would you choose?

Good person, hands down. Since my view of success is “happiness” based, it’s a win-win for me.

What would you say if you have thirty seconds of the whole world’s attention?

“The great majority of you really suck. Just saying.”

How do you help a person's confidence grow but still give them honest criticism?

"You suck, but you’re very good at it." Just kidding. As a supervisor, I’d compliment them for what they’ve accomplished, and I’d ask them if they’re open to a bit of honest criticism that might make them do, or look, even better to management.

“Being a critic is easy. But if the critic tries to run the operation, he soon understands that nothing is as easy as his criticisms. Criticism without a solution is merely an inflation of the critic's ego.”

-- Haemin Sunim

What is your number one rule to live by, and why?

Honesty. You should never regret being honest. As part of your “personal code of ethics,” it helps define who you are to those around you.

How are you considering your time?

In the moment. I constantly try to live for the moment. What we do right now has a great bearing on what happens next.

What is something that you needed to unlearn in order to succeed?

Making bad choices.

“We do not learn for the benefit of anyone, we learn to unlearn ignorance.”

-- Michael Bassey Johnson

What if we freeze a live person for 100 years and then thaw them?

As I understand it, it would corrupt the cellular structure. Cryogenics, using current science, really doesn’t work for humans.

Is it necessary to do a good analysis of the feasibility of success so as not to feel frustrated, before performing an altruistic act with a person?

Yes, but don’t let that stop you from being altruistic, otherwise it won’t really be selfless.

What questions can you ask in order to judge the innovative capability of a person?

“What would you do to solve this, and why?” Explain a recurring problem and see what their “innovative” solution is and why they would do it.

“Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.”

-- Voltaire

Since you were born, what is that thing that has been baffling you and you're curious about?

Mankind’s definition of God.

How much do policymakers rely on researchers and research study results to help them to make the best decisions?

Unless they're simply pushing a political narrative, they better be taking the study results seriously. Unfortunately, most politicians are corrupt when reality doesn’t pad their wallets. 

Is there a point of living if you can't produce a high-income value?

Life is reason enough. The point of life is to live so you can learn. You learn so you are prepared for what comes next. You should do all of this as you strive to be happy always and in all things. We place too much value and priority on everything else before we embrace our primary purposes in life - learning and happiness.

"The only way you compete, the only way you succeed in competing, the only way you develop a brand, the only you can dominate in an industry is to find a way to add more value for other people’s lives than anyone else is adding."

-- Tony Robbins

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