Questioning Mistakes, Purposes, Losses, and Will

 

“It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.”

-- John Joseph Powell

Is it okay to make mistakes at work? I am 6 months into the job, in a completely new field. My work is reviewed by my supervisor before being submitted but I always feel like there are mistakes (small silly mistakes and bigger mistakes)?

Mistakes, like failures, are simply an opportunity to learn. How comfortable your boss is with your “learning curve” is another issue. If your supervisor is reviewing your work you can assume you’re on par with other employees. However, in order to stand out from the crowd, you might take a little more time to review your work for those small, silly, and bigger mistakes.

When you present a product that is a step above, this is readily noted, and your abilities will be of use elsewhere in the company. Never a bad thing.

Did 2021 give you a purpose in life?

Survival.

How true is this saying, ‘Quitters never win and winners never quit.’? How have you been able to apply this to your life daily and see positive results because of it?

This is pretty obviously true unless one falls into “stupid” luck. If you never quit but you still lose, even the winner will have admiration for your continued effort in the face of overwhelming adversity. You will still be viewed as a “winner” even with the loss. You learn this in sports and in the military, and I’m sure elsewhere in life.

“Winners never cheat because cheaters never win and I'd rather be a loser than a quitter who never had a chance to be either”

-- FL-dash-OH

Is a downside to excessive happiness a lack of maturity?

Oh, I do so hope not. I am excessively happy most of the time, and, approaching 70, I hope I’m not viewed as “immature” because of it. Can “mature” people not be excessively happy? This is just silly. If more people were excessively happy, or just happy, the world might be a better place.

What is the secret about hard things?

Shhhh… Don’t tell anybody, but, they get easier the more you do them.

How can I get rid of my fake life?

Make the conscious decision to live in reality? This isn’t that hard. Your life is fake, so be the real you.

“When you see the genuine, you don't deal with the fakes anymore.”

-- Nima Davani

I can’t find a partner. How can I learn to love my single life?

You need a hand.

Is it true that without having a “purpose” including hard work you can’t truly be happy in life? Is retiring early and then just relaxing a bad dream goal?

This is so wrong. If your strive to be “happy in life,” then, this is your purpose. Also, I retired from two jobs before I was 60 years of age. I left retirement, because I wanted to, in order to help out my old boss in a position that was nothing but fun. I came out of retirement, yet again, in order to develop a volunteer chaplain’s office at a local medical center. No. Retiring early and just relaxing is not a bad goal. You can do what you want, even work if you so desire.

I vaguely remember a quote like: "The goal of philosophy is to make the question more clear." Can you recall it?

Try this on for size:

"Philosophy is the unusually stubborn attempt to think clearly." 

-- William James

Why are people saying that one needs God the most in times of uncertainty, even though one is taught that it's bad to believe in God?

Makes you wonder. That’s a good thing.

Which is more important: intelligence or hard work?

Intelligence is the result of “mental” work, thus, hard work must be more important or intelligence would be a rare commodity indeed.

How can I get close to you?

That would depend on your gender.

"Ask yourself if what you're doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow."

-- Unknown

How do you get over the fear that you won't make it in time?

Will you die? Are you going to be tortured? Will the world come to an end? No? You’ll just be late, then.

Don’t concern yourself over things of which are beyond your control. If you’ve tried your best to make it on time and fail, so be it. Failure is the best way we learn how to mitigate the possibility that it happens again. Time to put the “big boy” pants on, and own your schedule.

Why did you replace a special person in your life?

Because she divorced me.

What does “the last thing I will do is to ask you for any money” mean?

It means exactly what it says. There is no hidden meaning. The last thing they will ever do is ask them for money, which is bullshit because the last thing they will ever do is die. So, on their deathbed, with their last breath, they will ask for money. Of course, the answer will be no, for obvious reasons. Besides, if you give them money then, everything they have will go to their relatives, and good luck getting the money back from those grave robbers.

"Dying is the last thing I will ever do"

-- John Barrymore

If you won a lot of money, would you give up work?

No. I would probably start a charitable foundation, and that is enough work for another lifetime.

How do you accept things you cannot control? For example that the relationship is over.

If you have no control over it, what’s the point of not accepting it? You’re not accepting the inevitable, it has happened. So, now you’re simply not accepting reality, and that is counterproductive to happiness. Best to get on down the road and meet someone else. After a 25-year failed marriage, I know from whence I speak.

Can you have a perfect mind?

No, because nothing is perfect.

“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.”

-- Salvador Dali

What motivates you when no one believes you?

Since I probably don’t care what anyone thinks, something else will motivate me. If I believe it, that, for me, is all that matters.

How do I manifest what I need overnight?

Ask her to stay.

Why do I feel that my life is lost, no vision, no aim even with a guru in my life?

Well, for one thing, the guru was an obvious waste of money.

“No one and nothing outside of you can give you salvation, or free you from the misery. You have to light your own lamp. You have to know the miniature universe that you yourself are.”

-- Banani Ray

What religion am I? I like all 3 of Christianity like Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant?

You are Christian, but, more importantly, you are a spiritual being.

Why are some people rich and some people poor on Earth?

Balance. It is a universal necessity. There must be balance.

How do you find the will to live when all hope seems lost?

Ask yourself, “If you don’t live, how will you find the hope that you think seems to be lost?”

“It will generally be found that, as soon as the terrors of life reach the point at which they outweigh the terrors of death, a man will put an end to his life. But the terrors of death offer considerable resistance; they stand like a sentinel at the gate leading out of this world. Perhaps there is no man alive who would not have already put an end to his life if this end had been of a purely negative character, a sudden stoppage of existence. There is something positive about it; it is the destruction of the body, and a man shrinks from that because his body is the manifestation of the will to live.”

-- Arthur Schopenhauer

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