Questions of Betty Boop, Photos, and the Universe

 

"You know he said, that she said, but he didn't say where she got it. But if she said what he said, then I think I'm gonna stop it!"

-- Betty Boop

After the busy holidays, do you feel down?

No, I feel glad that they're over so we can get back to the new normal.

Why did some people find it difficult to fall in love?

We still do, and it’s because we still get falling in love confused with falling in lust. Maturity tends to iron this confusion out. As we get older, having our world rocked is just as important as a lifelong companionship with who rocks our world.

What are the most important things you learned in your 40s?

Stay away from debt and marriage.

"It will always boggle your mind how some people will exceed the lowest imaginable depth of stupidity, incompetence, and nastiness, while others will exceed the highest imaginable pinnacle of kindness, compassion, and helpfulness."

-- Andrea Reiser 

What’s a quote that reminds you to not stress throughout your day?

Strive to be happy always and in all things, because the alternative simply sucks.

What does "stills don't do her justice." mean?

Trying to capture the “essence” of someone in a photograph is what photography is all about. A picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, but, if you aren't familiar with the subject, all you have to work with is the picture.

I was in lust with a lingerie model. She had classic Mediterranean beauty. Then, I had an opportunity to see the vision of loveliness in an interview. The first thought that went through my mind was, “Don’t speak, just have the sex of a lifetime with me.” She opened her mouth and the voice of Betty Boop came out.

My lust was instantly crushed and, since there was no way this model was going to fall in love with little ol' me, the relationship died before it started.

Is it true that in order to be successful, it’s more about luck rather than merit?

No. I’d hate to be around someone who didn’t earn what they got.

“Those who mistake their good luck for their merit are inevitably bound for disaster.”

-- J. Christopher Herold

Should you try winning someone back a few times if you are the one who messed up? How many times is decent? Taking about 35+ mature folks, are 1-2 times okay?

Apologize and learn from the mistake. If they’re still with you, it was meant to be, if not… trying becomes begging, and begging is demeaning. It is what it is, so move on.

How does one change your life in 6 months?

Train me. The military did it in six weeks.  

What are tangible memories?

The definition says it all: Things that are perceptible by touch.

“Their memory was something tangible and heavy, and I would carry it with me.”

-- Ransom Riggs

Has anyone gone over an idea or situation so many times in their head that isn’t true and ended up believing it is, or do you know someone who has done this?

What? No.

Why do I feel like nothing matters, like we’re just these little pieces of dust among the big universe?

Because we are little pieces of stuff, and nothing matters. Few people grasp this. Nothing matters until you choose it to matter. Death doesn’t matter unless you choose to live. The size of the universe doesn’t matter until you choose to consider your size in it. Choice, itself, doesn’t matter until you choose to make a choice.

I have made the conscious choice that everything matters that makes me exceedingly happy. I choose to strive for true happiness always and in all things. This drives the League of the Perpetually Offended nuts, and this, also, makes me exceedingly happy. The alternative, for me, simply sucks. 

After making all the money you want, acquiring all the goodies you desire, what more is there to human life?

Happiness.

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

-- Denis Waitley

Why do people stop actively learning after their schooling years?

I’m looking up at bookshelves filled with religion, physics, poetry, philosophy, politics, and wonder who stops “actively” learning? I’m approaching 70, and I certainly haven’t. Every day is another opportunity to learn, to excel in life. Why would you waste that?

Why does the unexpected happen a lot more often than expected?

Shit just happens.

How do you feel that winning in any given situation is due to hard work but also in part due to luck?

When I hit someone, I really don’t expect to only have to hit them once. But, when they hit the ground, I chalk it up to luck, and then I kick the crap out of them and run.

“Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How come society measures success to be the basis for wealth? What is your take?

They don’t understand the difference between achievement and true happiness. Wealth is an achievement. True happiness defines success.

Why should I not rely on an outside source of positivity?

What do you do when it disappears? Better to develop your own positivity than to rely on others.

Why do they who profess to have lived past lives were seemingly rich, powerful, or notable characters from history?

I was a young boy, in the back of a buckboard, handing out ladles of water to the horse soldiers as they rode by in some southern desert. Rich and powerful? Notable character? Nope.

“In their previous lives, poets were bats, and thinkers were owls.”

-- Michael Bassey Johnson

Why do I regret anything I purchase no matter how cheap or a good deal it is?

It’s why I stopped cruising bars and met a nice woman.

How did you avoid depression, anger, and self-pity after you experienced a loss?

Forgiveness… and I accepted the apology I was never going to get. Anything else just holds you back from moving on.

Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them so they shouldn’t decide anything. Explain?

Socialist indoctrination.

“I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

What’s the best thing you have ever done for someone?

I married her. She thanked me in the divorce, 25 years later.

What is a good life, and can we attain it?

Happiness. It’s very easy, just make the conscious decision to be truly happy always and in all things, and then strive to make it happen. Tada! Not only is it a good life, but it’s also a successful one.

What's a meaningful resolution I can make for 2022?

Strive to be happy always and in all things. It is an easy road to a successful life.

“Resolution, like responsibility, is a product of ownership, and kids can't resolve a conflict until they figure out how they contributed to it.”

-- Richard Eyre

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