Questioning Suicide, Work, Biden, and Relations

“There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.”

-- J. Michael Straczynski

If there was one person you could meet again, what would you say to them?

“I love you.”

And, I did. I didn’t tell her, because she was in a relationship. Her life took a spiral and mine took off. 50 years later, we reconnected and, come to find out, we could have been a couple. Funny, and sad at times, how life takes its twists and turns. We make our own fate. I no longer hold back telling people what I feel.

How can I avoid blackmailers?

Don’t do anything they can blackmail you over. Pretty simple, just do what’s right always.

I hate my mom. I want to die. She is the reason I will be dead. Should I kill myself?

What will that solve? Will she mourn your death? This is a win/lose scenario. She lives and you, well, not so much. How about toughing it out and then putting as much distance between you two as possible? If you really hate her, you never have to see her ever again.

The problem with killing yourself over something like this is that the one you hate usually wins. How fair is that? My idea is that you leave, have kids, send her pictures of the “grandkids” she’ll never meet. Now, that is cruel and unusual punishment for someone whose going to get older and finally get wiser.

What poll is showing over half the people that voted for Biden, would like to take their vote back?

I thought there was more than one.

How do you feel, when someone answers you after 2 weeks or more on WhatsApp? I think it is disrespectful and rude. I know that not everyone has time to answer directly, myself included. But 2 weeks or more?

Vacation? Having way too much fun, to check-in? I’ve answered on here and I’ll get a comment or an upvote weeks later. I don’t have any expectations. People have their own schedules and lives. Who am I to judge if they don’t do things quickly enough?

"Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength."

-- Eric Hoffer

According to StrengthsFinder, my top strength is Intellection. How can I be more proficient and efficient in execution and taking action?

Hey, you’re the one strong in the process of understanding. So, understand. I’d start by reading up on executing choices and decisions, taking action, and being held to account for what you've done. Then, get involved in some job that allows you to supervise, manage, and meet deadlines. Practice builds proficiency… or it proves that StrengthsFinder is busted.

What was the key moment you realized you were an adult?

When I took the oath for military service.

I am looking for online work that's not asking you for money. What are some suggestions?

Word processing. Pays by the page. You take written forms and process them into typed forms saved in memory. Lots of jobs out there like this and the pay is pretty good working from home at your own pace.

What cherished belief did you have for many years of your life, that you suddenly learned was not the truth?

Santa Clause. I worked out the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy on my own.

Reader comment: Good one! When I turned 5, my dad told me Santa was imaginary. I made it my mission to share this crucial intel with all the kids on my block. My folks got numerous hysterical/angry phone calls from the parents. My first experience getting in trouble for telling the truth, but not the last, Brother!

Why do some people think that only the man should be the breadwinner of the family? How would it be possible for this habit to be changed?

Changing all the time, and for years. Mom is in the boardroom and dad is home taking care of the kids. Hey, I love to cook. If I was home instead of at work I could really hone those skills. Oh! I’m retired, and I am!

“Like it or not, you need to know how to do this. Your future depends on it. You give up on this, you will give up on the next difficult thing, and you are too smart and too strong to start giving up.”

-- Deborah Ellis

What was your “you messed the wrong person, bitch” moment?

Three of us were walking through the woods and this ginger kid had a habit of picking on me. I picked up a tree branch and would have given him brain damage if the other guy hadn’t pulled me off of him. He ran home crying and my buddy asked where the hell that came from? I told him I was just tired of doing nothing.

From that point on, I went out of my way to stand for the little guy. I took several beatings for them until the guys realized I was just baiting them so they’d look bad to everyone, including their girlfriends. I ended up in the military, basically doing the same thing. Fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves.

Why does my boyfriend care more about sex than showing affection? He seems like he wants me for my body.

So, you answered your own question. Now, how about finding a guy that really cares?

How do you know if someone is leading a double life?

No one is that good, unless it happens to be a career they’re trained in. Even then, they have to immerse themselves in the role, or they're dead.

Why does my boyfriend get so pissed off with me when I explain my feelings of being suicidal?

Being indelicate is kind of what I do, so bear with me. He probably gets pissed off because he truly cares, but he’s hooked his wagon to a wack job and either cares too much to leave, or you’re really that good, thoughts of suicide notwithstanding.

Why is a relationship with the opposite sex complicated?

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. It was enough explanation for me.

“Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.”

-- Gillian Anderson

Can Biden prove that democracy works?

Hell, Biden doesn’t even know where he is most of the time. His “handlers” have to feed him most of what he says. If democracy truly works, he’ll be gone next election or the country will never recover.

Can communists support rape?

They are currently raping their way through Ukraine, so I guess the answer is yes.

Why are people taught to fight instead of loving others? How would it be possible for this habit to be changed?

I love loving others. I had no idea all those women were fighters. Damn! Lucky me, I guess.

Why does my boyfriend get so pissed off with me when I explain my feelings of being suicidal?

Being indelicate is kind of what I do, so bear with me. He probably gets pissed off because he truly cares, but he’s hooked his wagon to a wack job and either cares too much to leave, or you’re really that good, thoughts of suicide notwithstanding.

What should you do when you really love your girl but you can’t forgive her for having sex with someone else after you guys had a fight?

So, every time you have a fight she feels it’s okay to have the sex of a lifetime with others? Do not forgive her. What you do is find a girl you won’t fight with.

"F*** You for cheating on me. F*** you for reducing it to the word cheating. As if this were a card game, and you sneaked a look at my hand. Who came up with the term cheating, anyway? A cheater, I imagine. Someone who thought liar was too harsh. Someone who thought devastator was too emotional. The same person who thought, oops, he’d gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. F*** you. This isn’t about slipping yourself an extra twenty dollars of Monopoly money. These are our lives. You went and broke our lives. You are so much worse than a cheater. You killed something. And you killed it when its back was turned."

-- David Levithan

Why do I have to leave a married woman alone because she is married?

You could die?

How do I manage a toxic work environment where my boss wants me to do a half-assed job?

If he isn’t the owner I go to the owner. If you get fired, there are plenty of companies who would die for someone that doesn’t believe in doing things half-assed. Try their competition for starters.

Where is the easiest shot to shoot an attacker to stop him dead in his tracks and is easy for an average joe to shoot?

Center mass. Hard to miss.

Have you ever been in a group of friends and been the one to who no one talks?

Yeah, I usually wander over to a group of strange women and ask how they’re doing. The guys look at me like I’m supposed to wave them over. Not gonna happen. I suck as a wingman. I do better as an aircraft commander. They can find their own group of strange women.

My girlfriend is 16 and I’m 18. I love her and she makes me happy. What should I do?

Wait till she’s 18, then ask her.

"The young habitually mistake lust for love, they're infested with idealism of all kinds."

-- Margaret Atwood

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