Questioning Vengeance, Teams, Evil, Guns, and Feelings

 

“Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.”

-- Criss Jami

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A note to my readers: I'm continuing to update the statistics for those who'd like to follow with me and we'll see where it levels off, which it doesn't seem willing to do.

The following was touted by the site I answer questions on as being "featured" in over 100,000 individual reader digests (as of the previous report it was shared in only 10,000 digests). The answer was posted on March 30, 2022, and, to date, has been viewed by over 329,100 people and upvoted 4,185 times, and counting. I assume because it was "featured" this is a big deal, whatever "featured" means. I will contine to share it weekly, for those who haven't read it:

Did you ever get a request for a favor from a neighbor who never showed any respect or interest in you or your family? What did you do? 

The guy next door. He asked if he could cut down a rotting tree the raccoons use. Wanted to bill me $2000 for a $500 job. I told him not to touch it. He cut it down anyway, when I wasn’t around, then billed me $2000. My legal team, lawyers from Louisiana and Mississippi, both advised me to tell him to go f*** himself. You have to love Southern lawyers. I cleaned the language up and sent him a form letter concerning trespass, ignorance, and the fact that he wouldn’t be getting any money out of me. (Last lines have been updated) We don't talk, not because I'm not willing, but because he seems to think he's all that. He flies a Marine Corps flag. So far, I'm not impressed.

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Is vengeance justifiable outside the law?

Vengeance isn’t even justifiable inside the law. When we choose to live in a society, we agree to live by society’s “rule of law” while here. Knowing the law, if we break it, we know we are subject to prosecution under the law. This isn’t vengeance, it is paying a debt to society that you agreed to pay by choosing to live in the society.

Do you prefer to learn by following the advice of others, or through your own life experiences?

Both. Always consider the mistakes of others when learning.

Why don't bad bosses get blamed for company loss in profits?

Karma catches up to them, sooner or later. Bad bosses lead to bad companies, and bad companies either change or go under. Companies have owners, directors, and/or shareholders, and these keep a close eye on the running of said company. A “bad” boss, like a “bad” owner, can only survive as long as they keep the bottom line out of the red, otherwise, they will be replaced by someone who can.  If a company is privately held and is bleeding cash due to bad management or ownership, I'd be looking for a more secure job with a better company.

What is that one piece of advice you never thought you would receive but it's absolutely necessary?

Stay away from incurring any debt, as your freedom will belong to the debt holder until paid.

Wisdom: What insights have you had recently?

Life is what we make of it. It is the culmination of our choices and decisions. This is the “why” of our existence. “Why” did we have a vehicle accident? We can find many reasons to shift blame to others, but the real reason we were part of the accident is the choice we made to leave home at the wrong moment. Someone ran the stoplight that caused the accident, but we were there because we chose to leave home when we did. The validity of the rule of the “5 Whys” is an insight I have found in the past few years.

“It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.”

-- Maurice Switzer

How can a leader place the team’s interest above theirs?

The ultimate goal of the leader and the team must be the same or the goal will be hard-won if won at all. There is no “I” in TEAM.

What is your weirdest experience? What lesson did you learn from it?

My first encounter with a “shadow” person.

About six years ago, I was lying on the bed, reading a book, when I caught movement between the edge of the book and a corner of the wall. I glanced and caught a split second of a cowled shadow figure. There were no visible facial features, but you could tell it was “looking” at me. I think it expected me to show fear. When I saw it, and simply raised an eyebrow, it bolted past the corner and out of sight. I remember thinking, "Oh, hell no."

I immediately gave chase, but all the doors were still locked in the room. It had just disappeared. I haven’t seen another one, yet. I don’t think they like people chasing them down, but the paranormal doesn’t really scare me as much as it interests me. I went back to reading but kept an eye on that area in front of me, between the edge of the book and the corner of the wall.

Have you ever seen or heard of someone sacrificing his/her life for a random person?

The “first responders” do this all the time. Evidence: 9/11, the Twin Towers.

Is the answer to too many guns more guns?

No, the answer is applying the “Rule of Law” to those who use guns against the Rule of Law. Guns don’t kill people, people do. If we don’t apply the law, then there is no reason for people to not break the law.

Which is more important,  fame or fortune?

Let any fame I garner come from what good I do with my fortune.

“In a world of knowledge and expertise, fame and fortune, status and ranks....nothing has the power to affect change as much as love and compassion.”

-- KA Chinery

Is it common to be an introvert and feel constant loneliness?

I would think most people would tire of trying to bring an introvert out of their shell. Soon or later the introvert will be forced to face the sad realization fact that few people will choose to be around them.

How valid is this statement, "you will become a better writer in a few years watching creative and imaginative movies than just reading lots of books for many years"?

It is valid if you have learned how to write to begin with. You can’t become better if you don’t have the basic skills. Many schools have forsaken writing and reading, especially for those children who live in lower income and really have much or social importance to write about. I watch plenty of “creative and imaginative movies” that don’t give me a better sense of what to write than the books I read. I was lucky enough to have teachers that pressed creative writing. Their time and effort have allowed me the talent to write two novels for personal entertainment.

When you like money, does it mean you are evil?

Having money doesn’t make you evil. What you do or don’t do, with the money, has a greater bearing on evil. If you have it, be sure to do good with it.

When someone always fails in all quests, does it mean there are evil forces working around the person?

Not necessarily. They need to critique why they fail, correct the issues, and try, try, again. Mistakes and failures are simply life presenting multiple opportunities to learn. Failure isn’t the end, it is the beginning. If you aren’t willing to take the journey, why are you on the quest? Perseverance will win the day if you are well armed with the tools you need to attain what you seek.

What is the one disturbing fact you found out about your family all by yourself?

On my mom’s side of the family, one of the men joined to fight for the Confederacy and spent most of the war crapping himself in hospital. Most of the records I find for him are field hospital records that have him constantly fighting dysentery instead of the Union.

“A sick man's dreams are often extraordinarily distinct and vivid and extremely life-like. A scene may be composed of the most unnatural and incongruous elements, but the setting and presentation are so plausible, the details so subtle, so unexpected, so artistically in harmony with the whole picture, that the dreamer could not invent them for himself in his waking state, even if he were an artist like Pushkin or Turgenev. Such morbid dreams always make a strong impression on the dreamer's already disturbed and excited nerves, and are remembered for a long time.”

-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Can one suffer for a sin he/she does not commit?

If one stands by and does nothing to prevent the sin, yes. If you stand by and watch an elderly woman being beat to death, by some low-life piece of crap, when you have the wherewithal to stop it, karma will beat you to death over it. If you are any kind of a righteous person, guilt will be the instrument karma will use to teach you not to let these things go without stepping up.  If you aren't any kindd of a righteous person, this is the least of your worries.

How do I know if I'm enjoying my youth or destroying my future?

Too much of a good thing can be bad. The fact you ask this question should be concerning to you. Subconsciously, you seem to think you are. Maybe you should look at your life and make some adjustments.

How real, once the unexpected happens, not only your immediate family members would feel the loss of your passing, but, all who depend on you, your associates to whom you've shown kindness, and the society you've done well to would also bear the loss?

I’m not sure if this is a question or a statement, but, either way, the answer is, “yes.” If people love you, depend on you, have received your kindness, or witnessed the good you have done, you will be missed and the loss will be felt. 

What was the best way you left a terrible job?

I quit in order to join the Air Force before the Army drafted me. The best 23-year decision I ever made, in my life. The second was divorcing my wife.

How do you cope with being broke when you are used to having money?

You seriously critique why you’re broke, and then you go about fixing whatever you did to cause it. Or, you can sit around worrying about how to cope with being broke. Personally, I’d rather fix the problem, which is probably based on a choice or decision I made.

“She doesn't need your money. Even a penniless fool like you can make her fall in love with you. That's just a miracle.”

-- Vann Chow

I've lost my feelings, but I'm not ready to let go. What do I do?

Find your feelings. You haven’t really lost them, you’re simply not using them. Find some way to exercise your feelings.

Can you believe in something but do another?

I believe in the tenets set forth in Christianity, but I do not approve of organized religions with their hidden agendas. I walk my own path, in lieu of tithing money to be misused by the church.

How does being my own mother make me stop yearning for one? How do I show up for myself so that the pain lessens? It is debilitating to wish I had a mother there for me. I constantly look for a mother in someone else and it causes so much pain.

If you are a Christian, you already have another Mother, and She will be there for you to lean on until you find your own true happiness.

Can you imagine the Earth without Homo sapiens (human beings)?

Yes. For one, we haven't always been here. And, two, the world was so much better off without us. We are a sad excuse for custodians.

Can corruption be totally eliminated from society?

No. To eliminate corruption you need to eliminate greed. Greed will always be with us. The universe demands balance, so the only way we can recognize greed is if greed exists. Man will always covet. It is our nature.

“The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.”

-- Jay Leno

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