Questioning Quality, Income, Truth, Loss, and Skill

 

“Corruption ultimately guilts the corrupt, and it hardens the innocent who suffers as a result of it. It isn't the young who corrupt the old, rather it's the inverse. The aim of the old should be to ensure that the young grow up incorruptible.”

-- Justin K. McFarlane Beau

What does it mean to struggle with validation?

I’m not so sure I need someone to validate that I’m struggling. I wouldn’t say I’m struggling if I’m not, therefore, if I am, I have validated for myself that I’m struggling. Whether someone else validates it, or not, is of no consequence to me since I’m the one struggling.  But, since I'm not struggling, the question of needing validation is a moot point.

Why do we call things that are well-made fine or good quality items?

Because they’re well-made.

Is work fun when you don’t need the money?

Work is fun when I do need the money, as well. If you’re not doing what you love, why are you doing it? Hard work is like all-night sex. Always find a reason to love what you do.

Why isn’t everyone a leader?

Because a leader requires followers.  

Who came up with the term “know thy self”?

“The Ancient Greek aphorism "know thyself" is the first of three Delphic maxims inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi according to the Greek writer Pausanias (10.24.1). The two maxims that follow "know thyself" were "nothing to excess" and "certainty brings insanity".” 

-- Wikipedia

All the problems of income measurements are a result of an arbitrarily determined short period of time. Everything comes right in the end but by then it is too late to matter. Why?

We work to make things easier for our children when they take over, yet, we want them to learn the value of hard work and make their own way so we will our fortune to animal shelters. We make little sense while we try to make sense.

What would an advanced alien species think of Earth?

If they were that smart, they’d flush the toilet.

How can I embrace probabilistic thinking?

Become logical in determining the likelihood of any outcome. This shouldn’t be hard to embrace, as anything else is simply a crapshoot.

Why should you avoid conflicts at work?

Conflict is counterproductive. 

Is failing at something hard always better than winning at something easy?

You learn nothing by winning at something easy. You learn volumes by failing at something hard. Since life is all about learning, it makes perfect sense that life deals us lemons.

“You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It won't happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.”

-- Joel Osteen

Who invented happiness quotes?

Truly happy people.

Can time make things better or worse?

It is situational. If you plant a garden, time will grow the vegetables. However, if the vegetables aren’t harvested, time will rot the harvest in the garden. Given even more time, the rotting vegetables will provide nutrients to the soil and provide even better vegetables.

Can truth become so powerful that it can defeat lies?

Truth is that powerful, and it will, sooner or later, win out over lies.

Does winning money change people for the better or worse?

They haven’t worked hard to earn it, so it really has no value for them. People who win lotteries tend to burn through the cash in short order.

Why must it be a man that will spend money to start a relationship and also spend money even at the end of the relationship?

We are from Mars. No one ever accused Martians of being smart. 

"I worry that some politicians still think we are living in the 1950s where the man is the main breadwinner and the woman works for pin money. Actually, most families where there are two parents depend on two incomes to get by."

-- Frances OGrady

Is failing at something hard always better than winning at something easy?

You learn nothing by winning at something easy. You learn volumes by failing at something hard. Since life is all about learning, it makes perfect sense that life deals us lemons.

What is the most important decision a government can make?

To go to war.

What can you have that doesn’t cost money?

True happiness! It is a choice for your life, so it cost you nothing to choose to be happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances.

Can you not lose what you never had?

Think about it. If you don’t have it, how can you lose it? Is this another trick question?

How can one practice being true to themselves?

Develop a personal moral code of ethics you can stand behind come hell or high water. A good code of ethics defines who and why you are to all those around you. If you stand behind it, even when it may be unpopular, you are being true to yourself. People will see this and, even if they don’t agree, you will earn their respect.

“Your perceptions are derived from your feelings and your ability to be yourself, to own and trust yourself, and to say what you feel, even when it may be diametrically opposed to everyone eles's opinion. You may be called the Devil Incarnate. You may feel like cow pies are being thrown at you. Sometimes that is part of being true to yourself.”

-- Barbara Marciniak

Do you know how to disappear if you really wanted to?

How to “disappear” was a pastime for the folks in the intelligence division. I have almost 23 years of ideas to draw from.

What problems do highly educated people have difficulty solving that less educated people solve easily?

Balancing a checkbook and paying the bills is my experience with them.

How can we become anything we want as we don't get an equal opportunity in life?

Change your circumstances. Go where you will be offered equal opportunity. You may not get what you want, but you will be so much happier with the prospects. Whatever you do, don’t ever let anybody shit on your dreams. Only you can do that.

What is that skill you would really like to try again?

Marriage, but I can wait till the next life.

Do you agree with the statement “making the decisions on one basis and justifying them on another is not ethically”? 

Yes, and I think the word should be “ethical” not “ethically.” But, this is so “politics at work” decision-making. How do you make a decision for one reason, but excuse, I’m sorry, “justify” it for another reason? The two reasons had better have something to do with one another or the ethics of the decision-maker it is in question. This is why we should keep politics out of war. We are told to take a hill, so we take it at great cost to life and limb. Then, the politicians, through bad decision-making, give the hill back to the enemy. Their “reasoning” sucks. Taking the hill for one reason, then giving it back for another is another case of unethical decision-making, different but the same.

“Most people use the terms morality and ethics interchangeably. Technically, morality refers to the actual content of right and wrong, and ethics refers to the process of determining right and wrong. In other words, morality deals with moral knowledge and ethics with moral reasoning.”

-- Scott B. Rae

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, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western 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 the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com