Questioning Success, Happiness, Taxes, Luck, and Impulse

 

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

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How do you keep life interesting with a high IQ?

Answering a multitude of questions.

Why is "inspiration" not enough?

“Inspiration” is simply an idea. You have to bring the idea to fruition for it to be considered enough. If I am “inspired” to move from here to there, it means very little until I actually move from here to there. If we were all simply “inspired” we would never get anything accomplished but thinking of ideas. 

Author comment: Very true, Tony.

What has been the biggest hurdle in your life when it comes to savings?

Marriage. I managed to make it over the hurdle by getting a divorce.

Would you agree that money gives you temporary happiness, especially when you receive a large amount?

Temporary, yes. When the novelty wears off you realize money is simply a placebo for true, sustainable, happiness. True happiness is a choice for your life that each of us must make and that money cannot buy. 

Does financial success in the US today mainly rest on building a huge base of followers?

Only if your idea of “financial success” is based on the religious fervor of the gullible.

“What was meaningful? What was meaningless? What did it mean, to amount to something? What type of life, was worth living? Was it better, to make a ton of money, and have a f#@$ing goddamn Mercedes, or whatever the f#@$ kind of car it was, to be a lawyer with a ‘serious’ job, and to have ‘amounted to something,’ or was it better to just be a waiter, and work the evening shift, and have your days free to goof off with your roommates, your friends, to go to meditation, to take some time to reflect, and enjoy life, and to not always be in such a big goddamn rush to get somewhere?”

-- T. Scott McLeod

 Why is it so difficult for human beings to achieve inner peace? What does it feel like to achieve it?

They allow too much drama into their life. Choose to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. Keep unwanted drama and those who want to share their drama, from entering your life. Everything is a choice, a decision, you have to make for your life. Make good ones and you will have a better shot at inner peace.

What is a suggested slogan that conveys people to pay their taxes?

“There are only two certainties in life… death, and taxes. Choose one.”

Should I be grateful or resentful towards nature for being alive or born in a certain state?

You are alive, which is a gift. What you do with your life is what’s important. You can be grateful or resentful, or you can focus on making the most out of what you’ve been gifted. Those who work hard to rise above adversity are more apt to appreciate what they receive in return. Be happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances.

How can someone work accurately with his/her instinct?

Always be right. Good luck with that.

Why is it so hard to get up after a losing streak? Is it a mental block or just bad luck?

Mental block to perseverance. If you constantly fail you are not learning the lessons. Find out why you keep failing and correct it. I’d stay away from gambling and concentrate on study and hard work. Better you should focus effort on a reality you have learned a lot about.

“I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

Why do Jinns cause Hallucination, delusion, and illusion?

Abject belief can be an insidious master.

Why is success always out of reach?

You’re too busy focussing on the goal instead of the process. It isn’t about the destination as much as it is about the journey. Attaining the goal will present itself in good time.  Meanwhile, strive to be happy always and in all things.  If you're happy in the process, the goal will get there when it gets there.  

Is there a relationship between wealth and compassion?

Only if you’re truly selfless with your wealth.

How do I create my own luck?

Become knowledgeable. The more you know about what you’d like to be lucky in, the better your chances are. You don’t gamble unless you know the odds, and the more you know about gambling the less of a gamble it becomes. Good “luck” is about being very good at what you do. If someone says you’re “very lucky” you can take that as a compliment to your competence.

Is it more important who you know or what you know?

Only if who you know has no vested interest in what you’re trying to accomplish, otherwise, they’re a dumbass.

"It isn't just what you know, and it isn't just who you know. It's actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living."

-- Bob Burg

How did you change your life after you have accepted that your life will never be good? I've always thought that my life would never be good because negative things always happen to me. I have accepted that and stopped making effort. I just survive.

So, you’ve given up? You get along just to get along. I have no point of reference for this. Life will never be good if you simply lie down and let life walk all over you. Self-respect, for me, anyway, is all about getting back up when life knocks you down, smiling, and asking if that’s all life has to throw at you. Never give up. Never surrender. At the end of the day, you have to look in the mirror and know you gave back to life everything it threw at you and more.

When you put the barrel of the gun in your mouth and become very intimate with the feel of it, you have a choice to make. You can choose to give up, or you can choose to fight. My momma didn’t raise me to run. I chose to fight. I fought my way back from losing everything except my life, including my right to be a parent. I survived and prospered, but it took a lot of effort. You are more than you think you are. Make better choices and life will reward you.

Is it wrong to be selfish sometimes?

Only when it comes to taking care of others before yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you expect to care for others? 

Is it weak to be gentle?

Oh, my God, yes! Real men can also wear pink, cry, and stutter in the face of beauty and innocence. Show me someone who is strong, yet caring, and I’ll show you a person with character. There is so nothing wrong with having those weak moments. It makes you human.

What can you do to be better at making decisions?

Make mistakes. Life is about learning from our mistakes or the mistakes of others. If you don’t make mistakes or understand them, how will you learn?

I've read here that when we reach our 70s, we become frail. Would someone please define frail within this context?

I’m almost 70. I feel like I’m 50, except when my misspent youth jumps up to remind me of all the stupid things I’ve done. IBuprophen Has taken the place of eggs and bacon in the morning, but, once I’m up and moving, I’m a force to be reckoned with. Just don’t hit me.

“The Little Boy and the Old Man

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."

Said the old man, "I do that too."

The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."

I do that too," laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, "I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I."

But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems

Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

I know what you mean," said the little old man.”

― Shel Silverstein

If a free life was without grief in survival, security, and pleasure, would you find yourself eventually getting into trouble?

Getting into trouble would be evidence of “grief” in one of the objects mentioned. We tend to make our own grief through the choices and decisions we make. If you have no grief, why would you get into trouble? If you experience grief, why did you feel the need to stir the pot?

Is there any advantage to being impulsive?

You’ll be the first in line for tickets? You might get laid more often? Okay, getting laid more often is kinda like being the first in line for tickets.

Would you call yourself successful? What are your achievements?

True success is about choosing true happiness. Everything else is simply attaining goals. I became truly happy when I chose happiness over letting a messy divorce destroy my life. My achievements were to forgive her, forgive myself, and then accept the apology from her that I knew I was never going to get. True happiness is a choice we all have to make for our life, and because it is a choice to strive for happiness always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances, happiness becomes sustainable.

What's the best example of "two wrongs don't make a right"?

You steal from me, so I steal from you. It was wrong for you to be a thief, but have I proved myself to be any better?

What does success mean to you?

Choosing true happiness always and in all things, regardless of my circumstances. Anything else is just attaining a goal. Happiness isn’t something you find. It isn’t a goal. Happiness is always inside of us. It is a choice we all must make in our lives, regardless of our circumstances.

“Alchemy is the process of changing lead into gold. Inner alchemy (personal transformation) occurs when we clear our clutter—internal and external—and let go of things that no longer serve us well. This creates balance and space, a place that nurtures contentment, which I believe is true success.”

-- Laurie Buchanan, PhD

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