Questioning Desire, Growth, Humility, Quotes, and Values

 

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”

-- Rick Warren

Is it a little more than we need, Or, always a little less than we desire?

When we consider that “need” and “desire” are two different things, it can be both. I don’t desire what I need. I need it because I’ll probably die without it. I desire something because I’d like to have it. Now, some would state that I must desire what I need, then, and this is true to the point that I also want it. But, whether I want it or not, I will probably die without it. So, my need is really more important than any want.

I need water, and I’ve found a stream. The stream is more than I need, but that isn’t important to my survival. The fact that the stream provides me with water is all I care about.

Do financially successful people generally have well-ingrained habits of mind that guide them?

To attain financial goals it definitely helps to have well-ingrained and thought-out habits. Otherwise, you got very lucky on your gamble… this time.

How do you know if thoughts that challenge your perspective are true?

I have to prove them out. Personally, I love when any thoughts challenge my perspective. It has been 64 years since I took my first science class, so bear with me.

If the thoughts challenge my perspective, they must present a scientific question. This means the thoughts must be at least testable, if not also measurable. It must present me with a hypothesis to prove - this, therefore, that. If ‘this” proves “that” then my perspective would seem a bit askew, unless I can challenge the result by proving both to be correct, or that the result is situational due to known, and unknown, variables. This result would add much to my “perspective.”

What simple action lifts your mood and confidence?

Waking up. I am alive, and that, alone, lifts my mood and my confidence. 

Is it true that all problems must be solved? If so, why, and if not, why?

There will always be problems to solve, and there will always be someone to solve them. It is, after, what we do.

“Once asked by a reporter why he wanted to climb Everest, Mallory famously replied, "Because it’s there." 

-- Wikipedia

 Why are success criteria important?

Unless you truly understand what success, true happiness, is, it will be that much more difficult to attain it and even harder to hold onto it. Once you understand what it is, you can make the conscious choice to attain it. Because you have an understanding of it, you have the criteria necessary to attain it, so making the personal choice makes the result sustainable for as long as you don’t change your choice. 

Why is failure necessary for creative growth?

Failure and mistakes are the best way we learn. It isn’t that you fail, it’s what you do with the failure that makes the difference.

Why should one avoid competition if they want to make an impact on the world?

If one wants to make a true impact, the competition is already waiting for them. One can try to avoid the competition, but the competition is still going to be trying to undercut any progress one tries to make. Competition, in this view, is unavoidable. Better for one to know everything about the competition and be ready to undercut any progress they try to make.

Who inspires someone to win something today?

A good hustler. 

Is otherness the most important value?

Yes. You should always be yourself. Have your own beliefs and your own values that make people recognize you as a person of their own mind. You don’t have to agree with them unless they’re right. Nor do you have to follow the crowd, unless you want to. You follow your own path because it is your own path, not theirs.

“The story of one life cannot be told separately from the story of other lives. Who are we? The question is not simple. What we call the self is part of a larger matrix of relationships and society. Had we been born to a different family, in a different time, to a different world, we would not be the same. All the lives that surround us are in us.”

-- Susan Griffin

What does it feel like to have everything you want in life?

I would find it boring. It would be fun, for a while, then the novelty of it would wear off. I’d have to be involved in working on something, even if it was a selfless project, sharing the wealth and doing good.

Did we come from nothing or has something always been here?

Is there such a thing as a total vacuum? If there was absolutely nothing, what caused the “Big Bang” in the beginning?

What should you never say to a leader?

You suck!

Can humility be as obnoxious as arrogance?

Only if they’re not truly humble. Being obnoxious or arrogant is not in the humble person’s wheelhouse. Humble people rarely put their humility out there for no reason.

What is your favorite movie tagline?

“Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”

-- Buckaroo Banzai

Why do I want the same struggles that others have?

Why should you? You aren’t everybody else. You might want more struggles, more challenges you can rise to. Or, you might just want to suck from the public teat, go on welfare, and not have to prove your worth to anybody, including yourself. Regardless of how hard you try to avoid them, however, life will still find a way to challenge you with struggles. It is the way we learn, and we are here to learn, to learn, and move forward. What you want is immaterial. What life presents to you is at hand.

What thing (costing nothing) did you bring into your home that overwhelmed the rest of the family?

A kitten! And, a few years ago, a feral cat. Animals should cost nothing, and they always “overwhelm” the family.

What was more challenging for you, the hardest thing you've ever learned or unlearned?

The hardest thing I ever learned. Unlearning is easy for me. I “unlearned” everything classified I learned while in military intelligence. I went to bed one night, after I retired, and did a brain wipe of everything I classified I had stored in my brain.

Author comment: Thank you, Tony, I wish we all knew how! Thank you for continuing to provide and take the time to answer, keep writing!

What are you completely done with?

Marriage! Been there, done that. Wasn’t impressed. Maybe if my spouse had been more into it after 25 years. I’m just not willing to take another chance when living in sin has been so righteous for me.

Is it wrong to express concurrence with any quotes attributed to historical villains like Adolf Hitler, regardless of the apparent wisdom and truth of the quote?

Insanity does not negate wisdom. Hitler brought Germany from the brink of financial ruin, and then lost his mind and thought he could conquer the world through genocide and slavery. Karl Marx also had much wisdom and truth, until you run out of everyone else’s money, so, apparently, socialism and communism really don’t work without insanity at the helm, crushing out freedom.  And, then, there is always my favorite madman:

“In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.”

-- Donatien Alphonse François de Sade

Is knowledge humbleness or intelligence?

Knowledge breeds intelligence. Intelligence is supposed to breed humility, but the ego gets in the way. If you become intelligent enough, you realize being smart was better. Being smart also breeds humility.

What happens when we don’t follow our own values?

Our values define who and why we are to ourselves and others. If we don’t follow our own values, and our own ethical beliefs, we become lost. We won’t know who we are anymore than others do. If we have no values for ourselves, how can others value us? How can others trust us, or love us?

What unexpected routine or habit changed your life?

Taking care of my aging mother, after the passing of my dad. My saving grace is that I live right next door.

How can one ride their luck?

Usually, into the poor house. You would be better served to rely on talent and knowledge, not on luck.

If you believe that your adult child is working for an unethical multi-level marketing company, how can you be supportive and honest at the same time?

“Adult” child. As an adult, they should be able to handle your criticism, but parenting can be tough. Life is all about making good choices and decisions. It is also about learning the lessons life presents us. Your “child” has not made the best decision, in your view. Be honest with them. Companies with poor ethics breed employees with poor ethics. Let your “child” know that when their own ethics start to suffer, you will be the first to point it out. Oh, that would be this discussion. Let them know you will continue to parent them as they begin to nosedive. You have every right to critique their life, you gave it to them.

“The most dangerous people in the world are not the tiny minority instigating evil acts, but those who do the acts for them – for a paycheck. To act without a conscience, but for a paycheck, makes anyone a dangerous animal. The devil would be powerless if he couldn’t entice people to do his work. So as long as money continues to seduce the hungry, the hopeless, the broken, the greedy, and the needy, there will always be war between people.”

-- Suzy Kassem

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