Questioning Goals, Truth, Life, Perfection, and Wealth

 

“If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.”

-- Leo Tolstoy

Is 23 old if I haven't achieved my goals?

You’ve already achieved some goals, you asked a cogent question. You’ll achieve more goals as you live life and get older. Stop worrying about how old you are and start achieving some more.

What do I do when I hate being a 'grower'?

Stop farming.

What would happen if cell phones suddenly disappeared?

People would be forced to exercise face-to-face, interpersonal, conversations. Oh, no! Really socialize? With no escape route, close at hand? The horror of it all…

Who said, “You cannot fail if you don't try”?

A brainiac who figured out you can’t have one without the other.

Do I deserve happiness or suicide?

Suicide is one-off, and then, oblivion forever. I’d go with sustainable happiness. You can deserve it, and enjoy it, and it repeats forever, if you don’t choose suicide, that is.

“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

How do I make my psychologist think I'm doing better?

Here's a thought: Do better. 

I think I'm a lesbian. But I'm also proud of myself for being a girl. And I love being a girl. Is that weird?

You can be a lesbian and be proud of being a girl. Nothing weird in that. Ask any guy. Now, stop thinking.

What's a truth no one talks about?

The boss and her secretary?

How do you get through life with guidance?

It’s like an instruction manual. You ask a question, and it gives you an answer. Sometimes the answers are in an obscure Chinese dialect, or the diagram was drawn with a dull pencil by a guy that can’t see, so you have to fall back and punt. Such is life, and you learn from it, you get through it. You learn to ignore instructions and rely on yourself. Ain’t life grand?

Is life hard or do we as people make it that way?

315 answers and, yes, we make it that way. 316 answers.

“Which one would you choose, the rock or the hard place?”

-- Meg Rossoff

Is it bad to be confident as a woman?

I certainly hope not. I love confident women. May I have another?

What happens when I am not perfect?

Nothing, because perfect does not exist. If you aren’t excellent, on the other hand, you have to try harder or quit. it is a choice.

What’s the most wholesome secret you have not ever shared?

You people keep trying. What part of "secret" escapes you?

When figuring out what you want in life, how much do the details matter?

Not much, until what you want starts to come to fruition, then it matters quite a bit. More important to work hard at planting the seed, than to divide your attention before it begins to blossom. The details start to matter a lot before harvest time. 

Should people be friends with a Pedophile?

Only if you’re a pedophile, and dream of abusive prison life.

“The rape of a child is a violent act of contempt, not an expression of sexuality or affection.”

-- Mike Lew

Is it rude to ask, “Do you know who I am?”

Not if you don’t mind an equally rude answer.

What would be the cause for someone to lose their temper & get frustrated over small things, saying terrible things, forgetting afterward what they said, yet still being aware of what they did. Could it be connected to a mental type illness?

It used to be called "Headupyourass Disorder" and was corrected with constant negative reinforcement. 

Reader comment:  Hysterical. This disorder is very similar to "Ahhf##ks Disease." 

My reply:  Indeed! Or, “Wratgas Syndrome" (Who really and truly gives a shit). 

What should I do if I want to be a good helper in our community?

Volunteer. Oh, and be good at it.

What can I do to stay motivated even when I'm not perfect?

Don’t worry about it, no one is perfect. If you can stay motivated while you’re excellent, that’s almost all that matters. If you can strive to be truly happy always and in all things regardless, however, you have life by the big brass ones. 

How do aspiring men, who try to live as authentically as possible, act?

Like fathers.

“A boy needs a father to show him how to be in the world. He needs to be given swagger, taught how to read a map so that he can recognize the roads that lead to life and the paths that lead to death, how to know what love requires, and where to find steel in the heart when life makes demands on us that are greater than we think we can endure.”

-- Ian Morgan Cron

Do you keep your inbox “clean”? What strategies work well for you?

The strategy is to never clean out your inbox. Work the issue and put it back in the inbox face down until it needs to go out. The bottom of the stack becomes your “outbox.” This way people think you always have work and don’t keep putting more work in your inbox.

Who is not tempted by power?

The truly humble. 

What do rich men want in a woman that other men don't?

They should want everything. They can afford it. The same holds true for very rich women, but it will cost them significantly less.

What is the motivation behind wanting power?

Greed. Anything you want is driven by the desire to have. That desire is driven by greed. 

Who first said “with great power”?

It was stated, first, in the "Sword of Damocles":

"According to the story, Damocles was pandering to his king, Dionysius, exclaiming that Dionysius was truly fortunate as a great man of power and authority without peer, surrounded by magnificence. In response, Dionysius offered to switch places with Damocles for one day so that Damocles could taste that very fortune firsthand. Damocles quickly and eagerly accepted the king's proposal. Damocles sat on the king's throne, surrounded by countless luxuries. There were beautifully embroidered rugs, fragrant perfumes and the most select of foods, piles of silver and gold, and the service of attendants unparalleled in their beauty, surrounding Damocles with riches and excess. But Dionysius, who had made many enemies during his reign, arranged that a sword should hang above the throne, held at the pommel only by a single hair of a horse's tail to evoke the sense of what it is like to be king: though having much fortune, always having to watch in fear and anxiety against dangers that might try to overtake him. Damocles finally begged the king that he be allowed to depart because he no longer wanted to be so fortunate, realizing that with great power comes great responsibility.

King Dionysius effectively conveyed the sense of constant fear in which a person with great power may live. Dionysius committed many cruelties in his rise to power, such that he could never go on to rule justly because that would make him vulnerable to his enemies. Cicero used this story as the last in a series of contrasting examples for reaching the conclusion in his fifth *Disputation*, in which the theme is that having virtue is sufficient for living a happy life."

-- Wikipedia, "Damocles"

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