Questioning Luck, Needs, Proof, and Advice

“The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it”

-- D.L. Moody

Why do people rush into engagements?

Pregnancy.

Why do bad things always happen to me? Do I have bad luck or something?

Life is all about making the right choices. It sounds like you’re not so much. When bad things happen, ask yourself, “Why?” Was it the “friends” you were with? Did you stay out too late? Wrong part of town? Critique the situation and discover “why” bad “luck” follows you. I’m a believer in the “5 Whys” concept of solving issues. It was developed by Toyoda for Toyota manufacturing back in the 1930s, but it works in our personal lives just as well. Look up “5 Whys” online, and try it out in your life. I have found the majority of my problems were caused by my own poor choices and decisions. Solution? Change what you’re doing, and make better choices.

Why are all desirable things desired?

Because they’re desirable. Is this another one of those trick questions?

Is leadership created or a talent?

It is both created and a talent. You can teach leadership, but if the leader doesn’t have a talent for it, they will be a poor leader.

For what reasons would a high IQ individual intentionally behave in a foolish and idiotic way?

They need a reason? I thought they all acted like that naturally. Silly me.

“People who boast about their I.Q. are losers.”

-- Stephen Hawking

What do you know about overthinkers?

They’re usually late to the party.

What is more dangerous and can turn to be immoral, obedience or disobedience?

Disobedience. Generally, immorality is about doing what is not socially acceptable or unlawful. Since we are supposed to live our lives by a rule of laws, it would require that immorality would be disobedient to those laws, regardless of how much fun we find the immorality to be.

What is your guide for effective decision-making?

Critical thought.

What made you believe in luck?

I don’t. I believe we make our own “luck” through hard work, networking, education, and timing. If you are relying on luck to attain goals in life, you have already lost. Better to work for what you want.

What is one question that has remained unanswered for you for a long time now, that if you know the answer, would radically change things for you in your life or in business?

“Why?”

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

How do you know and own your own needs?

Because they are my needs, not someone else’s. If I need it, I know it, or it isn’t really a need.

What are some ways to create value for yourself?

Love yourself, so you can truly love others. Give of yourself selflessly. Develop a good, personal, and moral “code of ethics” you can stand by, always. These three will help define who and why you are, not only to yourself but to those around you. 

Does anyone feel like they missed out on their 20s?

I joined the military. If there’s one period in my life I can truthfully state I didn’t miss out on, it was my 20s.

Where does modesty start, and how helpful is it in daily life?

Modesty is like being humble. You try not to be the center of things. A man doesn’t walk down the street with his “fly” down, and a woman doesn’t walk down the street with her ass showing. Both will help keep you from being the topic of unflattering conversation, especially if your ass is not attractive and your “package” is not substantial. To do anything like this tends to show a lack of good upbringing and taste. It was considered “low brow” and for those who had no other options but to flaunt what they had, or might not have. 

What inspired you?

“All of us have the capacity to perform courageous acts and be courageous. Our challenge is to avoid taking the easy road in life and pursuing the paths of greatest resistance. To do the things that are the most difficult. To stand for the things that are least popular. To fight for the things that are noble and good.”

-- Leo Buscaglia (1924–1998)

What is the smartest way to prove your point?

State your case and smile. If you’re right, you have nothing to prove. It becomes an ego-stroking exercise that you should rise above.

How do your personal rules affect the success of others?

My personal rules are a good “code of ethics” which should exist in everybody's wheelhouse. If it doesn’t, perhaps my example will become part of their wheelhouse and affect their own success in life.

  Is it reasonable to be scared of AI?

It is reasonable to be scared of the misuse of AI.

Would you generally consider yourself to be a gracious winner?

Always! It is a competition between two, hopefully, adequate competitors. Win or lose, shake hands and thank them for the chance to compete.

How can I improve my maturity and responsibility?

Stop hanging with people who aren’t mature or responsible. Pay attention to those who are. Think before you act, or speak. Listen more than you run your pie hole, and speak when you have something intelligent to say. If you say you’ll do something, then do it. Make your word your bond. Stay out of debt and plan ahead for your future (think about that debt). If you aren’t planning ahead, if not now, then when? If you’re bored, try going back to school or learning a trade. Being mature and responsible is all about growing up.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 

-- Corinthians 13:11

What's something you just want to get off your chest without any judgment?

Oh, hell no. The League of the Perpetually Offended will judge till the cows come home, and they still won’t be done.

What are the 5 tips for becoming an avid reader?

5 tips? Okay, this is how and why I read, and I read all the time: You must love to read. Read what interests you. Read at a level you understand. Read because you want to. Read all the time. These aren’t tips, these are reasons why you read.

What is the best pithy bit of political advice that you've encountered?

“Vote for Joe Biden” was quasi-forceful political advice I didn’t take, thank God.

What are your opinions about someone who feels regretful and down about not having a lot of fun in their 20s, thinking that doing fun things in their 30s cannot make up for a lack of fun in their 20s because they feel old in their 30s?

They’re going to waste their 30s feeling old and bemoaning what they didn’t in their 20s by not doing it in their 30s. I’ll bet, and I’m just throwing it out there, that they’ll bemoan in their 40s what they didn’t do in their 30s because in their 40s they really feel old. They are members of the League of the Perpetually Miserable that, truth be known, don’t really want to have any fun in life.

Which inspirational quote would you like to be remembered for?

It Is What It Is 

“Reality is what it is, and what it isn’t, it isn’t.

Sometimes, what it is it isn’t, and what it isn’t, well... it is.

Other times it is nothing, and then it isn’t anything.

But, if it is nothing, it isn’t, and if it isn’t anything, it is.

Acknowledging nothing gives nothing existence;

Therefore, whether it is or it isn’t, it must be,

Because even nothing that isn’t, already is.”

-- Frank A. Villari

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