Questioning Passion, Robots, Atheists, Wisdom, and Smarts

 

 “True happiness lies within you.”

-- Og Mandino

What are you most passionate about and why?

True happiness, and making sure everyone knows it is nothing more than a simple choice you have to make for your life, regardless of your circumstances. There is nothing greater than waking up to the gift of a new day so you can try to excel in your life. Any day on this side of the dirt is a great day! Without this gift, you have no chance to defeat evil and become more.

Why are some people so obsessed with their success, ambitions, and doing something very important and great in their life, trying to make you feel like you are not trying enough? Like they think they are better than others because they work so hard.

Their “ego” demands it.

How much do you value your passion, interests, talent, personality, and skills to the point that you would have to compromise those obstructing your way for the greater good? Did it help in the long run without any unnecessary attachments?

I got married way too early. The compromise was to my passion, interests, talent, personality, and skills. The relationship did nothing but hold me back and create strife. It was an “unnecessary attachment,” and it would have been better to wait for the right person.

When you have a problem to solve, do you ask the family to help or do you rely on your own problem-solving skills?

I rely on myself unless I know someone who has dealt with it before.

Have mean people accused you of teasing them?

An interesting question. I would have thought, at this point, the League of the Perpetually Offended would have accused me of this, but, no, I have been pretty lucky.

“People try to say suicide is the most cowardly act a man could ever commit. I don't think that's true at all. What's cowardly is treating a man so badly that he wants to commit suicide.”

-- Tommy Tran

Who would be your "you don't need Einstein to tell you that" alternative?

Mom.

How do you become patient, humble, and understanding?

Lol… go through a messy divorce, give the elevator to your spouse and you take the shaft. At first, it just pisses you off, then you become patient, then you become humble, then you accept the apology from them that you know you’re never going to get. Then, as you forgive them and yourself, you become understanding. It is an “E-Ride” at Disneyland. You really don’t want to get on it, but you get a lot out of it.

Is it possible that the people I interact with in my daily life and on the internet are actually robots/bots in disguise?

It is possible, but the odds are against all but a very few might.

Why is it so psychologically satisfying to cheat the system?

You think you’ve accomplished something others may not have. Your ego gets a warm fuzzy, and then you get caught. Oops.

What if we build extremely complicated sophisticated and intelligent robots and nobody buys them and society rejects them?

Being a closet "Luddite," I'd have to say that humanity has actually learned something.

“The internet was supposed to liberate knowledge, but in fact, it buried it, first under a vast sewer of ignorance, laziness, bigotry, superstition, and filth and then beneath the cloak of political surveillance. Now...cyberspace exists exclusively to promote commerce, gossip, and pornography. And of course to hunt down sedition. Only paper is safe. Books are the key. A book cannot be accessed from afar, you have to hold it, you have to read it.”

-- Ben Elton

Do people actually try changing an atheist mind? How?

It is hard to change an opinion without concrete proof. This is why atheists and deists both possess faith in their positions. Faith is the belief in something for which there is little or no proof, and neither side has said proof. Both sides act from a position of faith.

I await the arrival of the LPO. 

Why, when analyzing the concepts of instrumental action and communicative action, does Habermas identify the risk of science and technique becoming ideological instruments?

Habermas, actually, has a life.

What is an incident action plan?

It is a plan put into action after an incident. It delineates responsibilities for all those assigned for responding to the incident, controlling it and the news concerning it, cleaning up after it, and writing the “after action” report concerning all aspects of it.

Does religion keep people from being bad?

Oh, hell no. Moral spirituality, might, along with standing by a good personal code of moral ethics, would be my best choice, however.  Organized religion has moral issues. 

Is it true that most people do not want to see you succeed?

And, these are the people you need to pay the least attention to. Your success in life should not be predicated on their desires, or you are choosing to be subservient to dominating morons. You must choose to rise above this. Attain goals because you want to. Choose to be truly successful in your life, regardless of your circumstances, because you want to. It is your life, so you must walk the path, not them. 

“Whatever negative things people think and say about you is enough to bring you down provided you believe that it carries a weight that can push you hard. Don't agree to accept what critics say; be prepared to silence them by doing what they think you can't do!”

-- Israelmore Ayivor

Why is wisdom found through the truth?

Wisdom is not founded on bullshit.

Has any human being in human society and in a human body ever succeeded in getting rid of all that human shit?

Taking a good dose of prune juice might help, but, no, the most we can hope for is an ability to put all the “shit” in a sewage vault and lock it up. The “sewer” in the mind is there for balance, and we are supposed to learn how to control it. Control is the way we move forward. Make sure the lock is substantial.

Why are religious people so in your face?

They are closet socialists who have no real understanding of personal faith.

How can a man discipline a prideful wife?

A good pant-down spanking might take some of the pridefulness away. Or, she might return the favor with more gusto. Depending on your open-mindedness, you might just win.

If someone is smarter than me, does that mean they have more knowledge, or does knowing a lot of things not mean you are intelligent?

Being smart is different than being intelligent. But, if you are both, you are truly gifted. 

“Kids can be more creative and smarter if parents didn’t want them to be first & best.”

-- Megha Khare

What do people respect more: intelligence or success?

Success only means you have found true happiness in life. Anyone can be intelligent and attain their goals, but how many have you ever met who were truly happy with their life, regardless of their circumstances?

Do atheists still hang out with religious people?

Some of my best friends have been atheists.

If I don’t know a lot of things, does that mean I’m not smart?

It depends on what you know. If we’re locked in a room and you’re the only one who knows how to pick a lock, the world is your oyster.

What does it mean when someone says “I don't know nobody”?

It means, then, that they must know somebody, or they have no command of the language they speak.

Why do quiet people seem so observant?

Because… they’re observing. I go to bars to watch the interaction of people, not necessarily to talk. You learn a lot about human nature in a bar.

“It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.”

-- Maurice Switzer

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