Questioning Poetry, Failure, Fear, Pride, and Wisdom

 

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

-- Aristotle

What strengths are unique?

Being both intelligent and smart, and being truly happy always and in all things.

How does someone find themselves?

Look in a mirror, and then ask someone where you are. They’ll probably tell you you’re in front of a mirror. They aren’t trying to be a smart ass, they’re just stating reality, which is a great place to start looking.

Why might reading poetry help to spark creativity?

Only if it bores you to tears, or it is the impetus for you to write poetry.

How aware do you think you are about the exact influence social media has on your choices and decisions?

I am so very aware of everything social media tries to pull. This site has its own “low brow” decision-makers who don't think anyone is wise to their socialist tilt. For the most part, they are right.

Black Francis said, "It's more difficult to be simple, and it's easier to be more complicated." What's so hard about being simple?

Nothing. Francis seems to be evidence of this.

“If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself.”

-- Albert Einstein

How does procrastination hold one to failure?

If you constantly delay or postpone attaining a goal, you will be held to failure until you stop procrastinating.

Why do smart people tend to be quiet?

You learn to keep your mouth shut and your ears opened. Intelligent people, for the most part, seem to be all about flaunting it. They always seem to want to compare “brain pans” with those who’d rather not.

How true is it that failure cannot cope with persistence?

Persistence would not exist if it weren’t for the fear of failure. One persists in the face of overwhelming odds.

How are indecision and procrastination a twin?

If you can’t decide if you want to procrastinate, they aren’t related.

Are your best moments in life the ones where you were certain of the outcome, or the ones where you just went for it?

The best moments in life are the ones that make you truly happy. I experience this each morning when I wake up. Any day on this side of the dirt is a marvelous day, indeed.

“I like the scientific spirit—the holding off, the being sure but not too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against them: this is ultimately fine—it always keeps the way beyond open—always gives life, thought, affection, the whole man, a chance to try over again after a mistake—after a wrong guess.”

-- Walt Whitman

Does knowledge have everything to do with intelligence or humbleness?

Yes, knowledge makes you more intelligent. If you also exercise good sense, it makes you smart. Life, if you are smart, pay attention, and learn, teaches you humility and to be always humble.

Why is it that the best way to cope with deglobalization is to "reglobalize" among friends?

If you’re “reglobalizing” then deglobalization has failed, kind of like socialism.

How does the fear of poverty destroy the faculty of imagination?

It doesn’t. True fear of poverty is the fire that stokes the engine of imagination, purpose, and hard work.

What does it take to be exceptional? (extra-ordinary I mean)

This is the only question to ask of a person you perceive to be successful.

How can enthusiasm result in procrastination?

If you’re enthusiastic about not doing what you should be, you are enthusiastically procrastinating.

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”

-- Abraham Lincoln

Is it wrong to be proud?

Well, if we really look at the definition: The state or condition of being prideful (arrogant, haughty).

One has to consider if being arrogant or haughty is a good thing. Personally, I try to practice being humble which, for me, is quite a feat. We tend to take a kinder, gentler definition of being proud, and as long as we don’t lord our accomplishments over others, by being arrogant or haughty,  we accept pride in stride.

Do you think a person's motivations are important?

Only if you want to get laid. But, that’s just me.

What's success to you, and what price do you pay for it?

Success in life is all about making the choice to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. The price you pay is to leave misery behind you. Making the conscious choice to be truly happy always, costs you nothing you aren’t better off without. Since it is a choice, it is sustainable happiness until you change your choice. Choosing to go back into misery seems pretty stupid, in my view.

Who agrees that quitters can prosper, especially if you're trying something you're not good at? Is it okay to go to something that's easy and that you are good at?

Are you discussing “quitters” or persevering in something you’re good at? If you persevere at something easy, you really haven’t quit, you have lowered the bar so you can attain a goal.

How is it elitist when successful people only hang out with other successful people and not with people that are not as successful? After all, iron needs to sharpen iron, right?

Elitists believe society should be led by the elite. What you’re discussing is overbearing ego and hanging with those who consider themselves above others. They might be heard saying, “You may kiss my ring.” Most of us “common” people might respond, “You can kiss my ass.”

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

-- Isaac Asimov

Why is it important to get what you want?

Because I want it. What we want is not, necessarily, selfish. We might want what is good for another person. We might want what is needed. Sometimes it is very important to get what we want because it has little to do with us and so much to do with others.

What's the most effective reading path to reach wisdom?

Living life.

What one idea has radically shifted your thinking in life or business?

To be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of my circumstances. This is true success in life. Anything else is simply attaining goals.

What has been your greatest ambition?

To retire before I was 65 years of age. I retired at 58 and moved to Mexico for two years.

Do 20-year-olds realize that they are still kids?

Not if they’re walking the battlefield in some 4th world country. They probably became adults a couple of years before their time.

“You are growing into consciousness, and my wish for you is that you feel no need to constrict yourself to make other people comfortable.”

-- Ta-Nehisi Coates

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