Questioning Virtue, Answers, Lies, Ethics, and Luck

 

“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.”

-- C.S. Lewis

 

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A note to my readers: The statistics are begining to level off.

As stated previously, this answer was touted by the site as being "featured" in over 100,000 individual reader digests. The answer was posted on March 30, 2022, and, to date, has been viewed by over 417,700 people, and has been upvoted 5,388 times, and counting. To put this in some context, my next most viewed post has 46,200 views, with only 33 upvotes.  I will contine to share the stats, as they are updated, until it levels off.  For those who haven't read the question and my answer:

Did you ever get a request for a favor from a neighbor who never showed any respect or interest in you or your family? What did you do? 

The guy next door. He asked if he could cut down a rotting tree the raccoons use. Wanted to bill me $2000 for a $500 job. I told him not to touch it. He cut it down anyway, when I wasn’t around, then billed me $2000. My legal team, lawyers from Louisiana and Mississippi, both advised me to tell him to go f*** himself. You have to love Southern lawyers. I cleaned the language up and sent him a form letter concerning trespass, ignorance, and the fact that he wouldn’t be getting any money out of me. (Last lines have been updated) We don't talk, not because I'm not willing, but because he seems to think he's all that. He flies a Marine Corps flag. So far, I'm not impressed.

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How is the concept of virtue relevant to business ethics?

Considering the definition of virtue as, “behavior showing high moral standards,” one would hope the business world applies it to their business ethics. Morality has to do with what is right, honest, loyal, legal, not sleeping with your partner’s wife, and so on.

How can you gain leadership skills in your community?

Volunteerism.

How do people work a full-time job, constantly update their knowledge in their field, continue to build their skills, and still manage to keep up with their hobbies?

Time management, and a simple hobby that takes little time, like stamp collecting. People who continue to update their knowledge and build skills in their field, usually see their field as their hobby. When I was in the Strategic Air Command (SAC), our motto was, “Peace is our profession, war is just a hobby.” We took our knowledge of war, our hobby, to the next level so we could ensure sustainable peace as a profession.

What life lessons have you learned from bad people?

Crime really doesn’t pay.

When a narcissist discards and immediately builds a new life, do they ever regret leaving that old life behind?

I’m going to give this an old guy's perspective, and it may be so very wrong.

They’ve discarded the old life to build a new one. Failure? It kind of goes against them being superior and deserving of “unlimited success” though. Thye probably found themselves in need of a new life because they weren’t the center of attention in the old one. Failure? Again? Do they regret the two failures? First, they would have to admit to the failures, and they will probably fail at this, as well? Three failures?

I would think, with all this failure pilling up, especially if they’re young, the risk for suicide is definitely a concern. This would amount to their final, and the fourth, failure in dealing with life.

Reader comment: Interesting perspective. It’s sometimes hard to see the narcissist as vulnerable in that sense due to their entitled behavior.

“Often the narcissist believes that other people are "faking it", leveraging emotional displays to achieve a goal. He is convinced that their ostensible "feelings" are grounded in ulterior, non-emotional motives. Faced with other people's genuine emotions, the narcissist becomes suspicious and embarrassed. He feels compelled to avoid emotion-tinged situations, or worse, experiences surges of almost uncontrollable aggression in the presence of expressed sentiments. They remind him how imperfect he is and how poorly equipped.”

-- Sam Vaknin

What are your tips for staying inspired and motivated?

Be involved in something you really enjoy.

Why do people bring backpacks to work?

Briefcases are way too cliché for young folks. The backpacks can hold laptops, file folders, and a desk worth of paraphernalia... Oh, crap... Put on a handle and remove the shoulder straps… it becomes a briefcase.  Ta-da!  Who woulda thought?

What answer to a question says ‘everything’?

“Yes” or “No”, as “Maybe” will leave any concrete answer for everything up in the air.

Why do people bring backpacks to work?

Briefcases are to cliché for young folks. The backpacks can hold laptops, file folders, and a desk worth of paraphernalia. Put on a handle and remove the shoulder straps… it becomes a “low-brow” briefcase.

What’s a life lesson you learned as a kid that has stuck with you?

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

Why do highly educated and intelligent people find critical thinking so difficult?

They’re highly educated and intelligent, they’re just not very smart.

What is it that makes someone motivated and driven as opposed to lazy and prone to procrastination?

The desire to attain a goal, the withholding of privileges, or the threat of pain. The threat of pain only works if you’re not a submissive. A submissive will see it as a goal.

What behavior is unacceptable of a gentleman?

Groping.

Are there different sizes and shades of lies, as in "little white lies"?

It really doesn’t matter what shade they are, they are still lies, and lying, unless something has changed, is still wrong.

How can I get people to help around the house? I feel overwhelmed that I can't keep up.

Do you cook the meals? Hunger is a great motivator.

“Stay away from lazy parasites, who perch on you just to satisfy their needs, they do not come to alleviate your burdens, hence, their mission is to distract, detract and extract, and make you live in abject poverty.”

-- Michael Bassey Johnson

What did you do to screw up in life, and how did you get your act together?

I got married, then, after 25 years, I got divorced. I’m almost 70 years of age and have been living in sin for the past 20. I have to say, it beats being married to the wrong person.

What does it mean when someone answers their own question out loud?

Epiphany. They got a clue.

By implication, if you have already killed 1.4 billion people leaving a mere 20 million survivors, it shouldn't be too difficult to kill the rest of them. Do you agree or disagree?

Agree. But, unless it is necessary, it violates the laws of armed conflict. With 1.4 billion already dead, however, it is kind of a moot point. Moral, but moot. 

If companies are beginning to hire new employees at higher wages, what will they do for their employees who have been with them and loyal for years?

Here is an ethical dilemma. Ethically, they should increase the salary of all workers so “legacy” employees don’t feel slighted, which they will. Offering a bonus is one thing, but paying a new employee more is simply a slight to loyalty and longevity.

 What is unethical for psychologists to do?

 Having sex with patients.  The greater challenge is in manipulating those who aren't a can or two shy of a six-pack.

“Until you realize how easy it is for your mind to be manipulated, you remain the puppet of someone else's game.”

-- Evita Ochel

Major suggestions? I'm interested in behavior. I like to observe people. I'm interested in how they think and why they act like they do. I lack the necessary people skills to become a psychologist, but I am still interested in how people work.

Try these five of the 19 Different Types of Psychology Majors:

Engineering psychology

Engineering psychology is a field that studies how humans and machines interact.

Experimental psychology

An experimental psychology major learns how to research, study and understand ethical dilemmas among living beings. 

Forensic psychology

Forensic psychology is a major that trains students to work on psychological issues related to the law. 

Health psychology

Health psychology is the study of social, biological, and psychological effects of your physical and mental health. 

Industrial and organizational psychology

Industrial and organizational psychology is the study of how human behavior impacts organizations and industries.

How can I manufacture my luck?

Manufacture luck by becoming very knowledgeable about what you want to be “lucky” at, and then working hard at it until “luck” kicks in. Truth be known, your imagined “luck” is more a product of your knowledge and your hard work. But, if you want to call it luck…

Who and how do I ask for help in my life if I don’t trust anyone?

You’ll never know if you can trust them until you ask anybody for help. Sooner or later even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

How do so many people cope with the moral dilemma of having unethical careers?

Medical doctors seemed to have no qualms when colleges rewrote the Hippocratic Oath to, realistically, allow unethical medical practices, so, why should the rest of us give a screaming rat’s ass? Lack of morality has ended many civilizations, and it will end this one, as well.

What Sense makes us get the intuition we are been stared at when we not looking?

The “sixth sense” of the paranormal kind. Our subconscious mind is picking up signals from the “watcher” and telling us to take care. 

"We have five senses in which we glory and which we recognize and celebrate, senses that constitute the sensible world for us. But there are other senses - secret senses, sixth senses if you will - equally vital, but unrecognized, and unlauded... unconscious, automatic."

-- Oliver Sacks

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