Questioning Bias, Change, Opinion, Immunity, and Masks

 

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”

-- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Is marketing all about exploiting the cognitive biases of people?

Bullshitting or exploiting, cognitively impaired, or not, people keep getting sucked in.

Anaïs Nin said, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage," but what gives us courage, and how do we avoid being foolish?

The will to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds gives us courage. Being foolish simply happens by not thinking before we act. Being foolish is how we learn.

Is it good to ask when you don't know?

Yes, it is how we learn.

Being a successful person in life, should you tell your children to follow in your steps and act the same way you did to guarantee their success?

You can, but it prevents the child from following their own path. As their life unfolds, it may be that their path is, indeed, the same as yours. But, wouldn’t it be better for them to find their own path through life, with some insightful mentoring from the parent? If they are really all that, they will be as successful in their own way.

What are the morals that people sacrifice to be in Hollywood?

The list will be so much shorter in discussing what they don’t.

“The only reason I'm in Hollywood is that I don't have the moral courage to refuse the money.”

-- Marlon Brando

How much has your life changed between 2020 and 2022?

Considering we’re being forced to live under socialist rule, our children are being indoctrinated, our freedoms are being curtailed, and the cost of living has doubled under current socialist leadership, what do you think?

Must a critical thinker win an argument at all costs? Why or why not?

No. A critical thinker knows to keep an open mind, lest they miss a valuable point they didn’t consider. Critical thinkers look for validation of their critique, not to win despite it. 

What does it say about someone who gets upset at people wanting to learn by asking questions?

Sounds like a member of the League of the Per[petually Offended. They are not a mentor and have little concept of learning. I’ll bet they ask more questions than they answer, and call people disparaging names.

Why do or don't you believe/think you're crazy?

You mean, other than the voices in my head?

What does it mean for people to take responsibility for their lives? Is it my fault I'm not as successful as I want to be?

It means that your life belongs to you. What happens in it, to it, with it, is up to you. If you aren’t as successful as you want to be, work harder. Life is about making good choices and decisions, and persevering in the face of overwhelming odds.

Start by asking “why” at the beginning of questions. “Why” am I not as successful as I want to be. Then, honestly answer it. You will find it is due to a choice you made and have not corrected. For example: Why are you unhappy? You work at a job that sucks. Why did you accept the position if the job sucks? You didn’t do enough research to know. Why are you still working there? You are too lazy to look for a better job.

We can shift the blame for our life onto others but, when we look at our lives honestly, our issues are usually the result of choices and decisions we have made and not corrected.

“Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.”

-- Sigmund Freud

Did you ever make an entire group of airline passengers laugh?

Back when I first joined the military. We would travel as a group to meetings and get hammered on the flight to and from. We would sing and tell jokes. The passengers and the flight crew, for the most part, loved us.

What do you think about Jiafei?

Another sales gimmick.

What's your opinion on assumptions?

I try not to make them. Unfortunately, on this site assumptions are part and parcel of people not able to form good cogent questions and answers. Grammar, spelling, and context are a challenge. I find myself falling back to being a smartass. Not a signature moment.

Why do people respond "no," and then proceed to give the same answer? Do they not see they are saying the same thing?

But, aren’t they more right? They probably think they are, at any rate. Or, they might want to restate a pretty clear answer so it is clearer.

What is false cause and effect?

A lie.

“Choices made, whether bad or good, follow you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another.”

-- J.E.B. Spredemann

In what situations has honesty been the best policy?

If you operate with a good sense of moral ethics, all situations should be dealt with honestly.

What groups in the US are seemingly immune from accountability?

The President’s Administration, Congress, and the FBI all seem to think so.

Why do we care about the future generation when we won't be around?

Just as the generations that went before, they will screw up everything we leave them. Fortunately, the current President and his cabinet are making this a moot point. The future generation will have to turn shit into worse shit. As socialists, this might not be beyond them.

What is the best way to get people to cooperate with you?

Pay them the big money. It is an unfortunate possibility that a sense of good ethics is vulnerable, for the most part, to being bribed. 

When someone does something intelligent but cannot explain it, what's it called?

Being right. The fact they can’t explain it is immaterial.

“The more a person needs to be right, the less certain he is.”

-- Meir Ezra

What personality type tends to overshare personal details?

Boisterous, and with no filter.

Why is 30 the age when you're forbidden from everything?

That’s not right. At 30 I was into everything. Most people in military intelligence were. Have times really changed that much?

Are Dane Adams' three books on dark psychology worth buying and reading?

I didn’t know they were out there. I’ll read them and see.

Will wearing a mask to an interview affect my chances of getting the job if the company does not require them?

If they’re looking for serious employees and not class clowns, I would think this might be detrimental to a positive outcome, yes. 

How did Zelensky learn to be such a tough negotiator?

He’s a patriot and they invaded his country.

"If there is no Ukrainian strong army, there will be no Ukraine, and that will be the case when everyone will understand... it's not the war in Ukraine, it's the war in Europe. We are defending our country, our land. We are not attacking anyone, because that is immoral."

-- Volodymyr Zelensky

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