Questioning Help, Success, Abortion, and Happiness

 

“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”

-- Gordon B. Hinckley

People say you can help them. How?

Ask them. How in hell would we know?

How would you describe the difference between a blank stare and vacant eyes?

A blank stare is when someone really isn’t seeing because their mind is busy doing something else. Vacant eyes are a sign that no one is home.

How far along am I on the track to success?

If you have to ask, I’d say not very far.

In your opinion, has “unregulated” access to the Internet ruined how people think? Do you think it negatively impacts concepts such as intellectual humility, self-learning, and individuality? Or is it just changing the perceived society’s trajectory?

I think that unregulated access to online pornography ruined how some people think. What? I’m sorry. One of the voices in the back of my head made me type this. Please ignore it.

Reader comment: LOL, same thought. However, I’m interested in hearing your reasoning behind that conclusion. Maybe a summary, if it’s something you’ve researched in great detail.

My reply: Nope, just my unsupervised observation(s). 

What is the problem with great power competition?

There will be a winner.

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

-- Albert Einstein

Why are corrupt people more successful in life?

It is what it is until it isn’t. Sooner or later, corruption will come full circle in their life, or after.

Why don't we have more effective altruism?

Ineffective use of the donation. 100% is the best one can hope for. Unfortunately, our altruism falls far short when we let others dictate how it is used. Television ads, mailings, and administration costs, all subtract from one’s altruistic attempt. One would be better served to take food to a food bank or soup kitchen.

There are online sources for the percentage charities actually spend after expenses. This will assist in having “more effective altruism.” 

How does one stop falling back into their old naive self?

Pay attention.

What makes a failed society?

Lawlessness. Disrespect for the “Rule of Law” and not effectively enforcing the law. The United States finds itself on the cusp of being a failed society.

As a therapist or psychologist, how do you know when to listen more and "shut up" and when to actually "speak up" more? If you find yourself doing too much of those how do you get yourself to do more of the other?

Let the patient ramble on, unless you have a question. They will look at you for feedback when they’re ready. You will get more by listening than interrupting.

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

-- Maurice Switzer 

What are the wrong reasons for an abortion?

An inability to keep one’s legs together or to say no. Waiting too long to make the decision, is my favorite. Any time you murder the helpless, for no moral or ethical reason, is a wrong reason.

The attack is imminent…

What are some ways to deal with rude employees in a business setting?

Ask for a manager and let them know what’s going on. If the manager is rude, ask for an owner, or you have the right to go elsewhere for business. If they work for you, excuse them from the setting and fire them later. Respect should be upfront in a business setting.

What does it mean to see another version of yourself seated in your previous position?

Is the other version of you still alive? You are either dead or having an “out of body” experience. Hope for the latter.

Why do people want to communicate better?

Probably for better understanding? If they’re so hot on communicating better, try meeting face-to-face and having a real conversation. Turn off your phone and focus. Pretend like you’re actually listening to them, and are interested in what they’re saying. Ask copious questions. You know, face-to-face, like back in the day. 

What is a personal rule, and why should we have them?

Personal rules are usually ethical. A personal “code of ethics” are rules which define who and why you are to those around you. They know what to expect from you.

“A person has numerous resources available for learning including observing nature and witnessing how other people behave. We can examine other people's lives to find clues on how to live, but ultimately we must develop a personal code of living a sterling existence.”

-- Kilroy J. Oldster

Can you force someone to take something for free?

Only if you’re socialists, and even then you’ll have an argument until you bring up the subject of “gulags.”

Do some things feel pointless to do?

Marriage. Been there, done that. It is a pointless exercise where, in the end, she ends up with the elevator and you end up with the shaft. I’ve been living in sin for almost 20 years now, and the point is so much more relaxing.

Is there a way to not be in the hot seat?

Keep your pie hole shut.

What should I do if my teacher asks me what I want to be when I grow up?

Keep looking at her cleavage. When she asks what you’re doing, keep your eyes on the prize and say, “I’m thinking about what I want to be.” If she asks what you’ve decided, tell her. “A bra.” It is rude, but it will get a chuckle.

How many people’s lives are worth the life of the most important person in your life?

It would depend on if they’re trying to kill the person in question. If so, all of them. 

“The rifle itself has no moral stature since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.”

-- Jeff Cooper

Why do people often mistake self-confidence syndrome as a neurodevelopmental problem when in fact it is a condition of lack of mental development?

They aren’t psychology majors? According to the current Administration, however, we are allowed to redefine things, like “economic recession” and “economic depression”, to soften the fact that we’re all being screwed. So, stand by for news on syndromes. Hell, I’m still having issues with the fact I’m living with a “birthing parent” and not a woman. As a woman, she sees this as completely stupid rhetoric. I try not to judge, but I’m afraid I have to agree, that many suffer from a lack of mental development.

What does “keep looking up” mean?

Keep your hands in your pockets. Or, it could mean, to keep your eyes on the prize. Keep moving upward, to glory.

How much do we know?

Not much. When we look at the possibility of alien visitation, what we “know” is relatively insignificant to the visitors. They could probably snap their fingers and snuff us out, yet we worry about Russia launching nuclear weapons. How stupid are we?

We have been learning that making definite statements can come back to haunt us when some brainiac proves the statement to be wrong. It is what it is until it isn’t, and more academicians are prefacing finding with this, more and more.

How much do we know? We will, in time, find out more than we now know. What we may never know, while we live, is whether God exists. Atheists and theists insist on arguing, at times vehemently, a point that neither of them can prove. We don’t even know enough to know when we sound like jackasses braying at each other. With all we do know, we still are just like pigs looking at a wristwatch, wondering.

What can help the aged to be happy and content?

If they’re aged, they should have learned by now. They have to make the effort because nothing you can do will help unless it’s what they want. So, the best bet is to ask them.

How do I get my love for art back after struggles with Instagram, years of art school, and a competitive attitude from my community?

So, you’ve allowed Instagram, art school, and the community, to dictate to you what you should or should not like? I’ve got nothing for you. No one dictates my likes or my few dislikes. What you need to do is make the conscious choice to ignore morons and like what you want. I’m not sure what I do if I stopped liking art. Galleries give me a sense of peace.

“You can wait for others to decide your fate, or you can master your own destiny. Just know that others seldom have very much planned for your future happiness, so the do-it-yourself approach may just be your best bet.”

-- Anthon St. Maarten

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