Questioning Putin, Failure, Ethics, Dignity, and Inaction

 

"Russian warship, go f#@k yourself", was the last communication made during the February 2022 Russian attack on Snake Island in Ukraine's territorial waters, by border guard Roman Hrybov to the Russian missile cruiser Moskva. 

-- Wikipedia

 

Do you think now is a good time for Putin to give up?

When you invade someone's home, just to find out they know how to peel your face off with a plastic butter knife, it might be prudent to make a strategic withdrawal, in order to “save face” (pun intended). 80% of the Russian military couldn’t take a "backwater" country, like Ukraine? Outstanding!  

Unfortunately, Putin is a KGB thug, not the sharpest tool in the shed. His intelligence assets probably told him this would be a mistake, but all he saw was a country he wanted back, not a country with citizens willing to die to the last person to preserve their freedom. Putin “screwed the pooch” on this one, forcing two other bordering countries to seek NATO membership, for protection.  What a nazi he's proved to be.

How can I discover my talent? What if I don't have any talent?

You have a talent for asking questions, so there is probably more talent waiting to be discovered. Live life and try things you might not think you can do. Your talents will present themselves, in short order.

How much effort do you need to live a good life?

It takes making a choice to be truly happy always and in everything you do to be always happy in life. To live a good life, however, depends on your mindset. I like to work hard. It keeps my mind focused. For some, hard work is not their forte’. They settle on an easier path for life and let others do the grunt labor. The path you choose is up to you, and only you. Choose wisely the path that will make you constantly and truly happy in life, and you will realize real success regardless of your circumstances.

Am I crazy, or is the world acting weird now?

You’re not, and the world is always acting weird. Welcome to reality!

Why do people bully quiet kids?

Because their quiet and they think they can get away with it. Bullies are just closet cowards. They will soon pick on a quiet kid that will let it go to a point, and then go “bat shit crazy” on their ass. Been there and done that. I almost killed the bully, if a friend hadn’t pulled me off of him.

“One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.”

-- Michael J. Fox

How do you manage to make progress when you keep encountering failure? How can you focus on positive changes when you are unhappy with every aspect of your life? How do you push back against a world that reminds you that you aren't good enough?

First of all, failure is life’s way of presenting an opportunity for you to learn. So, learn why you make the mistake, correct it, and be prepared when a similar situation arises again.

Second, if you’re unhappy with your life, why did you create the life you live? Only you are in charge of your own happiness, so change your life until you are happy in it.

Third, who truly gives a shit what the world thinks of you? Do you think you’re good enough? Your opinions are the only opinions that matter in your life. Listen to others and determines if they have validity or if people are just being jealous. If you feel the opinion is justified, it is up to you to choose to change, not them.

What do humans want more, than one lifetime on Earth?

True happiness. Otherwise, what’s the point?

When did you notice that to raise your words, not your voice was powerful?

When I learned supervision and management in the military. If you are in control of your voice, you are also in control of the conversation. I was also an analyst of intelligence information that had to be disseminated to the commanders in an understandable format, so it was prudent to ensure everything was clear and concise.

What are the merits of failure?

Knowledge and skill. Learning. 

Why is it important for businesses to have a code of ethics? Do you think it is appropriate for businesses, when operating in foreign countries, to adjust their code of ethics in order to fall in line with the ethical norms of the host country?

If other businesses, or customers, understand that you have no ethics, they will be hard-pressed to do business with you, unless they feel their own lack of ethics trumps your “amateur” attempt. Personally, operating with bad ethics is not in my wheelhouse. Ethical conduct sets a good business apart from the bad.

“A person’s moral decision of what is right and wrong is not the sheer application of a mathematical principle. Many variables come into play when examining how to conduct a person’s life. A person experiences reality inside their head and we premise our personal version of reality upon the accumulation of knowledge. Decision-making entails the identification and application of personal knowledge in a just and virtuous manner. The only measure of personal integrity is whether a person derives their own judgment in a rational manner and then determinedly implements the moral judgment regardless of the possibility of encountering the derision and scorn of other people.”

-- Kilroy J. Oldster

Do the mentally competent feel a sense of satisfaction when they know they have insight? I'm mentally incompetent and nothing feels better to me.

That feeling of “satisfaction” is a signal to you that you actually are “mentally competent” to have the insight. If you didn’t feel that, you might never know. But, there is a difference between being mentally competent and having insight, and bragging about it. Being satisfied and humble is a step to true wisdom.

Is the Internet with no limits on personal moral dignity?

As long as there are no rules, “personal moral dignity” is, unfortunately, fair game. 

How are talent and skills acquired? What is the difference between the two?

Knowledge. Talent usually requires skill (knowledge). You play the piano (your talent) because you have the knowledge and skill to do so. You do art (your talent) because you have the knowledge and skill, to do so. If your skill (your knowledge) sucks, so does your talent for art. I have seen welding that looks like a blob of metal that was unnecessary for what the weld was holding together. I’ve also seen welds that would fail with the least stress. One can always recognize a welder with a true talent to exercise their skill, welding, for the appropriate stress expected to be applied.

There is a difference, however. If you know how to weld expertly, your excellent talent should be beyond question. But, if you are physical ability prevents you from exercising the obvious skill, there is another option for this excellent talent: Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.

Those who have great skills exercise great talent. Those who can’t exercise this great talent, however, can still pass on their great skill-knowledge to those who can. Why let great knowledge go to waste? A blind shipbuilder can still design a great ship if given the tools to do so. 

How can I entertain my need to spread my schoolwork across the floor and frequently change rooms without grabbing things up in a giant pile (i.e. keeping them separated like I need while being able to quickly relocate)? This might be silly but…

Spreading any work across the floor might be your way of working. No harm, no foul. Frequently changing tools, however, might require you to keep your “plies” in boxes. Here’s another thought: You might, actually, try labeling the boxes with what’s in them.

How can I learn more from you and be close to you?

Grab my ass and ask me questions.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

-- Benjamin Franklin

Is success only attainable by a select few?

Attaining goals can be attainable by those few who have the ability to persevere in their quest. Success in life is simply making the conscious choice to strive for true happiness always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances.

What makes one dumb and what makes one smart? I’ve always been so insecure about my intelligence, I’d always think I was dumb because most of my peers said that about me growing up, so what is a smart and dumb person to you?

First of all, intelligence is no substitute for smarts. I almost failed high school, because I wasn’t “intelligent” enough to learn. Actually, they weren’t teaching what interested me. When I went to college, I majored in psychology, never cracked a book, and made B+ average grades. I spent 23 years in military intelligence, not because I was “intelligent,” but because I was “smart” enough to think out of the box. When I retired, my "thinking out of the box," along with a personal code of moral ethics, got me a management job with an up-and-coming company for another 17 years.

Don’t listen to your peers. Don’t question your own intelligence or your smarts. You will probably be happier than any of them when you find the right path. Just don’t let them make you stop looking.  Strive to be happy always.

 A fair selection process riddle. How do you most 'fairly' select people for a limited space opportunity?

Physical ability and/or personality (if applicable), knowledge, and testing.

I want to do something but I feel like I will lose motivation. I always lose motivation and I’m scared I will again. Does anyone have any advice to keep the motivation?

Then, find something you really want to do, because you love doing it. I get bored easily, primarily because it isn’t challenging or the challenge is beyond what I expected. I write because I love doing it. I excelled in research and analysis because I loved doing them. I excelled in management and supervision because I loved doing them. If you want to keep motivation, find what you love doing. If it gets boring, find an aspect of it you need training on and expand your knowledge. If, ultimately, you lose motivation or interest in continuing, find something else. Change is the only true constant in the universe. Never be afraid to change.

What are the effects of inaction on society?

Failure, a continuation of the status quo, or both.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”

-- Theodore Roosevelt

Do you believe that the best swindler is never caught?

If they aren’t caught it isn’t the fact that they’re the “best swindler” as much as it is the incompetence of law enforcement to catch them. Everyone gets caught, in time, by the law, death, karma, and their own conscience. 

Do you occasionally fancy yourself as a dashing, whip-smart ne’er-do-well sort? Would you love to be viewed that way at work amongst your stuffy higher-ups?

But, I am, and I have been, and it just pissed them off.

What are some ways to make an experience unforgettable for learners?

Get them, especially the young, involved in the process. Don’t just “teach” history, science, art, archeology, indoctrination, et al, but let them experience the entire process during the course of study. This works with just about everything, especially the bullshit of indoctrination. It would be interesting to see how they deal with the reality of that.

How can you get sick of a whole group of people?

It has happened. You outgrow them and find yourself looking for an entire set of new people.

Can every student be taught?

They can be taught something, if they are taught right, and if the “something” is what they want to learn. We get tied up in a general “curriculum” that doesn’t necessarily fit all the students. We do this as a general education policy, and we tend to label “exceptional” minds slow to learn when, in reality, they are bored shitless by the general curriculum. If we give them what they want to learn, they will impress the hell out of us. I’ve been there and done this, on both sides.

“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”

-- Richard Feynmann

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