Questioning Debate, Fred, Atheists, Losers, and Thinking

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

-- Albert Einstein

How do I win a debate?

Be knowledgeable of the topic and present incontrovertible facts. If you control your emotions, show your knowledge of the topic, and present facts that your opponent can’t successfully argue against, you will be in control.

What inspires you?

What I consider a “beautiful” woman.

How can I feel valuable even if I don't make money or make people happy?

You are life, therefore, you are valuable. If you can’t “feel” the value of life, try giving selflessly to others. Help people, the elderly especially, and take nothing for your time. I mean, you don’t make money anyway. Making people happy is the easiest thing we can do. As for money, I would find some way to be of some small service for some change, so you can actually say, “I make some money.”

Whenever I feel jealous or hurt about something or anything, why do I suddenly burst into laughter?

Defense mechanism. Might as well laugh, being jealous or hurt will solve as much as laughing. Better to laugh.

Is it wrong to base 90% of your self-worth on your achievements and your productivity?

So, if you're a humble person who achieves true happiness and, as a by-product, produces happiness in many other people, and 90% of their self-worth is because of this? Understandable, since “success” in life is choosing to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. If you aren’t truly happy in life, then attaining goals should not be looked upon as an achievement unless it makes you truly happy always. Only then, can all of this be seen as successful in life.

Author's comment:  What if you're the opposite. No official accolades or much money, but happy?

My reply:  People sell happiness short. Given the choices you’ve outlined, choose happiness always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. The alternative simply sucks.

“It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.”

-- John Joseph Powell

Did Fred comply with the core value of integrity?

Fred who?

Does the way you act depend on past experiences?

That and upbringing, which could be labeled a “past experience” for this purpose. A good upbringing would trump most past experiences, with the exception of war or some other post-traumatic stress.

Who walks ahead of whom?

Answering this will open someone up to attackers from the League of the Perpetually Offended.

Is war a necessary evil, or depends?

Depends are certainly a necessary evil. Without them, everyone will know when you soiled yourself. War reminds us there is evil in this world, and we must protect ourselves against it, or bow before it. The Holocaust was evidence of what bowing before evil can cost. Is it better to wipe evil off the face of the earth, or keep it around as balance, to remind us of what happens when we don’t pay attention?

What is the best way to start a presentation with no audience interaction?

Present it via a recording or a DVD. Or, announce at the start for people to hold all questions until the end of the presentation, due to “time” constraints.

"The best way to know what you're talking about is to know what you're talking about."

-- Anonymous

What are some things that can be said to a person who is easily embarrassed?

And you need to say them just loud enough: “Your fly is down.” “Your nipples are showing.” “Your breasts are leaking.” “A hard-on, really?”

Any Christians, Jew or Muslim explain how you worship the same God, acknowledge God's word & faith to creation was free will that without scripture of God recanting free will, makes them all false idols, same as religions that came before them?

You think like an atheist.

Is it possible to look shocked and happy at the same time?

If I walk into the bedroom and she’s naked and on the bed with that “come hither” look, I am shocked and absolutely happy, at the same time. And. I don’t even know her. Why is she in my house? Why do I care?

Who is someone that inspires you?

Sophia Loren, or Audrey Hepburn.

Can you be friends with a teacher you don't respect?

I would find it hard to be friends with anyone I don’t respect, much less a teacher, and I have respected a damned few of them.

“Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

To what extent does being "second" mean being a loser? Why are people so unfair to "seconds"?

Yes, it means you lost. It also means the people who ridicule, who were unfair, were not out there putting themselves on the line. Why? Because they know they’d lose. “Second” means you have more work to do, that’s it. The real losers are the ones who do not cheer on the underdog. At least they put it all on the line.

Why should we never let anyone make us feel like we have to stand up for them?

As a person of conscience, you should already be there, then they won’t need to.

I'm 18 I just graduated hs. I took a gap year & it feels like the end of the world. I feel lost & like a failure. I feel like I make all the wrong decisions and I have no idea what I’m doing. How do you escape feelings of uncertainty at a young age?

You took a “gap year” which left you alone while everyone else went forward. This is wrong on two levels, one, you need the structure and security of the school, and two, you need the structure and security of the school. Suck it up, buttercup. It doesn’t matter why. You’re falling apart when you’re supposed to be attacking the collegiate curriculum. Will this insecurity continue when you graduate college? God help us. Of course, I could be way off base. It might just be that time of the month.

What impact can kindness brings in anyone's life?

Same breeds same. Showing kindness will bring kindness back to you. One hell of a great impact, on happiness.

What's the best way to channel your frustration with adversity into positive growth?

Perseverance. If you’d given up you wouldn’t be frustrated anymore. Accept the frustration as a signal you have more work to do. That’s all. Shake off the frustration, face down the obstacles, and work through them. In this way, you can persevere and move forward.

"Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes its built on catastrophe."

-- Sumner Redstone

Why is self-acceptance so challenging and difficult?

Most people would like to change, and "changing" flies in the face of self-acceptance. If you accept who you are, why want to change? Because we see change as the only true constant in the universe. If one wants true self-acceptance, they must accept themselves as never satisfied with who they are. They have to accept that they are always learning, growing, and changing.

What are some shocking things some people are doing for money to enlighten themselves over laziness?

Prostitution. Hell of a way to make lots of cash.

Does having a positive outlook on life affect success or failure?

It has a positive effect on success and failure. You should look at failure as an opportunity to learn why you went wrong, so you can correct it and move forward to attaining your goal (if you define your “success” as reaching a goal). True success, however, is finding true happiness in life. It is striving to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of the circumstances. This is the first “goal” we should try to attain in life.

This is a question asked by my teacher. "How do you think of your thinking?"

Clear and, occasionally, out-of-the-box.

 Does Russia really have 25 million reservists? That would be approximately every third male (of any age).

The real questions should be, are the “reservists” really all men, and have they really volunteered? I think not. Right now they’re reporting he is drafting 300,000 reservists. A far cry from 25 million, and these are soldiers who have served in the past. There are 25 million "potential" fighters at their disposal. In other words, they're willing to dispose of 25 million more citizens, if necessary. He is totally insane, like Hitler, so standby for the nuclear option, a military coup, or an assassination.

"If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people - this is not a bluff."

-- Vladimir Putin

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