Questioning Thought, Humility, Cheating, and Bullies

 

“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.”

-- Samuel Johnson

What are some examples of curiosity?

Ask a question. You are "curious" as to some examples of curiosity, so you asked a question. Asking a question is the way to sate our curiosity. You can ask, or you can ask and do. “I wonder what this button does?” So, you press it to find out. Hopefully, it isn’t a detonator. Hopefully, everyone is out of the building to be demolished. Sometimes it is better to ask... than to do.

What made you think deeply?

Questions for which there are no answers, or the answers we have really suck. “Time” was the last time I wandered into the deep end of the pool, and I’m still not satisfied.

How do I handle a fellow committee member who cuts me off rudely during my reports and presentations?

Preface your presentations by telling everyone to save any comments and questions until after you’ve finished. If the member interrupts, ask them to hold their question or comment until you’re finished. If they interrupt again, have a seat and look directly at them. If they ask what you’re doing, tell them you’re looking at an idiot that can’t follow simple instructions. They are obviously more entertaining than your presentation, so tell them you’ll just sit here until the idiot decides if you should continue.

You can clean it up, but you get the gist.

Oh, and if the head of the committee chimes in, say, “Oh, there you are! Thought you'd gone on vacation.” It isn’t your job to police idiots, it’s the committee head’s job. You might point that out to them.

Who is allowed to ask for forgiveness?

Anyone can ask for forgiveness, but it is up to the “wronged” to forgive.

How can I tell my friends to include me in their conversations (a.k.a talking about stuff I can talk about too) without them judging me?

Don’t. Strike up a conversation with new friends. Let them ask you, why you are ignoring them. Then, you can tell them, “Because you all ignore me. You never include me in conversations. And, besides, I’m much too pretty to be ignored.” Please have been talking to a nice-looking guy when they confront you.

“The continuum in which we live is not the kind of place in which middles can be unambiguously excluded.”

-- Reuben Abel

How can I be humble without being disrespected?

Everyone deserves respect, especially the “humble” among us. You get what you give, and if you don’t get it back, the issue is not yours to be concerned about. Karma will be the teacher for those who lack respect.

Would it be rude to say "Yes, it was" after someone says "That was stupid" after doing something absolutely terrible?

I never find it rude to agree with the truth, especially if I’m the idiot being judged.

Why is it so hard to find the courage to get help? Ever since I was young, I was berated for crying many times. Now I can't even bring myself to cry in front of others, I always hide it. Now I want to get help, but why can't I find any courage to?

And, yet, you find the courage to ask the question. We all hope we can stand alone, without help, yet, most of us need some help to move forward. We seek monetary loans, and legal advice, we ask questions of those we trust, and we, at times when it gets really rough, seek emotional help. Everyone needs help, at one time or another, or they’re lying.

You freely admit here, with courage, to strangers, that you want to get help. Now, use that same courage to get the help you need. Whatever you do, don’t hide the fact you are getting help. Others might like to know that there is no “stigma” attached to asking for help. We need to suck it up and get what we need to be whole and move forward, regardless of childish judgments.

How do I start a personal statement? For the people with experience or the people who got into top universities in the UK can you give an example of one or if you feel comfortable sharing yours and advice, please?

Beginning with “I” or “My” would seem logical.

Why is university the only pathway to success?

It isn’t. People attain goals without university all the time. Success, however, is simply making the choice to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. This is truly sustainable “success” in life.

"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in."

-- Bill Bradley

What personal qualities or attitudes should the experimenters possess in handling the apparatuses inside the laboratory?

Be very careful, and don’t drop anything.

What goals do trolls hope to achieve, and what are their motivations and payoffs?

These are usually members of the League of the Perpetually Offended. If people learn to ignore them, their motivation is moot and they have no payoff. They will spend most of their time finding ways to get around being blocked, by everyone.

What can you do to become successful without cheating in life?

Yes, and you will find true happiness in the fact that you didn’t cheat.

If someone cannot directly engage you (they will lose) and so they do so indirectly, are they cowards?

Oh, absolutely. If they want to engage me, get up in my face. If they feel they’ll lose, then their issue is not solid enough to even consider. I like to be engaged so I can determine if they might be right.

Is loyalty always a positive force?

Was loyalty to Adolph Hitler a positive force, other than to forward his sick agenda? I don’t think so.

“I don't care a damn about men who are loyal to the people who pay them, to organizations...I don't think even my country means all that much. There are many countries in our blood, aren't there, but only one person. Would the world be in the mess it is if we were loyal to love and not to countries?”

-- Graham Greene

How does an emotional person stop feeling attached to people so quickly?

Unless the emotion is abject hatred, or they really feel no emotional attachment to begin with, not feeling attached would be a difficult fix. People who feel true attachment can’t just “flip a switch” and feel nothing. My ex-wife tried to destroy my life, but I still love her for giving me two great kids who are nothing like her, emotionally or ethically. I don’t trust her. I can’t be with her. But. what she did to me has little bearing on the love I still feel for her. People like her are sad users of people around them. They can “flip” that switch anytime.

Which habits of today's society will soon be looked at as an older person’s activity?

Face-to-face communication. When two people in their forties sit at either end of a couch and text each other, society is going in the wrong direction.

Do I really have to say everything that's on my head even when it's unnecessary?

No, you don’t, especially when it’s unnecessary. That’s what a “filter” is for. Listening gets you father than spewing unnecessary crap from your “pie hole” will ever get you. Learn to not say much, and make what you say meaningful to the moment and the people involved. Become thoughtful and try not to be known as a “constant comment.”

How can we get people acting right again in 2022, as we did back between 1996 and 2013?

Vote socialism out of office.

Why does everybody think I'm stupid?

Whether you’re stupid or not, they think judging you makes them look above you, when, in reality, it says more about them than about you. If you don’t act stupid, and if you don’t talk about things you know nothing about, if you don’t say or act in a stupid manner, I would find new people to hang around with. You know, people who don’t judge. Who you want to be is a choice only you must make.

“The more stupid one is, the closer one is to reality. The more stupid one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence squirms and hides itself. Intelligence is unprincipled, but stupidity is honest and straightforward.”

-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Have you ever seen into your home and found something unexpected?

Does a “shadow person” rank as an “unexpected” something?

Why do people with no confidence, social anxiety, and low self-esteem often get bullied? Isn't it more logical to treat them better?

If a bully is looking for a target, someone who exudes a lack of confidence and self-esteem, and displays social angst, would seem to have bullseye written all over them. As someone who was bullied at one point in my life, I can attest to this. They stopped when I took control of my life and started standing up for others who were like me.

Why does it hurt when people are nice?

Is being “nice” not in your nature? It would seem to me that people are hurt emotionally when others do what they are incapable of. 

Author's comment:  Never thought of it like that. 

How do you stay polite when you really want to be utterly rude?

I think about how I feel when others are utterly rude. Why be like others?

Why it is hard to treat others with dignity at some point in time?

It is very hard for me to treat people with dignity who do not treat others with dignity. I do so, but I make certain they know I'm doing it because it was the way I was brought up, and not that they in any way deserve what they refuse to give. Honesty is another choice when considering your personal code of ethical behavior.

“But today’s society is characterized by achievement orientation, and consequently it adores people who are successful and happy and, in particular, it adores the young. It virtually ignores the value of all those who are otherwise, and in so doing blurs the decisive difference between being valuable in the sense of dignity and being valuable in the sense of usefulness. If one is not cognizant of this difference and holds that an individual’s value stems only from his present usefulness, then, believe me, one owes it only to personal inconsistency not to plead for euthanasia along the lines of Hitler’s program, that is to say, ‘mercy’ killing of all those who have lost their social usefulness, be it because of old age, incurable illness, mental deterioration, or whatever handicap they may suffer. Confounding the dignity of man with mere usefulness arises from conceptual confusion that in turn may be traced back to the contemporary nihilism transmitted on many an academic campus and many an analytical couch.”

-- Viktor E. Frankl

 

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