Questioning Topics, Things, Facts, Evil, and Secrets

“I discovered that what most people call creepy, scary, and spooky, I call comfy, cozy, and home.”

-- Zak Bagans

Why do I think hope, future, and health will be next year's key important topics?

Because, the next year we'll need to vote for a real President concerned with all three, not some geriatric puppet being used to destroy our country in favor of a socialist government in which “hope, future, and health” will mean nothing.

Were individuals or the number of individuals born in 1916 alive back in late 2014 about as common as individuals born in 1924 alive as of today in 2022 and individuals born in 1922 back in 2020?

What???

If life is not fair, and morals are subjective, why is it wrong to misuse psychology for personal gain?

Life is what it is, we shift blame onto life for being “unfair” because we make it so through bad choices and decisions. As far as “personal gain” is concerned, greed is never a good thing, and misusing something to satisfy greed is also not right. The entire statement seems like a limp excuse to do wrong for personal gain.

Am I wasting time on [this site] or not, because I didn't earn anything from it in the last few months?

What are you trying to “earn” from it? It makes more sense if you were trying to learn something from it.

What are some creepy things that happened in the past?

I had my hand behind my head while lying on the couch reading a book. Something put its hand in mine and then let go. A few nights later, the same arm behind my head, I felt an index finger and thumb lightly press my wrist. I thanked them for letting me know they were in the house. I just continued reading. Between these, and chasing down a shadow figure in the room above the garage on my mom’s house next door, I think there was a home here before my dad built these. Hurricanes probably took them out and might have killed the residents.

“In the middle of nowhere, along a quiet stretch of road, the diner dreamt of the hungry dead. And of two men.”

-- A. Lee Martinez

How do I explain everything, anything, all things, something, and whatever for what it is, as it is, as it was, as it will be, like it is, how it is, the way it is, in all ways and every way 100% clear, proper, well, and perfect?

Become God.

Is the meaning of life important to you?

It is important. Meaning in life gives us reasons to live. I am given a “gift” each morning, of another day in paradise that I can use to try to excel in my life. I have chosen to strive for true happiness always and in all things, regardless of my circumstances. True happiness represents true and sustainable success in life. Everything else is simply a goal that we can attain.

More important, however, is life itself. Without life, the meaning of it would be a moot point. I revel in life, the good, and the bad, because, well, the alternative simply sucks.

When in your life did someone’s pride inspire you?

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ronald Reagan.

What did you change about yourself for your partner so they would not leave you?

I made the conscious choice to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of my circumstances. I made the choice because I wasn’t willing to let anyone use me, to destroy my life, ever again, for a quarter of a century. The love I invested in that failed relationship taught me to choose my partners more wisely.  Life, in this existence, is just too short. 

Should it be illegal to care and not care about anything?

Only in a communist or socialist country, otherwise, we have the freedom to choose not to.

“Everything good in life is either immoral, illegal, or fattening.”

-- Nicole Richie

How do I come to terms with the absolute fact that I’m dumber than other people?

It is an absolute fact that I am also dumber than other people. I think most people can say this when we compare ourselves to people with more intelligence. We are, in fact, dumber than some other people. I could come to terms with it by saying I should have studied harder, but what a cop-out would that be? I can’t fly a plane, but I have no real desire to learn how. I’d probably wet myself. I don’t know you, but, the truth be told, I see you this way: Your question is grammatically correct. The spelling is okay. The question is to the point. Most other people on this site can’t claim any of this, but you “think” you’re dumber than they are? I think you might want to “think” again.

When someone says, "Don't waste my time," is it okay to tell that person, "No one has put a gun to your head to waste your time"?

Why are you wasting their time with a smartass comeback? Doing exactly what you were asked not to do, would be a good reason to ignore you.

In today's ultra-competitive society, do people expect others to be perfect without making any mistakes at all in life? If you make a mistake, should you be permanently blacklisted?

Expectations of “perfection” is asking for the impossible. No one is perfect. As far as mistakes, mistakes and failures are the best way we learn. If someone hasn’t failed or made a mistake, they’re lying. People who have learned by making mistakes and failing have learned more than those who haven’t. Who do you hire, the ones who have learned, or the ones who haven’t had the opportunity to learn? Personally, I’d go with employees who strive for excellence by learning from their mistakes and those of others. 

Why do people have such different opinions about the Bible?

It was written by men at a time when everyone had a hidden agenda. Is it the WORD of God, or the “WORD” inspired by God? We have to ask, then, which “agenda” was being inspired? 

Can the philosophies of amorality prompt evil people to take those ideas to justify immoral passion even if it wasn’t the original intent of the philosopher who wrote it? If so, why does this happen?

Yes. It happens because they are evil people who enjoy “immoral passion” in life. Truth be known, however, you don’t have to be evil to enjoy a bit of “immoral passion” in life. You just have to be a little bit bad.

“Men are more moral than they think and far more immoral than they can imagine.”

-- Sigmund Freud

Have you ever met an evil person who lives with a cat?

Several, but I was never quite sure which one was really evil.

What are the consequences of living a life without ethics or morals?

Having the crap beat out of you. Death by someone else’s hand. Jail time. Lackluster friends without ethics or morals. STDs. Children out of wedlock. Any one of these, or all of these, or many others, like a lengthy stay in hell. Basically, being constantly visited by bad karma.

Are 20-year-olds adults?

Not many, not anymore. 

Who or what controls our lives?

Who, or what, you allow to control it. I want to live in the United States, so I choose to abide by the “rule of law” that governs the United States. What “rule of law”?

I vote because I want my voice to count, but which foreign country is monitoring our polling places to ensure we aren’t cheating? China? Others vote because they want inflation to run unchecked, borders to be torn down, and illegal aliens to get more benefits than our own citizens. We allow all of this, or we’d rise up and demand accountability.

What is your greatest fantasy?

I can’t tell you, or they would know.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape? ...If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”

-- J.R.R. Tolkien

What are some motivations for people to make and save more money?

If she’s worth it.

Do you believe that every individual possesses a dark side on the inside at one point or another?

Yes, but it’s either on one side or the other, or it would be a “dark point.” So, which is it?

I don't understand how to get closer to people. I copy how other people act to make friends, but I'm always ignored and don't have the same effect as others. Why?

You hang with the wrong people. I make the assumption that “Lilly” means your female. Are you trying to get closer to other females, or men? Men tend not to ignore women. 

I’m approaching 70 years of age, and I hang out at a cigar bar. All of us, men and women, married or single, black, white, brown, or whatever, we shake hands and hug as a greeting and a farewell. We understand how to get “closer” and be good friends with each other. It sounds like you need to move to the South. Mississippi is a whole different secret.

Is it okay to become a real-life superhero who fights obese people?

Really? Shape shaming? What are you going to be called, Dietman?

What's a secret you're taking to the grave?

Oh my, yes! But, if I told you, it would no longer be a secret, would it?

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

-- Benjamin Franklin

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. 

I fervently 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