Questioning the Good, Boring, Greed, Morals, and Truth

 

"Bad things are not the worst things that can happen to us. Nothing is the worst thing that can happen to us!"

--Richard Bach

Why do we do things we know aren't good for us?

We tend to do things that we feel are very good for us, and they usually are. Whether they are healthy for us or safe for us, is a different aspect of the question. People love sex, and it is very good for us, but there are consequences to sex that many know about but ignore in the heat of the moment. Exercise is very good for us… unless we have a bum ticker. Banana splits and pulled-pork taste very good to us but aren’t really healthy as a steady diet. Most things we like are very good for us, taken in moderation and exercised with due caution.

What is it that brings out your inner genius? What event or task or emotion just makes your mind go into overdrive?

Politics, and politics. It's not that it's rocket science, it's that people are satisfied with being really stupid, and used.

What are some common causes of teenage depression and lack of motivation?

Lack of a sexual outlet, comes to mind. 

Is asking in general about people the same as gossip?

Yes, but people get into trouble when they dive deep into other people’s lives. If someone asks how John is doing, and they answer he is doing fine, technically this is gossip. But, if the answer is that rumor has it that John has been screwing around on his wife and she’s looking for a divorce, this is getting deep in the realm of gossip. 

This gossip will go through the mill and at the other end we hear that John got some woman pregnant because he screws around on his wife, he is probably bisexual, is stealing from the business to support his pregnant girlfriend, and he’s thinking of moving to Canada. The fact that John is a devout Catholic priest is lost in all the bullshit being passed from person to person to person. Gossip like to be embellished, facts be damned. 

Is it common for intelligent people to be bad at drawing?

No, it’s common for people with no talent for drawing to be bad at drawing. Intelligent people usually suck at being smart.

“A wise student is greater than an intelligent teacher.”

-- Matshona Dhliwayo

Do you think pragmatism is boring?

Pragmatists tend to not take risks. They do what has been tried and has succeeded, not something new and unknown. It is definitely boring because the outcome for the pragmatist is a given.

What are your hobbies?

Paranormal research, writing, and enemy interrogation. 

Is it possible for parents to raise their children to be cunning and wise enough to catch on to those who attempt to harm them as well as manipulate them and outmaneuvered them if it comes to it?

If you can teach a child to understand chess, you can teach them to understand anything. Well, maybe not women. If they’re girls, maybe. If they’re boys, doubtful.

Do riches, money, and wealth bring happiness and peace of mind?

It brings peace of mind, but true happiness can’t be bought. It is a choice each of us must make for our lives. If we aren’t truly happy, to begin with, riches, money, and wealth won’t purchase it. You can buy “happiness” for as long as purchased happiness lasts. But, true happiness is not something you can buy, it is a sustainable emotion you feel always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. Money can fill the void, but it simply won’t last. Bought happiness is fleeting. 

Do you wish you were more creative?

Oh my, yes! Wait… in what way?

“In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.”

-- Donatien Alphonse François

Is there greed hidden in obtaining power?

Most of the time, “greed” isn’t hidden at all. Wanting to obtain power is all about greed. Why? Because you want it. The only time greed is not involved is when power is not wanted but is thrust upon you. In this instance, one must be very careful not to succumb to the greed that power tends to bring with it and to use the power for good moral purposes. 

As a creative person, do you wish to impact future generations? Why and how?

It would be much better for me to impact my own. Why? I think this is pretty obvious. How? This is the priceless answer no one has been able to figure out.

What is the nature of morality, and how do we determine right and wrong?

If you buy into religion, in God’s second covenant with man, He wrote the rules for morality across our hearts and minds so we wouldn’t misinterpret them. Now, we all are supposed to know right from wrong as it is ingrained in us. If we ignore what we know, the fault rests solely on us.

Is there anything you know you should let go of, but haven't yet?

Yes.

What are the consequences of escaping/trying to escape a mental hospital? (Low key/mostly volunteer hospital with nonviolent patients)

If it’s mostly volunteer, then you should mostly unvolunteer. Why go through all the machinations of escaping from a “volunteer” facility? Well, maybe someone who is a “bit off the mark” might find this necessary, in which case, they might want to stay. Just saying.

“Here I want to stress that the perception of losing one’s mind is based on culturally derived and socially ingrained stereotypes as to the significance of symptoms such as hearing voices, losing temporal and spatial orientation, and sensing that one is being followed and that many of the most spectacular and convincing of these symptoms in some instances psychiatrically signify merely a temporary emotional upset in a stressful situation, however terrifying to the person at the time. Similarly, the anxiety consequent upon this perception of oneself, and the strategies devised to reduce this anxiety, are not a product of abnormal psychology, but would be exhibited by any person socialized into our culture who came to conceive of himself as someone losing his mind.”

-- Erving Goffman

If a given action has no negative consequences, does that make it morally good?

If you murder someone and nobody ever catches you, does that make it morally good?

What are the benefits of being morally correct?

Not being morally incorrect, would be a big one. Morally incorrect would, pretty much, rank on par with sin, and sin is rarely a benefit, regardless of how you excuse it.

If we forget something, is it gone forever?

Not if you remember it, down the road a piece.

How do personal finances factor into wasteful spending habits?

People who have “personal finances seem to think they can indulge in wasteful spending habits simply because they have money, but what happens when the job goes away? There is no fallback, like savings. Or, their “wasteful spending habits” is defined as going into debt that they can’t afford, which is really worse because they become an “indentured servant” to the debtor, their “bitch” for want of a better word.

After I did something really stupid, how do I stay in my private life forever?

Own your stupidity. Everyone does stupid shit, but few actually own it. Be the light, and shame the hypocrites.

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”

-- Napoleon Bonaparte

Is it weird that I prefer being alone from the world, scared of being judged and maltreated by others?

In other words, honest. Nope. “Honest” seems perfectly normal to me. Most people find a reason to sit on these honest feelings, so they can “fit in,” so to speak. Personally, I find it so much easier to just not give a shit what other people think, and I dare them to treat me badly unless I want them to, which is for another post.

How do you think people in positions of power are most often blackmailed?

Infidelity.

When is it better to cover up the truth with a lie?

What’s wrong with the truth? People may not like it, but the truth is always better than the lie. Do you want to save someone some anguish? Now or later, the anguish will come out. The fact that you lied to them, for whatever reason, will be judged. Better to just put the truth out there. If someone berates you for it, tell them your personal moral code of ethics wouldn’t allow you to do what their lack of moral ethics would excuse.

What are the psychological effects of bearing a grudge and taking revenge?

You know in your heart that two wrongs don’t make a right. It validates the conscience, which will never let you forget. Karma likes the conscience, as it makes what karma does much easier.  

Are there any circumstances under which revenge is never warranted?

There’s never an instance where it’s warranted. Karma hates to divide its attention between a wrongdoer and an idiot.

“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”

-- Marcus Aurelius

Or, if you like a bit of humor...

     “I don't want tea," said Clary, with muffled force. "I want to find my mother. And then I want to find out who took her in the first place, and I want to kill them." 

     "Unfortunately," said Hodge, "we're all out of bitter revenge at the moment, so it's either tea or nothing.”

-- Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

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