Questioning Karma, Life, Pretense, Criticism, and Hate

 

“Your believing or not believing in karma has no effect on its existence, nor on its consequences to you. Just as a refusal to believe in the ocean would not prevent you from drowning.”

-- F. Paul Wilson

Should respect be earned or should basic respect be something that should be given to a human?

Basic respect should be given to everyone, especially animals.  Having said this, what you give is what you get. Basic respect is all you get until you earn more. This, for that. The fact that I show basic respect to someone should not be misconstrued as me liking them.  If a dog doesn't bite me, he earns my respect.

Author's comment:  Yeah, we don’t have to agree with or like someone to treat someone with respect, it is not that hard, but again, for teenagers, some of them are still learning what is disrespectful or the difference between interaction with a friend vs interaction with a figure of authority.

My reply:  Teenagers are being ripped apart, for the most part, by indoctrination. I’m surprised they have any free thought.

Has anybody ever said something so stupid that it makes you stupid?

Yes, but let’s not get into current politics.

Why is making wrong decisions better than making no decisions?

How is knowingly making a “wrong” decision better than making no decision? If you make no decision there is a chance things will work out regardless. If you knowingly make a wrong decision, it will be wrong, and will probably complicate an already dicey situation.

Is famine good or bad?

How is starvation of a large group of people seen as good?

If karma works, why are so many corrupt people successful? Why do good people have to struggle?

But, are corrupt people truly happy? Are they constantly checking their six? Is their spouse cheating on them? Are they healthy? Karma works in mysterious and insidious ways.

As far as people struggling, life is full of lessons to be learned. Righteous people struggle, yet they have the opportunity to move forward. Corrupt people think life is easy, yet they find themselves right back here because they’ve learned nothing but evil and corruption. Personally, I like forward momentum.

“It is impossible to build one’s own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings.”

-- Daisaku Ikeda

Do you believe social media is a contributing factor in the failure of many marriages?

I think social media is a contributing factor in the failure of more than just marriage. Interpersonal communication suffers greatly when two people sit at either end of a couch and text each other. Get up out of the chair and go enjoy some face-to-face fun with real people. It beats being glued to the monitor while the wife is humping that mailman. Leave the monitor and actually interact with your children. If you discover your children don’t resemble you, I’d be concerned.

Do you agree that life is nothing but show business?

Only if you’re all about showing off. Personally, I’m too busy living life to worry about who is watching. But, if a person’s “ego” demands it…

Is a person who manipulates you a bad person?

Any person who tries to manipulate is doing something wrong. Personally, I don’t buy into manipulation. Salesmen and marketing try this all the time, but I still critique the products and services, as I always would. A good deal today will be a good deal tomorrow, or you don’t need it.

Is it true that the majority of Generation Z was crippled by social media usage?

Weak minds are crippled by almost everything, social media is simply one that takes advantage of their naivete.

Do you believe it brings bad luck to open an umbrella inside, break a mirror, or have a black cat cross your path? Why?

Only if you buy into the bullshit. Shit happens, and if we expect it to happen, we subconsciously allow it to happen. Bad luck or good luck is all about the choices and decisions we make. Make good ones.

“Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you accidentally repeated the same topics, answers, and/or questions?

Nope. People keep asking the same questions about things, so I keep giving them the same answers. It is what it is.

What's a real-life event or person that shouldn't get a comedy or a musical?

Joe Biden. It isn’t nice to make fun of the elderly and infirm.

Should I be myself even though I may be full of evil, or should I pretend to be good?

Be yourself and karma will take care of your evil side. Pretend to be good, and karma will also take care of the bullshit. Better to just learn to be good so people can enjoy all that is you. Everything else is just, well, bullshit.

Am I the only one who thinks the whole world stopped caring? Like please wake up world, we need to start opening up, and being together more.

Well said!

Why do I feel like doing nothing but also feel guilty and unhappy about it? I've been wasting all of my school vacation like this, is this normal?

It isn’t normal, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, either. During vacations I found myself boning up on subjects I needed more time with. I didn’t let them rule the vacation, but I’d read a bit each night and think about what I learned. I was not a good student, and this helped me. 

“Your hand can seize today, but not tomorrow, thoughts of your tomorrow are nothing but desire. Don’t waste this breath, if your heart isn’t crazy, since "the rest of your life" won’t last forever.”

-- Omar Khayyám

What is the difference between good judgment and bad judgment?

One is good and one is bad? But, when it comes to people, better not to judge lest you be judged. Most people who judge rarely look in the mirror at their own baggage.

Why would a man lead you on and lie?

Sex.

How do we forget how to live a good life when we are young?

We never are truly taught to live a good life, so how do we forget? No one ever taught me to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of my circumstances. I had to make the conscious choice to do this myself. If someone had taught it to me, I would have gone much farther, much sooner, because I would have already been successful in life by being truly happy.

How do teen boys feel about school and learning?

That would depend on how many good-looking girls are around them, and if their hormones are raging.

How do I give criticism without making an enemy?

Don’t give it unless you’re asked. Once asked, they have given you permission to rip them a new one. If they don’t like your criticism, it is on them. They asked for it. Try to be nice about it, though. Learn to be “political” and keep the peace.

“An acquaintance merely enjoys your company, a fair-weather companion flatters when all is well, a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear.”

-- E.A. Bucchianeri

Have you ever started hating people just because you hate everybody?

If I hate everybody, it’s a little late to start hating, don’t you think?

How do modern people interpret the Bible?

Usually, they misinterpret it. It is one reason God stopped giving us written instructions. We are really that stupid. But, then, scripture is a product of man, not God. God gave us all we need to know in our hearts and minds during the Second Covenant. But, it does kind of make one question God’s ability as an “all-knowing” deity.

How do you make a good first impression on paper?

Press down with your writing implement.

What are some of the characteristics of a wrong mindset?

When you find yourself constantly at odds with people in the know, you probably have the wrong mindset.

How can faith help us deal with suffering?

Faith gives rise to hope, and we all hope the suffering ends.

“As a man who seemed about to lose both his career and his family once said to me, “I always knew, in principle, that ‘Jesus is all you need’ to get through. But you don’t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”

-- Timothy Keller

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