Questioning Choices, Asking, AI, Karma, and Mistakes

 

“You have to choose your path.

You have to decide what you wish to do.

You are the only person 

That can determine your destiny.”

-- Lailah Gifty Akita

What causes some people to have a mind of their own?

Politics.

How can I become a confident speaker?

Find a venue you can use and practice, practice, practice, and then practice again. Have a friend sit in the back and modulate your voice, without yelling, until he can hear you. Keep in mind, that if people are there to hear you impart information, you are in charge, so act like you know what you’re doing.

What is the hardest question to ask AI?

"Why?"

Is the idea that you can win with a specific tactic always based on an assumption that your enemy is dummer than yourself?

It is based on the poorly conceived assumption that your enemy is "dumber" than you are. After you use a “specific tactic” a couple of times, it becomes part of the enemy’s playbook. Tactics are general in their plan. There is a reason why tactics change like the weather, and the weather is just one aspect.

What is the difference between power, authority, and influence?

Those truly in power, give the authority to others, to influence the common man.

I want to become rich but there is nothing I want to buy. Why do I still not feel happy, just emptiness?

Happiness is a choice. When you choose to strive for true happiness always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances, you will understand it has nothing to do with attaining crap. If you aren’t pleased with having nothing, how will you be pleased with having everything? You will be rich and miserable, you know, like most affluent people. That emptiness you feel will go away when you fill your heart with true happiness. And, because it is a choice, it is sustainable until you change your choice. Changing this choice, however, would be counter-productive to happiness. Just saying.

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

-- Epictetus

How can we ask humanity to take their position "in righteousness" and humility"?

You can ask all you want, any way you want. How you make them listen and take their position, is another problem.

Can one still be rich if he or she did not go to a prestigious school?

My aunt was from a poor family in Mississippi. She went to several MS colleges and got several degrees. When she died she left $50 million to a land conservancy. It doesn’t matter where you get an education. It matters what you do with it.

What's something you are proud of that your ancestors did?

They came to America from Sicily. 

Do people think I'm stupid because I'm fat?

One doesn’t follow the other. If you’re intelligent when you’re not fat, you don’t lose brain cells by gaining weight. Many fat people are very intelligent. Maybe it’s the way you come across to them; the way you act.

What are some tips for young adults who still struggle with reading comprehension?

Read a lot. Read the classics, not the crap they produce nowadays. Find someone to talk to about what you read. Have discussions. Learn to comprehend.

How do I learn not to believe whatever makes me feel good, and separate my feelings from the truth?

If you separate your feelings from the truth, you will be living a lie. Learn to feel good while living in the truth. If you don’t like the truth you’re living in, it is your life, move to another truth. But, remember, dealing with the truth is what good people do, all the time. Be good.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

-- Mark Twain

How will artificial intelligence change the world?

Someone will not abide by the “Laws of Robotics” and AI will try to destroy the world. There is always some dumbass that thinks they know better.

How can I speak more meaningful and well-organized?

Take some time to think before you speak. Make sure you are saying something that is meaningful and well-organized, or say nothing. A wise man says nothing lest he says something not meaningful and poorly organized.

What is the best way to deal with trolls who are looking for attention and get offended easily?

Don’t. Stay away from them. Far, far away from them. Tell them not to follow. Find better people to hand around with.

How can teaching others about what we have learned make us more effective learners?

You are repeating what you learned. Repetition is a way to retain information and discover new questions concerning what you learned. Discussion, with an open mind, is a way we learn more about what we think we already know.

What are some things that only those who are good at something can do?

Freeclimb, sniper, paraglide, skydive, scuba dive, fly planes, disarm bombs, interrogation, brain surgery, basically anything that is considered dangerous or life-threatening.

Is it your responsibility if someone smashes your laptop in school?

It depends on if you were safeguarding it. If you left it lying around or not in your orbit of control, then, yes, it is your responsibility. It is your laptop, either way.

“Character — the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life — is the source from which self-respect springs.”

-- Joan Didion

Do you believe in karma? What would your life be like if it were based on that concept? What have you done to deserve the life you have now? What have others done to deserve the lives they have now?

Whether you believe in karma, or not, is irrelevant. What you do in life will stay with you. You can build yourself up or take yourself down, Karma is like that. My life is what it is due to good or bad karma. It is my life, so it is what I made it, for better or worse. What I do in life dictates how karma will treat me.  Whether other people accept responsibility for their life is irrelevant to the fact that it is their life and they are responsible for what karma does to it.

How can you tell if someone is lying about their credentials online?

Ask them pointed questions they should know the answers to. I have a “get out of jail free” card. I’m military intelligence, so I can’t tell you anything (sigh of relief).

How can risky behavior influence your career?

If I die due to my “risky behavior” it will have a big influence on my career.

My best friend told me she needed space and a break from our friendship. How can I stop the anxiety that I feel that she will leave me?

You can’t. And, she is probably gone. If she isn’t, can you ever trust her not to pull this shit again? Not much of a "best friend" in my book.  Better that you find someone who truly values your friendship to call a "best friend" from now on.  Just saying.

Do teachers ever remember students after not seeing them for many years? If so, why?

I can’t remember the names of people I’ve known for years. If teachers can remember 20-plus students per class, for years, how the hell can they retain what they teach?

What is the definition of wisdom? Is it the same as knowledge? How do people acquire wisdom?

Definition: The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise. You can develop wisdom by how you live your life. You have to pay attention to your experiences, knowledge, and good judgment, and learn from them. Learning, through living life, is a great part of developing wisdom.

“It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool than to talk and remove all doubt of it.”

-- Maurice Switzer

At what age do people start making mistakes?

I can’t remember what age my baby son was when he peed on me. It wasn’t long after he was born, though. That was followed by throwing his dish of food on the floor.

How can you help someone learn something new without making them feel stupid?

Ask them if they’d like some help. If they say no, tell them you’re available if they get into a bind. If you’re a supervisor or a trainer, the conversation will quickly degrade to them feeling stupid in short order. As a supervisor or trainer, one job you learn is to let the “trainee” know that many people go through this, so don’t feel stupid.

What is the most important awareness practice?

The ability to focus on everything happening around you.

In your opinion, what is the most useful thing someone can know how to do? Why?

Breathe. If you don’t, you’ll die. Then, you can learn how to eat. If you don’t, you’ll die. Then, you can learn how to defecate. If you don’t, you will die. Pretty much all the basics for staying alive would seem to be the most useful things to know how to do.

What is the best answer to prove that good guys do exist?

“Ta-da! You’re looking at one!” 

How can you convince someone that they don't exist without using logic?

Tell them to stop breathing. They may want to, but the body uses “logic” to understand that it can’t survive without breathing. They eat because the body uses logic to tell them to. They shit because the body uses logic to tell them to. This is logic we are not aware of. From this, we move into the logic we are aware of, like wearing clothes, making a fire, cooking our food, etc., and such.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.”

-- Dale Carnegie

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 view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, 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 offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a 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 United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

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 a weapon for his war on intolerance... he chose the pen. He 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 personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

 Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com