Offending Opinions (Updated and reposted from 11/18/2014)

 

One of the ministers at the monastery posted this little tidbit (above), and I was amazed at how many of us actually identify with it.  Maybe, it has to do with learning that you're not responsible for everyone else's happiness.  Or, maybe, that you really don't give a rat's patoot what other people think of you. The latter strikes a chord with me.

Opinions, like mine, can, at times, be offensive.  Oh, hell, let's not sugarcoat it.  For some of us opinions are, more times than not, offensive.  One of the blessings of a free society, and free will, is that you can ignore what you don't find acceptable.  You can change the channel, find another article, and always voice your own opinion regardless of what anyone tells you to the contrary.  It is not your fault that some people are proud and lifetime members of the League of the Perpetually Offended.

In posting about religion and such, I have run into quite a bit of this.  Being "tolerant" of other people's opinions does not mean having to agree with them.  Sometimes, just being tolerant of the opinion is tough enough.  One of my failings is, if I don't agree with your opinion I will beat that rabbit to death, run it over with the lawn mower, set it on fire, and "Damn the torpedos!  Four bells.  Captain Drayton, go ahead!  Jouett, full speed!"

This is not one of my shining attributes.  My Mother always said my mouth would get me into trouble.  I'm happy to report she was right, as always, and it still does.  For most of us, religion, politics, free speech, and patriotism make a volatile combination due to the high emotion that runs through the subject matter, for just about everybody.

I guess, for me, the bigger question would be why we offend, and why we are offended.  I think, for the most part, we offend because we are offended, or feel threatened.  It is a knee-jerk defense mechanism when all good sense, on both sides of an argument, seems to have gone south for the duration.  I would think the reaction might be excused if the comment wasn't aimed at someone who was dying or dealing with some debilitation.  If you haven't walked a mile in their shoes... but, I think you get my point.  Where death is concerned, if you are at peace with the facts and are ready to move on, the possibility of being offended would seem small potatoes for you. You might even laugh at their ignorance.

If I have not offended you, yet, grow a broad set of shoulders, and a thicker skin, learn to let crap roll off your back, and, rest assured, I will get to you sooner or later whether I intend to or not.  However, try to remember it is all just opinion and our ability to voice opinion is one of the few freedoms we, as a society, have not had taken from us... yet.  So... Exercise it!  

Don't worry about other people's opinions of you when you do exercise it, because, if we are concerned about what others think of us, we might never voice our opinions or have meaningful conversations.  We would all agree with each other, and how boring would that be?  The trick here is to put on your "big boy" pants, wade into the fray, take no prisoners, and at the end of the day take everyone, even those that haven't agreed with you, out for beer and pizza.  Call each other names, slap each other around, make rude comments about each other's lineage, and then shake hands with a big wet kiss.  It is all just opinion!  Try to learn not to take everything so damned personal.

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is perspective, not the truth."

-- Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.)

But, "opinion" is not necessarily based on fact.  In a free, democratic society we rely on news agencies and journalists to give us the information required to make informed and intelligent decisions.  When these "news" agencies stop reporting facts and begin reporting opinions, or worse, when they bow to political pressure to report only that which is politically correct, we are left with information of questionable validity.  In the political arena, it means the government has lost the trust of the people.  In religion, it becomes a war of intolerance against those of differing faiths or no faith at all, and God becomes the big loser of the trust of the faithful.

Whenever we hear or read news or intelligence reports, we need to have the facts; the who, what, when, where, how, and why.  If any one of these is questionable, we need to be advised of such, and if the personal perspective is given in place of fact this needs to be told to us upfront.  Perspective should not be based on personal bias but, rather, on those facts which are known.  Quotes should not be taken out of context, either.  Presenting information out of context, whether it's job numbers, unemployment numbers, or Holy Scripture, is just lying by omission.

"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

--Mark Twain

News agencies have been, for some time, mired in personal opinion, not perspective, and certainly not in factually reporting the news.  Again, this is not a new problem.  When I was in military Intelligence, we fell back to the Christian Science Monitor, so many times, for factual reporting.  The CSM became part of our annual subscriptions.  You could, pretty much, trust their analysis would be more spot-on than any government intelligence agency.  I haven't read the CSM in years, but I hope they have continued this philosophy of reporting facts.  

Instead of getting better, News reporting, in general,  has become a complete disaster to the point that reporters are dictated which stories to run with by whether it embarrasses the government or the President. If you print the facts, you'll lose your job.

"The slickest way in the world to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time - and then shut up."

-- Robert A. Heinlein

Reporting should follow a logical process of thought, so people know what to expect.  Report the facts, and report the perspective based on the facts before stating any opinion of the perspective.  This opinion of the perspective should be what leans your reporting left or right of center.  The facts should never be colored by opinion, or it is not credible journalism or reporting of the news.  Reporting the facts allows the reader to make their own conclusion to agree or disagree with the reporter's analysis, perspective, or opinion.

If you question my opinion, good for you!  Now, do your own due diligence.  Go online and read some foreign newspapers.  See what they're reporting about us overseas, that we aren't hearing at home.  Check out their opinion of us as a country.  Check out their opinion of our leaders and our world credibility.  Check out how "peaceful" Islam is slamming hardline and radical Islamic thought over the terrorism issue.  This reporting is something we never hear, and it makes one wonder why.  More importantly, it should make us wonder what else the news and, by extension, the government isn't reporting factually, if at all.

"Every time I write something, I think, this is the most offensive thing I will ever write.  But, no.  I always surprise myself."

-- Chuck Palahniuk

I make a sincere effort at the end of every post to inform my readers that what I write is my opinion.  As my opinion, it is a perspective based on information that can be of questionable validity.  Opinions presented in this context are springboards for conversation and debate.  Sometimes my "opinions" can be offensive.  I would like to say the offense is not intended but, more times than not, it is.  I apologize for that.  If I haven't named someone, I hope they don't take it personally.  It is intended as a cold slap to an unsuspecting face, to elicit a response, a contrary opinion, to wake up the spiritually lazy and/or those in a self-imposed, emotional coma.  Hopefully, you will continue to follow The Path through the holiday season and into the New Year.

Also, I hope you will comment, or at least develop an opinion of your own, pro or con.  Agreeing with me is not necessarily the right course, it is just my course.  I do not edit comments, as long as they are reasonable.  If I do,  I will explain what the change was, so the comment is not taken out of context.

"People misinterpret what I say all the time:  They think I'm being offensive when, really, I'm only being opinionated."

-- Taylor Momsen

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 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 in 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