Questioning Failure, Drugs, Humor, Relations, Direction, and Trolls

 

"Failure is another stepping stone to greatness."

-- Oprah Winfrey

Do you agree with this statement, ''People shouldn't be afraid of failure, they should be scared of regrets.''?

Yes. It makes much sense. Failure is the best way we learn. If someone hasn’t failed, I’d be afraid of hiring them. They have learned nothing. I would rewrite the quote, however. “People shouldn’t be afraid of failure, they should be afraid of regrets.”

To me, it reads better.

Why is there no reason for every reason?

It stands to reason, that there would always be a reason for every reason.

What are the pros and cons of suicide?

The “pros” are that you have no more problems. The “con” is that you’re dead. Another “con” is that you might be reborn into this same life so you can try to work through the issues you have. You can commit suicide again, and end up right back in this life, again, and so on and so on, until you wise up. Oh, to “wise up” would be seen as a “pro” in this. Just saying.

Are you happy with your life currently?

Ecstatically.

Why do people follow me on [this site]?

Maybe, you’re an interesting writer. Maybe they’re waiting for you to trip up. Maybe they are learning from your experience. Maybe they like your questions. Why people “follow” is up to the individual. Our tastes are varied, and following someone can be for many reasons. If they haven’t attacked you yet, keep on doing what you’re doing. Having a following is better than not being followed at all, as long as they aren’t members of the League of the Perpetually Offended, that is. 

What happens to old people who don't want to age?

If they wait a bit longer, they’ll stop aging. It is part of the cycle of life. 

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

-- Mark Twain

I was laughing and I started flying, now I’m floating right beside the ceiling and laughing, how do I get down?

LSD wears off in a little bit. Give it time.

Are the people who run [this site] sniveling cowards because they won’t do something about lies stated in the form of questions?

Yes, but it is your choice not to answer the questions. I ignore obvious lies stated by the other sniveling cowards. I just shake my head and wonder how these people ever got through centers of higher education, and then I realize the centers have become indoctrination centers. My bad.

Can a person willfully identify as a victim and be happy?

No. They might think they are, but, they are a victim, and victims are never truly happy.

Is it okay to become a trickster, to trick a trickster before they trick you? I think so, but I would like your opinion, please.

No. You risk becoming the tricksters who you trick. If they trick you, ignore them. Ignoring them just pisses them off. They trick you in order to get your response to being tricked. Don’t give them the satisfaction.

Author's comment: Thanks for your answer, I agree you have a point, that's why I asked…

But… I'm not going to ignore being tricked, I'll cut anyone off, who does that, and I'm not going quietly.

I agree, there's a risk, when you pre-emptively resort to trickster methods, depending on what you know about the other person or not….

If it's someone, you've been warned about, and as long as you stick to tricks within the boundaries of law and good morals… well…

But it is a balancing act, of course.

What do you think of Quora's terrible decision to start allowing loaded questions?

It is terrible. If you find a loaded question, ignore it, and tell the rest of us.

Do you think the popular thinkers of this decade should write a compilation of their short biographies called "Stories of Our Lives"?

It might make good reading, but, who would decide who the “popular thinkers of this decade” are? Also, you will have to wait for seven more years to determine them. And, we’re back to my first question.

“Nobody who says as little as he does is as simple as you'd think. It takes a lot to not say a lot, because when you're not talking, you're thinking, and he thinks a lot. My mum and dad talked all the time. Talkers don't think much; their words drown out any possibility of hearing their subconscious asking, Why did you say that? What do you really think?”

-- Cecelia Ahern 

Does everyone have a different sense of humor?

Yes! Variety keeps us hopping. What one person sees as funny, the next might see as tacky. “Slapstick” is an acquired taste, for instance.

What's one thing you know now that you wished you knew earlier?

I found out that, what I knew love was, should be also felt by the partner you fall in love with. I was used for 25 years just so she could get her hands on half of my retirement. She admitted that she never loved me. A bitter pill to swallow, after 25 years of trying to keep it together. I have been more careful with my emotional attachments since, and have been much happier.

What age is a kid when half of their childhood is over?

It used to be six. Looking at what idiots we currently have in college, I’d say twelve, at a minimum. Like children, they seem to believe what they’re told, instead of doing due diligence. Very sad. 

In your "subjective" opinion, is it important to have fun with learning or is it all about discipline, persistence, and responsibility?

I almost didn’t graduate from high school. I wasn’t learning anything I wanted to learn. Granted, now I see the reasoning behind the courses we were forced to learn. But, in my humble opinion, if you have a topic you want to learn, you will find the discipline, persistence, and responsibility to learn it, and you will have more fun doing it. In my day, and for the most part, teachers taught subjects but they didn’t make them fun to learn. I suppose it was better than being indoctrinated and learning nothing of substance.

I hate being 80 years old. What can I do about it?

Lie.

What topics should I cover to be able to present myself as a wise person?

A truly “wise” person would already know the answer. You can’t simply “present” yourself as a wise person. People will, sooner or later, see right through the presentation. You are what you are, and have no reason to present yourself unless your ego needs stroking. The truly wise have no reason to be stroked. They, simply, are what they are.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

-- Socrates

Is it normal that I've never been satisfied in a relationship?

Nowadays, it seems “dissatisfaction” is the norm. People tend to “couple up” without really considering how much they care for each other. The sacred “vows” we recite for marriage become the confetti we use at the end of the ceremony. In relationships, nothing seems sacred anymore.

Is it possible that every time anyone expresses a silly reason for something, they may be giving that reason as a joke or that they are embarrassed to share their own opinions?

Anything is possible.

What would you say about persevering that makes you try even harder than you are now? Do trials make you stronger? Why? How do you gain wisdom as it’s important to renew your mind?

Perseverance, by definition, is “doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” How “hard” it is has no bearing on you doing it until you achieve success. You will fail, many times, before you achieve your goal. Failure and mistakes are the best way we learn. Failure and mistakes are the basis for gaining wisdom, as long as you learn from them.

Which has more emotional meaning for you, having your question answered or being able to answer someone else's question?

Giving a good, short, cogent answer to someone else’s question. 

What's one thing that people (the society) think it's right but truly isn't?

Ignoring good manners, especially when it has to do with the basics for other people, like pulling out a chair, opening a door, offering an arm or a hand for support, compliments, and the like.

The cost of fearlessness is what?

Death. Fear is a necessary factor for survival.

“Courage is feeling fear, not getting rid of fear, and taking action in the face of fear.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

Don't you think that humanity is really purposefully directed somewhere and directed somewhere? Aren't the people, i.e. their biological, social, and psychological characteristics of various non-mixing groups so complex that it is not directed somewhere?

Understanding the question as best I can make of it, I’d have to say, sure.

What makes certain values seen as more important than others?

Importance, in any arena, has to do with situational awareness. If the situation is calm, it is easier to deal with values that are not that important. If the situation is tense, only those values you are willing to deal with are important. Everything in life depends on the situation. 

Can stress or lies be detected by the sound of someone's voice?

It is one factor.

Why do some people misinterpret context which contains a lot of emotion in it on social media?

Because what some people consider “context” is not made very clear, which means the “context” can be misunderstood. If one wishes to put something into context, it should be made very clear and simple to understand. By definition, it should be stated “in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.”

What is a six-line sentence?

Ignorance of the “rules” of punctuation.

Standards of hope, is hope subjective? What can be some examples?

Well, by definition, “something subjective is based on personal opinions and feelings rather than on facts.” And, where hope is concerned, there are no “facts” or you wouldn’t need to hope. “I hope someone will rescue me.” There is no guarantee of rescue. It isn’t a foregone fact. You might be rescued, or you might not.

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

-- Shel Silverstein

What are the benefits of interacting with trolls?

Nada, zero, none. There is no benefit to trolls, other than they make a cute toy for children. Which makes a lot of sense. The trolls act like children, so why shouldn’t they be a cute toy for them?

Why do you always allow trolls to post obvious troll questions?

I have no control over trolls. Only the site managers do.

What are some things that make bullying escalate? And what are some things that de-escalate?

Submissiveness escalates the bullying. Kicking the crap out of the bully might de-escalate it. It worked for me.

Can it be true that it takes two years to learn to speak and sixty to learn how to keep quiet?

At 70 years of age, that has been my experience. I have no filter.

What are the benefits of being realistic rather than optimistic?

“Being optimistic, it is going to happen. Realistically, there’s no chance in hell.” Being realistic, you have a better chance of being right. The odds are in your favor.

What are the effects of over-disciplining or not disciplining a child enough?

Over-discipline, the child will hate you. Not disciplining, and you might hate the child.

“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”

-- Plato

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