Be Colorful in Life! (Updated from 1/1/2015)

“If you’re to choose to paint your life today...

What will it be?

Remember, you’re the artist,

not the canvas.”

-- Val Uchendu

I love watching elderly people as much as I love watching children.  Children look at the world with a sense of wonder and discovery; older folks rediscover the world with a sense of wonder and discovery.  We tend to look at the world through the eyes of the child... we once were.

Every New Year that goes by, one undeniable truth affects all of us... we are not getting any younger.  Most of us "old farts" struggle to make it through to midnight, on New Year's Eve, so we can waggle our finger in the air, and mumble "whoopee" to no one in particular.  Another year has gone... knock wood.  

For old folks, the New Year makes us think of what lies ahead, as our friends begin to drop like flies around us.  Resolutions become not as important as what life has in store.  As one reaches sixty it becomes almost counterproductive to resolve to do much, other than wake up in the morning and squeeze as much out of life as possible. As we reach seventy, that means wearing loud, brightly colored clothing that draws attention to us and our pasty white flesh.  We have earned the right, and could really give a fig what others think.  We're out to have some freaking fun!

I was never much of a wallflower.  I always tried to have fun in life.  But, as I get older, I reflect on how little I actually did and how much more I could have done with a little extra effort.  Most of these are things I would be hard-pressed to do now, primarily because I have the wisdom of age and have lost the stupidity of youth.  

For instance, I considered participating in the Biloxi Beach Bull Run.  For $65 I get to outrun the guy next to me, and the bulls behind all of us, for a bandana and a ticket to the PCA Rodeo Finals where I can drink expensive event beer and watch wannabe cowgirls in tight jeans.  I thought about it.  Headline:  Dumbass Trips - Trampled By Bulls.  I might exercise my lecherous side and buy a ticket to the rodeo finals. Ah! Wannabe cowgirls...

In 2024, as with any new year, we should be less concerned with resolutions to do what we know we should, like get healthier, and be more concerned with living life to the fullest.  If you're 18, you might not live to celebrate 19.  As you get older the odds do not get better.  Live for today, love for today, and praise God for today.  Go out of this life the same way you came in - loudly. Or, being spanked, or both, I leave that submissiveness up to you.  

Make each and every day the "next to the last day" of the rest of your life... and dance!

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

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