Questioning Morals, Jealousy, Agreements, Leaving, and Worry

What is your best hypothetical scenario to get people questioning their morals?

Do as I say, not as I do? It isn’t my job to make them question their morals. There is a special place in hell for people like me, and the best hope I have for them is that I don’t meet them there.

How should you react when someone speaks negatively about your best friend and tells you to end your friendship with them?

“If you have a problem with them, address it. Ending my friendships is my purview, not yours.”

How should one react if their best friend constantly blames someone else for all their problems?

Clue them in that all their problems are not the fault of someone else. If they let someone else control their life, that’s what they get. It is their life, not someone else’s, so only they get to say what happens in their life. Either they can control their life or they can shut the hell up. One or the other.

How should one respond if someone talks nonstop about themselves without allowing others to speak?

“Oh my God! Shut up about you. Give someone else a chance to bloviate.”

Do you think forgiveness is forgetting?

No. Mahatma Gandhi says, “Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” The memory, however, is a battle we'll have to fight.

What kind of changes have you noticed about society? What kind of change would you like to see?

We seem to be waking up to the “woke” culture, realizing it is steeped in the worst-smelling bullshit one can imagine. History teaches us more than one thing, to remember our history. It teaches us where we came from, what we went through, and who we are because of our history. I’d like to see us teach the basics in school again and stop indoctrinating our children into a political nightmare.

“At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue.”

-- Elon Musk

I live an ordinary life, but why are there a lot of people jealous of me?

Are you truly happy in your life? Jealousy is when people want what you have. If you’ve found the secret to life, they are jealous of you. Everyone wants to be truly happy in life, but the greater number have no clue.

What is your proudest?

My son and daughter, and my grandkids. Yes, I'm that old.

Why do I always have to take the blame even if it’s not my fault?

You don’t have to. You accept it as a personal choice. It is your life, not theirs. If it isn’t your fault, tell them. If there are consequences, well… it is your life. I’d tell them to go screw themselves before I entertain any “consequences” as punishment for something I’m not at fault for. It is your life, so what do you think?

Michael J. Fox has said "“With gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to and you carry on.” He has had Parkinson's for 33 years. Where is YOUR gratitude?

I give thanks each morning when I wake up. A day on this side of the dirt is a great day.

Author's comment: Indeed, so true. To those people who complain about another birthday, I always say - it’s a lot better than the alternative!

What is the basic principle of success?

In life, it is finding true happiness. In work, it is finding perseverance in the face of failure. It isn’t that you fail, it is what you learn from the failure that carries you through to attain your ultimate goal. 

What are the oriental leadership practices you are inclined to?

Try this:

“Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub; It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.” 

-- Lao Tsu, “Tao Te Ching”

How do we typically handle disagreements and arguments?

In the Intelligence field, I learned how to turn them into discussions. Disagreements and arguments waste precious time, whereas discussions can find “common ground” and keep the timeline where it’s supposed to be.

How do I deal with critical people?

I’m my own worst critic. I ignore them. You should try it. 

What hurts you the most about religion?

People who don’t understand faith. Both atheists and theists fail in this. “Faith” is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. Niether side has any incontrovertible proof, to offer, for the faith in their belief. 

Humans are born stupid as they grow older they become more intelligent and wiser younger Americans have decided that's no longer the case being older is no longer being wiser, should all Americans allow younger Americans   philosophy to control America?

Well, I’ll be damned… you found the time to insert a comma and a question mark.

What are the chances of everyone being wrong?

Slim, but it depends on the question and the variables. “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” Is it hurt? Where is it flying? How high? What is the swallow’s weight? How old is it? Is it suffering from PTSD? Is it being shot at? Yadda, yadda, yadda?

Is there always some truth in what a person says? How can we determine if their words are genuine or just an excuse?

There is always some truth in what I say. I have no filter, so I’ll tell you what’s on my mind, based on what I’ve heard or seen.

“If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”

-- Mark Twain

What are some ways to walk away from a situation when your heart is telling you not to?

Put one foot in front of the other, while heading in the opposite direction.

Why are Americans now famous across the world for being ignorant and stupid?

Have you seen who we elected as President?

When did the use of Sir/Ma’am as a general respect term decline?

Everywhere, it seems, but in Mississippi.

Is it considered rude to belittle or criticize others?

Ya think?

How can you communicate with someone who believes they are smarter than others, but may not be?

“Uh… Just a thought, but, you might be an idiot. Just saying.”

Can you provide some quotes from intelligent individuals who may not have been traditionally considered "smart"?

Try this: 

“It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”

-- Albert Einstein

What is a ticking timebomb that people should be worried about but aren't aware of?

An imminent terrorist attack.

What do you think of people who don't know what they want? Do you think they're toxic?

Not necessarily. I think they need to find out what they want, and then they need to work their ass off for it. But, from what I’ve heard, welfare won’t provide what most greedy people want.

In a world evolving at breakneck speed, how can leaders maintain authenticity while adapting to constant change?

It seems obvious that they can’t.

Does publishing mass shootings on public access media increase the likelihood of shootings? Does the media know that sensationalizing these stories makes unbalanced people more likely to become shooters? Don't most shooters do it for the attention?

Publishing closeups of the bloody corpses of the offenders will help curb shootings, as will keeping guns out of the hands of unbalanced people.

Why are humans the only animals to work at jobs? Why don't we live in the world like animals, using what we need day to day rather than accumulating so much?

It is freedom of choice. You have the freedom to do that, so start doing it.

Do you keep trying and trying until you become successful?

Yes. It’s called perseverance.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

-- Confucius

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