Questioning Negativity, Sayings, Wrong, Better, Knowing, and Influences

 

What are some ways to make negative people like you?

Why would you want to make more negative people like me? Personally, I’d be trying to make more positive people.

Would you have sex with your own mother if she came and asked you?

My mother is dead. If she asked me I’d crap myself.

How can a 23-year-old boy focus on life?

That’s how 23-year-old boys graduate college, reenlist in the military, get married, have children, hold down a job, get a job, yadda, yadda, yadda. They learn to focus. What have you been doing?

Is there an answer to evil?

True love.

What are some comebacks when someone tells you, "Why don't you ever smile?"?

“I’m not having sex.” “It’s not in my wheelhouse.” “For you? Be real.” “Take your clothes off. I’ll smile.”

If people start questioning the origin of your wealth just because you're still young, what would you do?

Ignore them. It’s none of their business. If it was, they’d have you in court.

“Complexity catastrophes help explain why bureaucracy seems to grow with the tenacity of weeds. Many companies go through bureaucracy-clearing exercises only to find it has sprung back a few years later. No one ever sits down to deliberately design a bureaucratic muddle. Instead, bureaucracy springs up as people just try to optimize their local patch of the network: finance is just trying to ensure that the numbers add up, legal wants to keep us out of jail, and marketing is trying to promote the brand. The problem isn't dumb people or evil intentions. Rather, network growth creates interdependencies, interdependencies create conflicting constraints, and conflicting constraints create slow decision making and, ultimately, bureaucratic gridlock.”

-- Eric D. Beinhocker

What is the reason behind people saying "you're not supposed to" instead of "you shouldn't" when giving advice?

“You’re not supposed to,” is advising that you’re breaking a rule. “You shouldn’t,” is just good advice.

Right now, how old are you?

70 years and a bit.

What advice do we have for young people?

Stay out of debt, don’t get married until you’ve enjoyed life, and don’t have children until you’ve enjoyed your spouse. But, most of all, stay out of debt! Pay what you owe every month. 

What type of guys are unfaithful?

Guys that aren’t getting enough sex from the woman they thought they loved. Oops!

What is the reason behind people saying, "Your tone isn't nice."?

It’s an advisory. People who have said this to me also heard, “Good, then I’ve struck the right chord.” Sometimes you reach a point where being “nice” gets you nowhere. At this point, you need to let people know you mean business.

Which term is more appropriate to describe someone's intelligence: "clever" or "smart"?

Smart. Imbeciles can be clever, occasionally.  And intelligent people can act like imbeciles.

“A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.”

-- Bertrand Russell

Is it wrong to think of someone differently just because I do not approve of the people they talk to?

They talk to you. Do you approve of yourself?

Why do so many people on Quora have historians in their name, but get so many things wrong?

Anonymity. They don’t think about the person’s intelligence they have chosen to embarrass. I see no need to be someone I’m not, so I use my name. If I’m wrong, rare as the possibility is, so be it.

What is an appropriate response if someone asks for free money?

“I worked for it. So can you.”

If you are in difficulty, what is the easiest and most effective way to get out of it?

Look at the “difficulty” with a critical mind. The first thing you must admit is that the difficulty was your fault. Choices and decisions, and you made the wrong one. Once you have admitted you are not “all that” you can begin to figure out where you went wrong. Once you find that, you should be able to make it right or ease the pain. Life is about making choices and decisions and, as such, we are usually the problem we seek.

Where can I find someone to talk to about spanking?

Are we talking in general, about children, or a submissive? Or, could it be about you? 

Do philosophers make life more difficult than it is?

Good philosophers can make life more understandable. I have been studying the philosophy of Heraclitus, of late.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”

-- Heraclitus

Why don't you have anything better to do than sit here on [this site]?

Well, for one thing, I’m retired from two jobs at 70 years of age. For another, I see no better use of my wisdom than to spread it to those who need it. And, lastly, I start at 4:00 in the morning and end around 9:00, which leaves me an entire day to do what I consider constructive, which is drinking bourbon, smoking a good cigar, and performing selfless acts of kindness while I watch the pretty ladies. If you can beat that, more power to you.

Do we have friends on the other side?

Like, on the other side of life? I have quite a few.

Is politeness perceived as a weakness by some people? How can we change this perception?

You don’t need to change the “perception” since it’s only “perceived” as a weakness by most people who are not polite. I’m a retired military man who hangs around the retired military, and I can say, without reservation, that we appreciate those “polite” people we come across.

What is the lowest IQ considered a genius?

An IQ score above 140 is considered the “Genius” level.

Is it possible to have an IQ that is less than zero?

Yeah, we call that individual... “Dead.” 

How does an intelligent person behave differently when interacting with smarter individuals?

Smarter, or more intelligent? I know a few “smart” people who can talk circles around an “intelligent” individual. If you find someone who is smart and intelligent, you have found a rare individual.

“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”

-- Harlan Ellison

What is a person thinking when they say to you "I want to get to know you more" or "Looking forward to getting to know you better"?

They either find you very interesting, they’re just being kind, or they have an alternative motive.

Do you think reading can change one's life?

Absolutely. What you read changes you… if it has merit for you. If you read trash, it can change you to accept trash. If you read porn, well, you see the point. If you read magazines that take you to foreign countries, you will find a way to visit foreign countries. Reading allows you to do what you can’t do, and to be where you are not. If you find it piques your interest, you might find a way to experience it. Yeah, I think reading can change one’s life or perspective to some degree.

What's one truth you've learned about being a human?

We were born to learn. If you don’t learn, you have wasted your life and you’ll have to make up for it in the next life.

What kind of people make you ashamed to be a human being?

Child molesters. 

How do different people define success? Can understanding this help us in any way?

I define success in life as striving to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. We tend to confuse success in life with attaining goals. 

Who is credited with saying, "My country, right or wrong"?

Try this:

“Our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but right or wrong, our country!”

-- Stephen Decatur (1816–1820?)

What's a quote or saying that has profoundly influenced your perspective on life?

“It is what it is until it isn’t, and then it is what it is again.”

You can’t fight City Hall, but you can run for Mayor. Rules are rules until you vote to change them. Things are what they are until they change, and they won’t change by whining about them. Someone has to be the force of change. That would be us.

In a situation where you can’t do nothing, what will you do?

Anything.

Who said "If you want to be successful, surround yourself with people who are more successful than you" and why did they say it?

Naval Ravikant. If you surround yourself with people who are more successful than you, you will have many more successful people to learn from.

Can mindset impact personal success?

If your “mindset” is that you’re an abject failure, the chance of any success is nil.

Is it considered negative to openly acknowledge your flaws to others?

It isn’t negative, but it isn’t smart, either. Acknowledging your flaws can make you a target for someone who wants something from you. We all have flaws, so you don’t have to broadcast yours to the world.

Can you provide some examples of quotes about fighting?

Try these:

“Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.”

-- Herbert Hoover

"No one fights dirtier or more brutally than blood; only family knows its own weaknesses, the exact placement of the heart."

-- Whitney Otto

“If you manage to get the big guy on the ground, kick the crap out of him... and run.”

-- F.A. Villari

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