Questioning Doing, Time, Happiness, Brainwashing, Truth, and God

“Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life.”

-- Leo Tolstoy

What do you do if you have nothing to do and want to do something?

I’ve never had “nothing” to do. I’ve had “no one” to do and wanted to do “someone,” though. Is that kind of the same thing?

When in your life did love feel like a trap and trick you?

My marriage of 25 years. She finally admitted that she never loved me. She used me to escape her home life. She has no idea what love is. I divorced her in 2000 and have been happily living in sin ever since. I’ve been with my current girlfriend for 20 years. You need to trip into the right partner so life is perfect. 

What is the reason behind children calling adults by their first name only?

A bad upbringing. It is a sign of no respect for age. That probably wouldn’t fly on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Why don't you let me have sex with you?

I’d blush, but I’m not sure what sex you are. Besides, I'm spoken for.

Can making ourselves unhappy make others happy?

Only if you feel like making an asshole feel happy. I don’t have that much unhappiness in me. I surround myself with good people.

If a person makes an effort to improve something, isn't that the pursuit of happiness?

The “pursuit of happiness” is a simple “choice” you make for your life. You strive for true happiness, always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. This simple "choice" is sustainable, as long as you don’t change your choice.

“Others may question your credentials, your papers, your degrees. Others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. But what is inside you no one can take from you or tarnish. This is your worth, who you really are, your degree that can go with you wherever you go, that you bring with you the moment you come into a room, that can't be manipulated or shaken. Without that sense of self, no amount of paper, no pedigree, and no credentials can make you legit. No matter what, you have to feel legit inside first.”

-- Chris Gardner

Is time itself something out of nothing?

Time is a human concept. The seasons, phases of the moon, and the sun cutting across the sky, are things we have used to come up with the concept of “time.” Time is something out of nothing, but based on planetary reality.

Is death always a subset of destruction?

Not necessarily. You go to sleep and not wake up. You die in your sleep. No destruction, just death.

Is it okay to be stupid and know it and just be happy?

It is never okay to claim stupidity. But it is very intelligent to be truly happy for no particular reason. We don’t teach our children, early on, to strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of their circumstances. It is a choice we should all make early on. We bring too much drama into our lives when we would be so much better without it.

Aren't you supposed to seek God first for you to find him?

You can seek God if you want, but, sooner or later, God will find you.

1.  Why does my mind make it hard to believe God?

2.  Who is God, and why don’t I feel him?

Same answer for both questions:  Atheists and theists both have “faith” in their beliefs, and yet, niether of them has any incontrovertible proof to back up their belief. Faith is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. Personally, I think “God” is pure energy. God was, is now, and ever shall be. Sounds like energy to me. People find it hard to believe in a “biblical” definition of God, and your mind is no different. I believe in an “omnipotent force” that created everything. God? I am comfortable calling it that.

Those who believe in God, and please him through good work, will be paid with what?

If you are selfless in your good work, you will be paid in true happiness.

“Peace is something like happiness; you cannot say "I will be happy when..." and you can't say "I will be peaceful when..." Your happiness shouldn't depend on the situation you're in, nor on the circumstances that surround you. In the same breath, you cannot wait for everything around you to become peaceful in order for you to say "I am peaceful." In both happiness and peace, there is a heart of strength, determination, and steadfastness; a heart that has the power to make things happen. You have to be at peace. You have to be happy. Now.”

-- C. JoyBell C.

Why do most people believe that money can buy happiness?

Unfortunately, yes. They will be happy for about that long, and then they are out looking for their next fix. True happiness doesn’t need money to make you feel good. The big mistake in our society was when parents stopped teaching children to strive for true happiness in life. It is a simple choice. Strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances.

What can having money do for me?

Complicate your life.

How can someone be happy when they are really not?

If they aren’t happy, then they’re not. Anything they show you past this is an act. Most people have no clue what true happiness is, so they adopt an act that they think is genuine, How may people off themselves and their friends say they had no idea they were hurting?

Do you think that money is everything in life?

No, but true happiness is.

Why are most people playing not to lose rather than to win?

Why would you play to lose? Unless losing is a tactic that benefits you in some way, it is counterproductive. Most people are not that stupid.

Is free will a real concept? If not, why do we have the perception of being able to make choices?

Free will is a real concept. You can do whatever you feel like you can do. If you give your choice to someone else to make it for you, that is your free will. If you choose to kill someone, this is also free will. You will be prosecuted and die from a lethal injection, but it was your free will. If you feel you can’t make choices, you have no concept of free will. We live in a society of laws, and it is in our best interest to obey those laws. To obey laws is an act of our free will, or we can break the laws and pay the penalty. This, again, is an act of free will.

"God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong, but I can't. If a thing is free to be good it's also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having."

-- C.S. Lewis 

When is brainwashing available for humans?

When you start to believe the bullshit being fed to you. For the weak-minded, Democrats do a fair job of it. Joe Biden is the sad result.

Given that the destination is death, is life about the journey?

The destination isn’t death unless you believe death is the end. Nirvana is the true destination, and it may take many lives to arrive. Those lives you will live are the journey you take to get to Nirvana. Death is simply a marker to show you left this life for the next. I have lived many lives and will live many more before I am ready for Nirvana. “Nirvana is a place of perfect peace and happiness, like heaven. In Buddhism, nirvana is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person's individual desires and suffering go away.” -- Vocabulary.com

Can animals make decisions that are best for them?

Have you ever watched a “working dog” do their job? Or, a wolf as it stalks its prey? Animals, by and large, take care of themselves, and who they’re with. 

Why do people live when they know they will eventually die?

Because we will live again. We take everything from our past lives with us into the next.

How would you define discipline and determination in life?

Perseverance, in the face of failure. It isn’t that you fail, it’s what you do with the failure, that is important. You can cry or you can learn from your failure and try, try again, until you succeed.

Is science considered a religion or a belief system?

Science is a discipline. It is a systematic methodology based on evidence. The science that is based on superstition is superstition, not science.

"Science is a way of life. Science is a perspective. Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that's precise, predictive, and reliable - a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional."

-- Brian Greene

How does a Christian know or recognize the truth?

They have faith in their belief, just like the atheists have.

If atheism is true, can someone prove it to me?

Neither atheism nor theism has any incontrovertible evidence to validate their belief. Both rely on the faith of their belief. “Faith” is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof.

Can I find a job without college?

The Air Force is always on the lookout for volunteers. 

Why did Hitler not gas as many gays as he did Jews?

There weren’t as many gays as there were Jews. Is this a serious question, or are you messing with me?

What are the consequences of not showing up for a job after being hired?

You will be fired.

How do I make sure that the universe never dies?

One, it won’t. Two, it isn’t your purview.

“What are the lessons to be learned from this journey of the mind? That humans are emotionally fragile, perennially gullible, hopelessly ignorant masters of an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos.

Have a nice day.”

-- Neil deGrasse Tyson

What is the term for the belief that God created everything but does not care about humanity?

Ignorance.

Is the word 'zen' mentioned in any of Buddha's teachings?

“Zen” is “meditation.” If Buddha mentions meditation, he mentions “zen.”

Can "Zen" exist without Buddhist philosophy and practice, or is it simply another term for Buddhism?

“Zen” is another word for meditation.

What are some things that should not be said to a girl who does not have a boyfriend?

“Are you gay?”

How do I find a good friendship with good friends?

A neighborhood “cigar bar” worked for our little town.

Is there a way I can stop being so curious?

The knowledge that “curiosity killed the cat” doesn’t do it for you?

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.

-- Albert Einstein

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