Questioning Jobs, Change, Small, Leadership, Future, and Sayings

 

“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”

― Gordon B. Hinckley

What are the best places to find a job?

The “want ads” might be a good start. Other than that, you have the option of “beating the pavement” by going to all the possibilities and asking if they have any positions available. Finding a great job is not an easy task.

Is sophistry and lack of critical thinking the main enemy or the ally of globalization?

No, but greed plays a serious role. 

Can we just appreciate everything we have?

You cannot appreciate everything unless you have found the meaning of true happiness. Money can’t buy true happiness, and what it does buy only lasts as long as you let it. You have to strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. Poor or wealthy, true happiness sees no difference. 

If we bring global societies to the same level of critical thinking and logic level, sophistry will be eliminated and peace will reign?

No. Greed will always be a factor. There must be balance in the universe.

How come when a man gets angry he’s a person but when a woman gets angry she’s a demon?

Oh, hell no. Who thought this bullshit up? When a person is angry they invariably show their ass. A person in control of their emotions is usually in control of the conversation. A person who gets angry can’t even control their emotion, much less anything else.

Can you provide a quote that emphasizes the significance of words?

Try this:

“A word devoid of thought is a dead thing, and a thought unembodied in words remains a shadow.” 

-- Lev S. Vygotsky

If a guy says he doesn't like you, is there a chance he might change his mind?

Slim to none, and not enough for you to care that much about.

Have you ever done a good deed and if so how did it make you feel? Did the other person know it was you?

I do good deeds all the time. Some people know it’s me and some do not. I don’t make a big deal out of my selfless giving, that’s why it’s called “selfless” giving.

Can an atheist provide undeniable proof of their non-belief without stating their reasons? Would you trust an atheist who refuses to state their reasons for fear of being taken seriously?

No, but niether can a theist, and I trust nobody that I can’t take seriously.

Is it really okay to go around spreading rumors about people?

No, and if someone says it is, tell them it isn’t. How would you like it if someone was spreading rumors about you? As for me, I don’t give a shit is someone spreads rumors about me. Unbeknownst to them, the rumor probably has some truth to it. That doesn’t make it okay to spread it, it just makes the rumor more true than false.

What is the best way you have gained confidence?

I won the “Academic Award” during the NCO Academy course in the Air Force.

What is your opinion on the saying "people will only treat you how you allow them to"?

If you allow people to treat you as they like, the majority will probably use you. There are very few women who I would allow to use me. Just saying. But, it is your life and you have the right to deny people the right to treat you badly.

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

-- Wayne W. Dyer

Why do stars look so small? Give a one-word answer.

Distance.

How do I learn to be kind and strong even though people aren’t kind to me?

You learn to be a selfless person. If you show the idiots who aren’t kind to you some kindness, you come off as the bigger person, to those who see.

Why are people in their 30s not considered old anymore?

People are living and working longer.

What factors contribute to people being rude and arrogant towards their own children?

Some people tend to treat their children the way they were treated as children. Some try to be better parents than the ones they had. It depends on how the child grows up and how they see the behavior of other parents.

How would the world be different if everyone made an effort to improve it?

It would be improved.

Why does depression occur in old age?

You look back on your life and realize the end of life is closing in on you faster than it was. To look death in the face is to realize it’s too late to do everything and everybody you haven’t done.

“There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.' Sadness is more or less like a head cold- with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.”

-- Barbara Kingsolver

Why do we need leadership?

Do you see the state of the union? This is what a lack of leadership has brought us to. We went from a great leader to no leader, and our lack of borders suffered the most.

What if nothing was here right now? Would that mean that there is nothing to see because nothing is here? Therefore, how can something come about if there was nothing in the beginning?

If nothing were here, there would be no one to see it because nothing is here, including the observer. However, “nothing” is something, because we have named it. If nothing is something, then there may be a way that something else can come about. Besides, we have no idea of the other universes that co-exist with us. Perhaps one of them had a fart, a “Big Bang” that created our universe. Conjecture. 

Will people remember me when I'm too dead to care?

How “too dead” does that have to be, for you not to care?

How can I navigate through life? I'm 27 years old.

Welcome to life, the world did not prepare you for. At 27 years of age, you should be on your way through life, not complaining that you don’t know how to "navigate" it. The educational system has failed... yet another student. I would be pissed, but this is everything I expect from education. It sounds pretty trite but, it would help if you got a compass. The compass has helped people navigate since the 11 or 12th century.

How long until someone argues that Aaron Bushnell's sacrifice should not be commemorated because he was white?

Aaron Bushnell’s sacrifice, by self-immolation, should not be commemorated because he was demented. His color has nothing to do with it… unless you’re a racist.

What would you say are some differences between your present self and your ideal self?

Well, I was born in 1953 when Ian Fleming wrote about a character, Commander James Bond, CMG RNVR. I always fancied myself as a “Bond” personality. James Bond would be my “ideal self” if I had to choose. I find it interesting that I also served in the Intelligence service. The difference is that I'm not him.

“History is moving pretty quickly these days, and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.”

-- Ian Fleming (1953)

Do you think the world will still exist in 100 years?

Yep. The world will keep on keeping on forever, with or without mankind.

Should I be worried in my twenties?

You shouldn’t worry at all. Strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. All of us could drop dead at any moment, so live a selfless life, and dance like no one is watching.

What will you be doing 25 years from now?

Pushing up roses.

If humanoid aliens are real, how likely are they to look like?

Well, you stated they are “humanoid” so the definition comes into play: “Having an appearance or character resembling that of a human.” They are likely to look similar to humans in shape. 

If you were in your '70s would you want to live past 100?

I would love to live past 100 if only to see man land on Mars. 

How can science advance if scientists are too arrogant to admit being wrong?

This used to be true, but not much anymore. If a scientist is arrogant there will be another scientist that will call them down for it. We have found that “facts,” when it comes to most anything, are only as good as the moment allows. New facts will change what we thought was real, and a new reality, for the moment, will rule.

Reader comment:  What if the scientists are all too arrogant to admit being wrong and are literally covering up the fact that there is a fundamental mistake in physics?

My reply:  Oh, there is. We keep putting “x-factors” in theorems to make them work. Einstein admitted to doing this.

Reader's reply: The reason that they need the X-factors is because the fundamentals are wrong. I have proven that the fundamentals are wrong and now we can fix all the x factors. If people can process the simple obvious facts.

My reply: And science marches on.  

“Science has and continues to make huge mistakes, and yet continues to arrogantly declare itself as the end all and be all of the rational explanation of the universe. What are some of science's big gaffs? The list is almost endless: the efficacy of frontal lobotomies, The Blank Slate theory (or Tabula rasa), the Phlogiston Theory, the definition of the “GENE” (which has changed over and over since it was coined by Johansson in 1909), that we cannot send information faster than the speed of light, classifying humans into the different races, the invention of nuclear weapons, fossil fuels, CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), leaded petrol, and DDT.”

-- Laurence Galian

What do you say when someone breaks up with you?

“Again?”

What could you buy 200 years ago that you can't buy today?

Legally? Moonshine, sex, marijuana, absinth, heroin, and sex. Yeah, I know…

Should teachers receive higher pay due to their role in shaping the future generation?

The few teachers who take the time to do that instead of indoctrinating the future generation into a socialist state should get higher pay and accolades for actually teaching. It’s kind of a concept.

Is it possible to determine if someone has traveled through time before us?

Uh… when did we travel through time?

Who do you think is the best man for America?

It sure as hell isn’t Biden. And Gavin Newsom is a waste of oxygen. He has destroyed California. I’m sure there is a teenager out there, boy or girl, with the wherewithal to be in politics. The children, so far, haven’t done very well.

What do you think the world will be like by 2023?

You do know it’s 2024, right?

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

-- Søren Kierkegaard

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