Questioning Truth, Bullying, Grumpy, Understanding, Reality, and Answers

 

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

-- Mark Twain

What are the truest things in the world that everyone knows?

You can’t breathe in a vacuum, a fire burns, and everyone dies sooner or later.

Can you provide examples of philosophical questions that do not have a definitive answer? What makes these questions difficult to answer definitively?

“Why?” It is the question that has puzzled philosophers for eons. The only lucid response to the question is “Because.” That answer falls far short of giving anyone closure by answering a question that has no context. To fully answer this question we must put ourselves in the mind of God because only God can answer this query. 

Is living till 60 years old a good lifespan?

I’m 70. Don’t count me out. 

What happens if you stop trusting everyone?

You start questioning whether you can trust yourself since you are a part of “everyone.” If you can’t trust anyone, you will find yourself looking over your shoulder for the next knife in your back. Trust is a commodity that must be exercised to understand the answer.

Is higher education purely for curiosity a luxury only for the rich?

Democrats would like us to think so.

Does [this site] use AI to write all these stupid and naive questions I keep seeing? If so, have the settings been set to "dumb"?

No, most of these questions are asked by people. No question is stupid if they need an answer. Asking the question more than once, however, puts their intelligence in serious question. Some people are naive and need some guidance. Not everyone can be an Einstein, and even he asked a plethora of questions.

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.”

-- Albert Einstein

If you bully yourself, no one can bully you. Is this correct?

There is always a bigger bully to show you how it’s done. I learned to carry a weapon. Then, the military showed me how to use it.

How do I break free from a cycle of dullness, procrastination, and lost self-esteem, especially when age makes change seem impossible?

If you’re 60 and haven’t learned to change, there is little hope. Around 50 years of age, I went through a divorce. I lost everything, including my self-esteem. I didn’t let this keep me down. Around 55, I was back on top and better than ever. I have a saying that gets me through: “Strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. It is a choice I make for my life.”

Break free of the cycle you’re in, and know that with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes change. It doesn’t matter how old you are. I just turned 70, and I’m learning and changing every day. It is one reason I stay on this site answering questions.

Why do teenagers today lack basic knowledge and common sense?

Poor upbringing. Parents are too busy to parent, and create children who remain children.

What is quoting?

When you repeat something someone says, verbatim, that is you “quoting” what the person said. By definition: “To repeat or copy out (a group of words from a text or speech), typically with an indication that one is not the original author or speaker.”

What factors contribute to changing our minds after making decisions?

When the decision you make, especially under pressure, turns out to be valid.

Has your understanding and attitude changed?

Before my divorce, being married for 25 years, I had no understanding, and my attitude was driven by work. After my divorce, I contemplated suicide. With the gun barrel in my mouth, I realized what the definition of a coward was. Five years later, I was back on top. Fifteen years after that, well, I am retired and well off.

The difference for me was the realization that life is what it is until you change it. Deal with it. I strive, every day, for true happiness always and in everything, regardless of my circumstances. I made this conscious choice for my life, and have not forsaken it.

“Reality is what it is, and what it isn’t, it isn’t.

Sometimes, what it is it isn’t, and what it is, well... it is.

Other times it is nothing, and then it isn’t anything.

If it's nothing, it isn’t, and if it isn’t anything, it is.

Naming "nothing" makes nothing something;

Therefore, whether it is or it isn’t, it must be,

Because even nothing that isn’t, already is.”

-- F.A. Villari

Why are grumpy old men at McDonald's always talking slowly?

They are hungry and all they want to do is eat their burger and fries, but people keep engaging them in bullshit conversation. It probably pisses them off. It would piss me off. Maybe if I talk slowly, people will leave me alone.

Why do people not like critical thinking?

It takes effort.

How should we be as people?

Ethical, kind, and selfless. Yeah, like that’s never going to happen. Greed is too strong an emotion to overcome for most folks. Therefore, there will still be balance in the universe. Those that have, and those who have not. 

What's a better way to say "I appreciate it"?

“Thank you.”

What could be the reasons for someone to constantly lie in a relationship, leading their significant other to lose trust in them?

They have secrets that they don’t want their significant other to know. If their significant other loses trust in them, they should not be considered a “significant” other. In any good relationship, trust, friendship, and love should always be at the forefront.

Why do you show weakness?

Never show weakness, unless it deals with truth and courage. A show of weakness is inviting people to take advantage of you.

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness.”

-- Brené Brown

Is it possible for humans to fully understand what they are translating?

Only if they truly understand the culture they are translating.

Why do I feel like I have changed so much but my past still affects me?

If you’ve changed “so much,” then, your past is ancient history. Let it go. Strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. Make the choice.

What did you create as a result of ignoring what others were choosing and following what was true for you?

Art. Woodworking or canvas. It was a relaxing hobby that I still exercise at 70.

What factors contribute to the difference in how people handle the truth?

Whether they are mature enough to handle it. The truth is the truth, and there is no substitute for truth. If people can’t handle it, they need to grow up. It is what it is, and them not accepting it won’t change it to something else.

Why is my husband of 85 getting angry, nasty, and overthinking?

Maybe he had a stroke. My dad was all that after his first stroke. Let’s not even get into his third.

What is the reason why some people constantly look back to their past and question why things are better now?

If I look back on my past, I have no reason to question why things are better now. I made conscious choices and decisions to make my life so much better. If your life sucks, you have not made good choices and decisions. It is your life, not someone else’s. You can’t blame others for what you have let happen in your life. Take responsibility for your life.

“Sometimes bad things have to happen before good things can.”

-- Becca Fitzpatrick

Is our concept of ourselves and others based on reality?

If it isn’t, you are living a lie.

How do you stop loving someone when they have taken everything from you and you still love them?

If you do, you never truly loved them in the first place. My divorce happened after the 25th year of my marriage. I worked to save it, to no avail. She admitted that she never loved me, she just used me to escape her family. She can turn off her emotions, something that I can’t do. True love isn’t a switch one can use to cancel the emotion. I still love her after 23 years. I simply can’t be around her.

How do you see today, when you woke up this morning?

The porcelain facility. I have to pee, first thing in the morning.

Who is credited with saying "No matter what you do, always tell the truth"?

I have no filter, so I always say this. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember the lie. But, I must confess, I have no idea who said it before I did.

Who will you discover?

Where?

What are signs you are an empath?

By definition: If I’m highly attuned to the energies and emotions of those around me, or if I feel what others are feeling, so deeply that I “absorb” or “take on” the emotions at the expense of my emotional well-being.

“Sensitive people care when the world doesn't because we understand waiting to be rescued and no one shows up. We have rescued ourselves, so many times that we have become self-taught in the art of compassion for those forgotten.”

-- Shannon L. Alder

What should I answer if my boyfriend asks me why I left the father of my kids for him?

“You’re twice the father he would ever be.”

Can you lie to yourself without conscience?

I’m not sure how you can lie to yourself and not know that you did it. And, if you did it, you would know that it was a lie, and you’d be wasting time perpetrating this lie on others, knowing that it is a lie. If you can lie to yourself, lie to others, and do so without conscience, more power to you. I think that would be the definition of a sociopath.

How can one respond to someone who says "I don't understand how you can be so calm"?

“If you want me to cry uncontrollably, I will. But, I’m not sure how that will help.”

At what point does cheating become a betrayal of trust? What is the best way to handle this type of situation?

Cheating is a betrayal of trust. They used to shoot them in the old west. Nowadays, we label them a “cheat” and press on down the road. If they cheat the government, there are laws they can be prosecuted with.

What is another word for patience?

Stoicism.

Why does God allow kids to go missing?

God does not allow it. God gave parents the responsibility for children. Why have the parents allowed the children to go missing?

“Faith, in its most correct form, never removes responsibility; it removes fear of responsibility. The results are complete opposites with the greater saying, 'God's will is my delight.”

-- Criss Jami

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