What's the Point? (Updated from 5/28/2015)

" Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well, I won't do that." -- Walt Disney (1901-1966)

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I feel like rambling on, so bear with me and I'll try to make it worth a few precious minutes of your busy day.  It seems that when I go off on these "ramble forays," into my personal thoughts, it garners better readership than the posts I would think have more meaning. But, my readers know better than I what they find interesting.  I think searching for any insight into my inner workings is tantamount to watching motor oil dry.  So, with that being said... what's the point?

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I was sitting at my computer playing FreeCell.  My highest score had been around 350 - 0.  More often than not, however, it hovered around 30 to 50 before I succumbed to boredom and killed the game or it became so tedious that I just let go.  The latter happened around 2:00 in the morning when I knew I should be sleeping, but the mind is a tough taskmaster.  

As I entered the sixties of my life I had no misplaced security that Alzheimer's will simply overlook me if I don't think about it.  Facing reality teaches a valuable lesson... it doesn't matter whether I win or lose, it matters that I play the game.  When I say "play the game," I don't mean to literally, mindlessly, become part of some government or religious agenda that has us all marching to the same tune.  Rather, it matters that I'm involved in life.  It matters that each of us gets involved in something to do with living and exercising the mushy grey matter that fills the cavity between our ears.  If you're not involved, what a waste is that of what God gave you.  But, is that enough? To be involved, with something?

"It seems that when you have cancer you are a brave battler against the disease, but when you have Alzheimer's you are an old fart. That's how people see you. It makes you feel quite alone."

-- Terry Pratchett, author

There was a time when I would draw or paint. It occurred to me, that I was my toughest critic. The opinion of others would have little bearing on my continuing whatever art I was involved in, be it photography, painting, wood carving, sports, business, relationships, or FreeCell. The key was to be involved, to try my best, and never settle for mediocrity. "Mediocrity" seems to be the current goal for our society. 

I could let other people see my art because their opinion has little bearing on what I like to create; what made me feel good to create. We have to come to grips with the fact that there will always be a winner and a person who isn't. Whether either of them is a loser relies on how they handle winning. If the winner is a pompous ass, I look to the loser. If the loser is gracious in not winning, they can still claim a "win" due to possessing great character and showing good form.

 The point is having good character, and showing a modicum of class. If you were brought up right, you know the rules. There are some things men shouldn't discuss, and there are some things women just shouldn't do, and, if they do it, they also shouldn't discuss it. Be a gentleman, or a lady, at all times; be humble and gracious to a fault; above all, be true to oneself.  Being true to oneself is difficult when it comes to our sense of morality.  We all know what we should do, but we seem to be getting caught between what we want and what is right in our struggle to be righteous. 

"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."

-- Socrates (469-399 BC)

There are many things I have done in my life, that I'm not overly proud of.  Much of it fell under "national security" and is classified.  The private life stuff, well, let's just say I tried to be the guy who would make the ladies breakfast in bed and respect them in the morning, and my desire to make chocolate chip cookies in the middle of the night was simply a bonus.  Questionable moral righteousness tempered by character and class?  I suppose.  I think we all have things we've done that skirt correctness; those things we keep hidden in that lower drawer of our minds, beneath the tacky sweaters of forgotten Christmases, and the pants of our youth that will never fit again.  We store our mistakes and experiments in these dusty footlockers and get up every morning hoping we'll do better.

My mother. in life, had an opportunity, one day, to join me at Pass Cigars... my favorite watering hole.  I'd been telling her the crowd I hang with, spends most of our time solving the "ills of the world" and accomplishing very little.  We were working to rise above this claim to little fame, but at least we are involved, if only in discussion, of the important issues of the day, of which God, values, politics, and the economy seem to dominate.  Many of us have military backgrounds, a few are joining up to serve, and those that haven't done either, serve to give us another viewpoint which helps to maintain a balance of opinion while we have that third beer.  This is a good thing... the balance we create, although the beer is pretty good too.

We are from all walks of life, all races and religions, political parties, single and married, young and old. We meet at Cigars to celebrate, the almost forgotten custom, of face-to-face communication, camaraderie, and an unspoken "agreement to disagree." We accomplish this over a glass of local brew and a fine cigar.  This is not a bar, but more of an old English pub. A seldom-seen business in the States anymore.  

This was becoming a true "public house," a focal point for our small community.  Almost all the people frequenting Cigars is a character.  There is the former mayor, aldermen, other town officials, business owners, and retirees.  We watch sports while drinking and smoking a stogie.  Does life get any better? More women would help, but that's another issue.

"The great thing about getting older is that you become more mellow.  Things aren't as black and white, and you become much more tolerant.  You can see the good in things much more easily rather than getting enraged as you used to do when you were young."

-- Maeve Binchy (1940-2012)

For me, life is a gently flowing stream.  It is what it is, and the water? It is fine.  So, what's the point?  The point, for me, is... I like my life.  I want to remember every minute of it, the good and the bad.  I want to remember why I go into a room. I want to remember where I'm supposed to pee.  I want to remember the names of my kids... and their faces.  I want to add two plus two and get four. I want to remember that just because some mathematician says "point nine infinity equals one" it really doesn't, because there's a 99.9 times infinity chance he's a certifiable idiot. I'd put more money on me being right than him.  

And if I don't remember who I wake up with in the morning, I'd want it to be because of the tequila,  not because I'm losing my faculties.  And I want to remember my friends at Pass Cigars for as long as God will bless me.  If I have to play computer games daily to keep my mind sharp to this end, it is a small price to pay.  I will stay involved in life!

God gave us a mind. For some reason, more and more of us are losing track of it.  What are we doing differently than we did before?  Is it our diet, our exercise, or our stress?  Perhaps it's our lifestyle in general... or a government conspiracy.  Maybe we spend too much time sitting on our collective ass, in front of the television watching mindless reality shows or escaping our reality through someone else's fiction.  Maybe we need to peel the cell phone off our ears and go visit someone, you know, face to face.  

This probably all started when we began to lose our faith; when we began to put more stock in a book than the truth God placed in our hearts.  Regardless of the reason, life is too short. We're living longer and, unfortunately, most of us may not be able to remember one day to the next, or from minute to minute.

“I was thinking about how people seem to read the bible a lot more as they get older, and then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam.”

-- George Carlin

Be happy.  Be truly happy every minute of your life.  If your current life does not allow it, change the life you have until you are happy.  The morning may come when you wake up wondering, as you walk into the bathroom, scratching your ass, are you supposed to be happy? 

 And you look into the mirror, and ask the startled face staring back at you, "Who the hell are you?"

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