Questioning Selflessness, Reality, Evil, Death, Happiness, and Connection

 

"A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people. A hero to me is someone who saves people and who really deeply cares."

-- Debi Mazar

Is it possible to be truly selfless?

Yes. Volunteering your time, knowing that there will be no payback, is being truly selfless. As an active military member, I had many opportunities to give my time for the greater good.

Which one is better, being selfish or selfless?

Being selfish is more satisfying… if you have that tilt. But, for the many of us who don’t buy into selfishness, we can see selflessness as a better way. I assume it depends on doing for yourself, being selfish, is being all that. I gave this “selfishness” a shot, back in the day, and I wasn’t very satisfied. I find that being selfless is a more satisfying feeling. I am doing it for those who can’t do it for themselves. Many times you don’t get thanks from people. I looked into an old man’s eyes once, his eyes said more than he could say. I knew that I needed to be there. Being selfless is much more satisfying.

Is everyone selfish in this world?

No. Not by a long shot.

Why do I feel smart when I know I'm stupid?

You are more intelligent than you think you are. By the way, you aren’t stupid. You might be ignorant in some cases, but you are not stupid.

What is something you are proud of about yourself?

I served my country for 23 years, in the Air Force. Serving your country is a point of pride. 

Is it better to be an uneducated genius or a highly educated idiot? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

I can answer this with a quote from Albert Einstein: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with the problems longer.” Was Einstein an idiot? He thinks he gets past that question by staying with the problems longer. Personally, I would rather be an uneducated genius than a highly educated idiot. Einstein finds a better way to say it.

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with the problems longer.”

-- Albert Einstein

Are all words and things real?

People can make up words, but physical things are very real.

Is philosophy stupid and for the stupid?

Philosophy has gotten us this far. Does “this far” make philosophy stupid? Well, we wouldn’t be this far without it. You be the judge.

How many people believe that man created God?

The atheists.

Why is human nature more evil than good?

Who are you hanging around with? For most of us, human nature is more good than evil. Humans may do some ignorant things, but they are pretty good, most of the time. If you are hanging around people who are more evil than good, you should find another crowd to be affiliated with.

What am I if I can't decide if I believe in God?

You're an agnostic.

Why does God take good people?

Because they are good, and there aren’t many people like them on this planet. Exceptionally good people are needed by God for various tasks. They may be needed to offset evil somewhere. Good people are taken because they are good. Why I'm still here is a total mystery.  Just saying.

“We may not ever understand why we suffer or be able to control the forces that cause our suffering, but we can have a lot to say about what suffering does to us, and what sort of people we become because of it. Pain makes some people bitter and envious. It makes others sensitive and compassionate. It is the result, not the cause, of pain that makes some experiences of pain meaningful and others empty and destructive.”

-- Harold S. Kushner

Why do people treat "fighting darkness with darkness" as the only real and natural necessity of life? Could that correlate to nihilism, or the mentality that it always has been a dog-eat-dog world?

People need to fight darkness with light, and evil with good. Personally, I don’t enjoy a plate of tough dog. There is so much more we can accomplish, than to fight fire with fire, or darkness with darkness. We can be the light… that shows the problem with eating dogs.

Why can't some people learn that God will always win?

Ignorance.

Is revenge always the key to solving problems?

No, revenge does nothing but put karma on your ass. If you think someone has done you wrong, revenge may be worse than what they have done to you. Revenge is taking what was done to you and targeting the person with worse. How do you think this is good or right? The better tact is to forgive them for what they have done. It might make them think, and that can be torture to them.

Do you post questions to others here on Quora?

No. I have no questions, only questionable answers.

What makes you able to face everything, even though you know you are fragile?

Perseverance. This is what I was taught, by my father. My perseverance in the face of possible defeat, was magnified by my 23-year military career.

Can you provide an answer to the question of whether or not we have free will?

All people on the Earth have free will, whether we know it or not.

“Experts in ancient Greek culture say that people back then didn't see their thoughts as belonging to them. When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love. 

Now people hear a commercial, for sour cream potato chips, and rush out to buy, but now they call this free will. 

At least the ancient Greeks were being honest.”

-- Chuck Palahniuk 

How do people go after death?

Usually to a cemetery.

What are some examples of free will?

Free will dictates you do as you please. In a “free” society, you do as you please… as long as it is legal.

Why do people have beliefs? Is it possible to not have any beliefs at all?

You mean, you won’t believe you are awake?

What will happen to me in a thousand years?

Well, you will probably be dead for 999+ of that time. According to how you are buried, you can be dust, a skeleton, or a mummy.

Is the reason why I am alive because I am not dead?

That pretty well covers it.

Is death the absence of life? Why or why not?

Almost. The dead body will lose a bit of weight when you are finally dead. Until that happens you could be resuscitated, if you’re not older than the Sphinx, or your head has left your body.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

-- Mark Twain

Are you happy today and if so what is the source of your happiness?

I have been truly happy for 23 years, ever since my divorce. I strive to be truly happy always, and in all things, regardless of my circumstances. The source was the choice I made for my life. We are free to choose how we are going to live life. My choice was to be truly happy.

Is it our genes and life experiences that make each of us truly unique, or is it our names?

What’s in a name? Our genes, parenting, and life experiences make us truly unique.

Have you ever given up in your life? What motivated you to rise again?

Only once. I took a Logic class in college. We did the worksheet in class and handed it in. All my answers were correct. I got a zero on it. Why? Because I didn’t show my work. I told the instructor he didn’t say we had to show our work. He said it should have been obvious. I told him it was “illogical” to assume. He said it is what it is. I was crushed. I told him his “Logic” class sucked. I was “motivated” to walk out, and I did. The entire conversation was in front of the class. I went back to work at the Intelligence Division and never looked back. 

Is there a difference between a good memory and a good IQ?

You can memorize volumes, but can you understand what you have memorized?

Why are highly intelligent people forgetful and sometimes clueless?

They have all that important information crammed in their brain. They are so focused on what they have learned they become forgetful and, at times, clueless. I knew an older medical doctor who, at a formal dinner, licked his plate clean. What the… 

How do atheists form opinions and make decisions if they believe nothing ultimately matters?

Atheists only think that God doesn’t exist. Everything else probably matters.

“Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a bearded old gentleman sitting on a cloud decided that when they stopped believing in such a being they had therefore stopped believing in God, so many who were taught to think of hell as a literal underground location full of worms and fire...decided that when they stopped believing in that, so they stopped believing in hell. The first group decided that because they couldn't believe in childish images of God, they must be atheists. The second decided that because they couldn't believe in childish images of hell, they must be universalists.”

-- N.T. Wright

Do you think humans are connected to each other in some way?

We have the “alpha” particle in all of us. When we were created, that we were created with, is still with us. In this way, we are all connected.

Is being alive overrated?

Compared to what we really are, yes. 

What are you (other than a human being)?

I am me, an learning entity. I consist of energy. When I cease to live in this existence, My energy will move on to another existence. And when that one is finished, I will move on to another, and so on.

What does a weekend or day off mean for your life?

A period of rest, or a period when I can get personal projects done.

What happens after we die? Are we just going to sleep forever?

It depends on your belief. If you are an atheist, you will die, and that will be it for you, If you are a theist, you will be reborn as God commands. And, there are other beliefs just as unproven. We all have a belief that can’t be proven unitl we die. If someone says they have the facts, they are full of shit. No one knows what happens after we die. We can only have faith in what we believe.

"What is to give light must endure burning."

-- Viktor Frankl

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