25 Thought Provoking Questions / Interesting Survey!
May 29, 2017

(Sourced from 25 Questions that Provoke Thought)

After sleeping most of the day (I was having issues), it seems that now I’m going to be up most of the night. Wow! What fun. I was going to spend the rest of the night binge-watching “Once Upon A Time” on Netflix and I may still will, but for now, my eyes need a break. So what better than to come over here to the site and write an earth-shattering piece of literature. Or maybe do a survey. Whatever works, right? I found this survey and the questions are definitely thought provoking and interesting, hence the title. It could be fun. Let’s find out, shall we? Let’s do this…
1. What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you aren’t dying?

As opposed to not waking up and actually being dead, I guess it’s kind of a good thing. Hell, every day I wake up hurting and in pain so that’s how I know I’m not dead. Well, that and having to pee. If I ever wake up and don’t hear the snap, crackle and pop of my bones, plus feel that ready to piss all over myself if I don’t get up soon feeling, then it means that the reaper has shown up and I’m dead. Hope that doesn’t happen for many years to come though. I’ve got things to do.

2. Do you believe in the death penalty? What if someone murdered your mother in cold blood? What if someone murdered a stranger’s mother, but saved your life the month before?

I do believe in the death penalty, but it should be the ultimate last resort, reserved for those who are just total scum with no sense of remorse or hopes of redemption. Shit happens and sometimes it’s bad stuff. I get that. And accidents happen in the heat of the moment. I get that too. But if someone takes another life, just to be doing it, because they’re an evil bastard, kill them. It’s not a big loss. And if doesn’t matter who the victim is, be it my family or a complete stranger. It also doesn’t matter what they’ve done in the past. If they’re killing just because, then they deserve to die. ‘Nuff said!

3. If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?

Probably not very long. I’m one of my harshest critics and a pretty tough judge on myself and some of the stupidity I’ve been involved in. I’m pretty open minded towards others and try to be easy going, but for myself, I give no quarter and have little mercy. And if anyone else judged me one third as much as I do myself, they’d be gone and gone quickly. It’s that simple.

4. Would you rather be rich and paralyzed from the waist down or poor and able bodied?

Money isn’t that important, so long as I’m able to get by and handle my responsibilities. I like my legs and below-waist activities and wouldn’t want to give them up, besides I’m used to being poor. I’d go with the poor and able-bodied choice.

5. What’s the most expensive gift you have ever received? Is it the best gift you have ever received?

Material items have never really matted much to me. The most important and expensive gift a person can give is their time, their love, their presence. It means that you matter to them and it is truly the best gift of all.

6. When was the last time you lied? Is it possible to lie without saying anything at all?

I honestly can’t remember when my last outright lie was. I try to not lie or at least not give the blatant lies. And guess what? That’s a lie right there. I don’t lie much, but if the situation calls for it to not offend or hurt someone else or to make things easier or more convenient, then I’m just like anyone else and will do that “little white lie” thing. Anyone who says that they don’t occasionally lie or work around the truth is, guess what, a liar. And yes, some of the biggest lies are told by not saying anything, thus giving agreement.

7. Stealing is immoral, right? But what if stealing was the only way to feed a starving child?

Stealing is wrong, but there are times that you do what you have to do. If it was the only option and all other options have been tried and failed, there are circumstances where decisions must be made and it isn’t always the one you’d like or prefer, but it happens.

8. If I gave you $20, what percentage would you – really – save? If I gave you $200,000, what percentage would you save? Should there be a difference?

With $20, it would probably be all spent pretty quickly because the bills I have exceed that amount and I would use the money to pay said bills. As for the bigger amount, I would try to save a good portion because after taking care of my responsibilities, there would be money left over and could be used to provide a nest egg for future events. I’m pretty much good with money so what isn’t needed immediately would be kept for times I do need it.

9. If someone could tell you the exact day and time that you are going to die, would you want them to tell you?

No…

10. If you found out you were going to die today, would you have any regrets? Would you be happy with the way you spent the last 24 hours of your life?

I have plenty of regrets about the direction my life has gone in as of late and I’m currently working on making it better and resolving those regrets so yes, I would be upset with not being able to complete the goals I’ve set for myself.

11. What’s your single greatest moment of personal failure? Looking back on it now, did it make you weaker or stronger? What did you learn?

I’m not sure what moments to choose because there have been some totally messed up moments in my life. I think I’ll go with the DWI’s back in ’97. I was stupid, let a lot of people down, and went without a license to drive for almost 18 years as a result. It hurt me in so many ways, making me depend upon others so many times when I’d rather have been independent and I lost out on so many opportunities. It weakened me and made me feel like less of a person for so damn long. But I survived and I’ve gotten past it, mostly, and I’m back on the right path now.

12. Do the words ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ mean not being persecuted or discriminated against, or do they mean doing whatever you please?

I think it means to be able to live as you desire, with no presecution or discrimination, but also realizing that your rights can’t infringe upon the rights of others and there has to be a happy medium. We can live as we desire, but there are still laws and rules that apply to us and actions have consequences.

13. Have you ever discriminated against someone? Imagine that a street gang notorious for wearing purple shirts has robbed and murdered several hundred people in your town. If a man wearing a purple shirt just rang your doorbell, would you answer it?

I think that everyone has at some point, discriminated against someone else. It’s human nature and if someone acts different than us or dresses differently or is a different race or religion or gender or anything really, we look and judge and act accordingly. Anyone who says different is a liar and a dumb-ass as well. None of us are perfect and we all judge. It’s true, it’s damn true. And hell no, I wouldn’t answer the door. I rarely answer the door anyhow and never answer the phone and that’s for people I know and like. For some stranger wearing a purple shirt, they can just keep on knocking.

14. Is it crazier to choose to be poor or to spend 40 years of your life hating 40 hours a week?

That’s one thing that I’ve always been lucky about in that almost every job I’ve ever had, I’ve actually enjoyed it and if I didn’t like it, I didn’t stay there long and moved on. While there have been moments and situations that I didn’t like (Nic’s # 2 – I’m looking at you!), the people I’ve worked with and what I was doing was actually not too bad. I’ve always been poor though and that sucks, but it’s not crazy. It’s just life.

15. Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time? How many hours a week do you spend watching TV, or playing video games, or…?

I often feel as if there isn’t nearly enough time to get what I need to get accomplished, but it’s just bad time management on my part. I rarely watch TV and don’t play video games, unless it’s getting my ass kicked by my bestest and favoritest 5-year old. I just let myself get distracted and procrastinate and that’s my own fault. I have no one else to blame.

16. Do you ever celebrate the green lights?

What the hell does that even mean? Drink a beer at the traffic light when it turns green? Or maybe let out a cheer when the aliens appear in the sky and I know it’s time for an anal probe? (I really need to find a good man and quit being single.) I don’t get this whole “green light” thing. It must be one of them “young people” things. Whatever. Pull your damn pants up!

17. If you could be given another talent or ability, what would you want it to be? Have you ever – really – tried to perfect this ability in yourself?

I wish I could talk to and relate to people. Would that even count? I struggle so much with dealing with simple human interaction at times, it’s not even funny. I have tried to work on it and get better and I’m not as bad as I once was, but it’s not easy and gets harder all the time. I’m good with some people, but the world in general, not really.

18. No matter how bad things get, are you aware that someone always has it worse than you do?

Yes. I have a lot of shit going on sometimes, but I have a job, a place to live, some good friends and my penis works. Life isn’t perfect, but it is what it is and I know that I can’t dwell or get upset about what I don’t have, but instead should focus on what I do. There are always people who have it worse. They might not even have a penis.

19. When you help someone, do you ever think, “What’s in it for me?”

Sometimes, yes. It depends on the person and the situation. When I’m doing something for a person that I know is just using me and taking things for granted, I often stop and wonder what am I getting out of this deal. Is this really worth my time and effort? And sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t and I act accordingly. And then there are the times that the person just really needs help and is really sincere and appreciative and there are no ulterior motives. Those are the times that you just want to be there and help in any way possible and no reciprocation required. Those times and moments are pure pleasure in themselves.

20. Joy is found with simple awareness. What does your joy look like today?

For today, my joy was just being to myself. I had that urge to be alone and lost in my thoughts with no distractions and for the most part, it worked out just that way. I did get lonely a few times and wanted to call a friend, but at the same time, I knew that would spoil the moment and thus, I didn’t. I needed a day for myself and I had it. And tomorrow, life as usual resumes cause that’s the way it is.

21. What’s the difference between ‘living’ and ‘existing?’

Living is when you feel what you’re doing, experience the pleasures and even the not-so-pleasures of life and take in every sound, touch, smell, feeling, emotion, etc and make them a part of you. Existing is when you don’t care and lost hope and feeling, just going through the motions.

22. Are you willing to sacrifice the life of your child or lover to support a war?

Any sacrifice that is made, by my child or lover, is their decision to make and not mine. I would support any decision that they made for themselves. It’s not my call.

23. Do you ask enough questions, or do you settle for what you know?

It depends upon the topic or subject. If my interest is strong, I ask questions or else use my resources to search for answers and information myself, If it’s something that I have no or only marginal interest in, I’ll settle for what I know and let it go.

24. If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?

Yes…

25. If your life was a novel, what would be the title and how would your story end?

If it was a novel, it’d be called “Tossing Salt” because that’s my theme and brand and what is life but tossing salt into the wind and experiencing the consequences and effects? And how would it end? With the house in the country, the white picket fence, a man that I love and who loves me by my side, and a career as a writer where I’m making tons of money, working my own schedule and just content and happy.

And there you go. That’s the end of the survey and it’s time to close this up and go to bed. Or back to Netflix. Thanks for reading. Thoughts and comments are welcome. Take it easy my friends and I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Ubuntu!