Admiral James Stockdale -An American Hero

James Stockdale - Wikipedia.The Stockdale Paradox.

When asked who failed to survive in the Vietnam POW camps, James Stockdale said the "optimists",because, after their hopes kept getting dashed, they died of a broken spirit. He survived because, while never losing hope at the final outcome, he dealt realistically with each day, and each situation. This dual philosophical approach to life informed his every moment, and he credited it to his survival after years of imprisonment.

"We will all experience disappointments and crushing events somewhere
along the way, setbacks for which there is no "reason"; no one to
blame. It might be a disease; it might be injury; it might be an
accident; it might be losing a loved one; it might be getting swept
away in a political shake up; it might be getting shot down over
Vietnam and thrown into a POW camp for 8 years. What separates
people, James Stockdale taught me, is not the presence or absence of
difficulties, but how they deal with the inevitable difficulties of
life."

-- Jim Collins

Comments

[Jay]

Nice. I became a Dennis Miller fan when I saw him defend Adm. Stockdale as people mocked him for having difficulty hearing during the VP debates. A true American hero.