Introduction
Hey guys, welcome to the JR Lee Podcast. I'm JR. Today, it's quite late where I am, past 10 o'clock, way beyond my usual bedtime. I decided to record this podcast tonight instead of tomorrow so I can free up time for other things. Let's dive into a different topic with a fresh mood. We're going to talk about the Stockdale Paradox, which is about hope, optimism, harsh reality, and who ultimately survives in challenging situations. This podcast will be helpful for everyone because no one is immune to adversity and pain. I'll share the important traits that can help you overcome difficulties, and these traits can be cultivated by anyone with a bit of effort.
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The Stockdale Paradox
Origins of the Paradox
I first came across the Stockdale Paradox in a book given to me by a publisher. I then searched for its source, which turned out to be from the classic business book Good to Great by Jim Collins, written over twenty years ago. I found my copy of the book in my bookshelf, which was yellowed and even a bit moldy, with my father's signature on the flyleaf.
James Stockdale's Story
Jim Collins interviewed Admiral James Stockdale. When Stockdale appeared, he was limping, indicating he had never fully recovered from a certain event. When Collins asked him how he endured, Stockdale replied, "I didn't lose faith. I not only didn't doubt that I would eventually get out, but I also believed I would survive. This experience became a turning point in my life. Looking back now, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything."
Let's go back to September 9, 1965. Stockdale, then a vice admiral in the US Navy, took off from an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea as the commander of the 16th Air Regiment. He led a mission over North Vietnam but unfortunately, his plane was shot down. He ejected and parachuted into the dangerous territory of North Vietnam. During the descent, he was already mentally preparing for the great challenges ahead. He landed in a North Vietnamese village, was arrested, severely beaten, and taken captive.
Stockdale was the highest-ranking military officer captured by the US during the Vietnam War. He was imprisoned in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prisoner-of-war camp. His injured leg from the forced landing never received proper medical care and was even broken twice during his captivity. He was shackled and tortured day and night. As the highest-ranking prisoner, the North Vietnamese tried to use him for propaganda, parading him and filming to show that their prisoners were well-treated. But Stockdale refused to be their propaganda tool. He cut his scalp with a razor and smashed his face with a bench to make himself unrecognizable. The North Vietnamese authorities also tortured him to get information about his fellow US military personnel, but he tried to commit suicide to protect his colleagues. This ordeal lasted for seven and a half years.
Stockdale's Impact on Fellow Prisoners
Stockdale's most remarkable feat was not just his own survival but his efforts to help his fellow prisoners. In the camp, communication was often prohibited, so he developed a code like Morse code to pass information. When his colleagues were being tortured and forced to confess, he established a mutual aid system. On the third anniversary of his capture, while the prisoners were cleaning, they used brooms and mops to send a message to Stockdale: "We all love you." This shows the great positive impact he had on his fellow prisoners. After returning to the US, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
The Paradox Explained
In the interview, Stockdale said, "This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end, which you can never afford to lose, with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be." In other words, you must believe in your ultimate victory and never lose hope, but at the same time, you must face the harsh reality with discipline.
When Collins asked Stockdale which type of people usually couldn't survive until the end in the prisoner-of-war camp, Stockdale said it was the optimists. Optimists would say they would be released by Christmas, but Christmas came and went, and they were still in the camp. Then they said they would be freed by Easter, but the same thing happened. Eventually, they died of a broken heart. Jim Collins later named this phenomenon the Stockdale Paradox.
Different Perspectives on Hope and Optimism
Martin Seligman's Theory
If you've been following our podcast, you know we've spent many episodes talking about positive psychology, especially the cultivation of optimism and pessimism and how to train your thinking. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, believes that optimists perform better and are more resilient under pressure. However, optimists are more likely to distort reality compared to pessimists. To solve this problem, Seligman proposed the concept of realistic optimism, which is similar to the idea in the Stockdale Paradox. If you want to know more about Seligman's theory of optimism and pessimism, I highly recommend listening to our Podcast Episode 11.
Arthur Brooks' View
Arthur Brooks, a professor at Harvard University, has spent a lot of time studying positive psychology literature. In his work, he mentioned a 2004 study by Fred Brian and Jamie Cavangros. The study explored the difference between hope and optimism. Optimism is believing that everything will work out in the end, while hope is believing that you can take action to make things better. The key difference between the two is action.
Let's take the example of the Vietnam War prisoner-of-war camp. Optimists would just wait for the day they would be released, believing that it would happen eventually. But when reality repeatedly disappointed them, they lost hope and died. On the other hand, those who had hope were realistic optimists. They believed they would be released, but they also knew the reality was harsh, so they took action to try to change the situation.
Arthur Brooks gave an example of a person with a serious illness. The doctor's diagnosis may not be optimistic. While both optimism and hope can enhance positive emotions and have an impact on physical health through the secretion of neurotransmitters like serotonin, cortisol, and dopamine, a realistic optimist will face the severity of the diagnosis and actively participate in their treatment, such as seeking a second or third opinion, exercising, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep. A study has shown that hope is more powerful than optimism in alleviating the condition.
The Nature of Hope and Optimism
I personally think that optimism and pessimism are acquired traits, although some studies suggest there may be a genetic influence. Martin Seligman believes that these traits are mostly formed before the age of eight and are often similar to those of the mother, who is usually the main caregiver in most families. However, science is constantly evolving, and new research and theories may emerge, and old ones may be overturned.
Hope, on the other hand, is a choice. It's how you choose to face adversity. Changing your personality traits of optimism or pessimism requires a lot of effort and may not be completely possible, but choosing to have hope is just a matter of changing your mindset.
According to Arthur Brooks, you can be a hopeless optimist, feeling helpless but confident that everything will work out, or you can be a hopeful pessimist, seeing the harsh reality but believing that your actions can improve the situation. So, regardless of whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, you can choose to have hope and take action.
Examples of Hopeful Pessimists
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was a key figure in World War II. Despite the fact that many people in Europe, including in the UK, were in favor of appeasement (giving in to Nazi Germany), Churchill was the only one who坚决 opposed it and advocated for a full-scale war against Nazi Germany. Even though the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to help Churchill, he was unable to do so due to the public opinion in the US before the Pearl Harbor attack.
Churchill was likely suffering from severe depression, and pessimists are more likely to develop depression. However, he was full of hope for the war and did not avoid the harsh reality. At the beginning of the war, he established a statistical bureau outside the normal combat command system. This bureau provided him with the latest and unfiltered data, including the number of fighter planes, the number of casualties of fighter pilots, and the supply of military supplies. Churchill once said, "I don't need inspiring dreams. Facts are better than dreams." He was a hopeful pessimist.
How to Cultivate Hope
According to Arthur Brooks, there are two steps to cultivate hope. First, visualize a hopeful future. Imagine what your ideal future looks like. When you feel helpless, try to change your thoughts and focus on this vision. Second, imagine yourself taking action and then actually take action. Think about the results of your actions and start with small steps.
For example, I love playing football, but as I get older, I find it more and more difficult to keep up with younger players in terms of speed and physical confrontation. So, I started thinking about how I could change my playing style. I decided to focus on improving my first touch. I started by spending 15 minutes a day practicing. I would go outside during my work breaks and practice juggling the ball 100 times, and then practice kicking the ball with my instep and inside of my foot 100 times each against a rebound net. I do this twice a day, spending a total of 30 minutes, but I get 600 touches on the ball. This has improved my ball control and passing skills in the game.
Stephen Covey's Theory
Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, proposed that when facing problems, we should divide them into three categories: problems we can directly control, problems we can indirectly control, and problems we cannot control.
For problems we can directly control, we can change our own habits. Sean Achor proposed the 20-second rule in his book. To form a new habit, make it easy to access within 20 seconds. For example, if you want to develop the habit of reading, instead of putting your books in the bookshelf, leave them open on your desk.
For problems we can indirectly control, we can use our influence. For example, if you want to improve the overall strength of your football team, you can encourage your teammates to practice together or seek help from others.
For problems we cannot control, we need to learn to accept them. There are many positive psychology techniques that can help us deal with these situations. You can listen to our podcast episode on how to reduce anxiety for more information.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as James Stockdale said, you must believe in your ultimate victory, but you must also face the harsh reality. The biggest difference between hope and optimism is taking action to change the situation. Start with small steps and gradually expand your scope of action and influence. This way, you can face any challenges, difficulties, or pain with hope.
If I had to add one more thing, it's about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Martin Seligman conducted a multi-year study with the US Army and found that while the US Army was aware of the high risk of PTSD among soldiers after combat, they often overlooked the fact that post-traumatic growth also occurs. Post-traumatic growth refers to significant changes in cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects. When facing difficulties, your response and mindset can determine whether you sink or grow.
That's the end of today's podcast on the Stockdale Paradox. Thank you all for listening. If you can afford it and want to support us, you can find the donate link in our information field. But please make sure you take care of yourself first. Also, please like, comment, share, subscribe, and give us a five-star rating. Good night, and God bless you all.