On Balancing Reality and Faith

I remember being inspired by the independent Presidential candidacy of H. Ross Perot in 1992.   But the performance of his running mate, James Stockdale, in the Vice-Presidential debate knocked me back quite a bit in my support for Mr. Perot. After all, who starts a nationally televised political debate with “Who am I? Why am I here?” With the benefit of hindsight, I now understand that I didn’t fully appreciate who James Stockdale was, what he stood for, or the important lessons he had to offer us – ones that are so very relevant today, long after his death and in a time of great crisis.

James Stockdale offered us heroism, but he offered us something more than that too. He demonstrated, through his own example, the power of combining a harsh look at the severity of our current circumstances with an unconstrained faith that we can get through it, we will endure, and we will thrive in the future.

Before his Vice-Presidential run, James Stockdale served our country as a pilot in the U.S. Navy. In 1965, he was captured in North Vietnam. Over the next seven-plus years, he was held as a prisoner of war in horrific conditions and suffered through repeated, brutal torture of both a physical and psychological nature. Yet, unlike many of his fellow prisoners who perished in captivity, he survived and ultimately ascended to the rank of Vice Admiral.

Admiral Stockdale’s story of unparalleled perseverance caught the attention of Jim Collins while he was working on his well-known book, Good to Great. In speaking with Admiral Stockdale, Mr. Collins was struck by the way he thought about his circumstances while in captivity:

“I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

When asked about which prisoners did not survive, Admiral Stockdale said:

“The optimists. They were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

“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.”

From this conversation, Jim Collins identified what he called the “Stockdale Paradox.” In essence, we must always have faith that we will prevail in the end. Yet, while maintaining this unwavering faith, we must also fully acknowledge our current reality, however terrible it may be.

If ever there were a time to reflect on the Stockdale Paradox, it is today. We must confront what Admiral Stockdale would call “the most brutal facts” of today’s challenges. We must confront the reality of the global COVID-19 crisis: 

• A global pandemic not seen in 100 years
• Millions of people sick and hundreds of thousands dead, with expectations for many more
• Economic devastation around the world
• Unemployment not seen since the Great Depression
• An atmosphere of overwhelming fear and uncertainty

And we must confront the reality of continued, systemic social injustice and inequality:

• Tragedy after tragedy, year after year, stemming from racial, social, cultural, and economic injustices and discrimination
• Dysfunctional systems rooted in centuries of oppression, ignorance, and hate
• Marginalization of wide segments of our society
• Feelings of frustration, anger, and hopelessness not only about the past and present but also about the slow pace of progress
• A dearth of love and respect for all the people who share the world with us

Yet, while acknowledging the full “brutality” of our current circumstances, we must separately maintain our faith that we will prevail in the end. Human ingenuity, resolve, love, and compassion, as well as our indomitable will, have enabled us not only to overcome every challenge we have faced to date but also to evolve and emerge stronger and better than before each time. 

We must also remember that the Stockdale Paradox applies not only to our country and to the rest of the world but to each of us individually and to the organizations for which we work. We have experienced very difficult, trying, and horrifying conditions. Individually, we must acknowledge them, address them, and have faith that we will overcome them nonetheless.

Organizationally, the lessons of Admiral Stockdale’s overly “optimistic” comrades ring true. We are compelled to acknowledge the risk that, even as the economy “reopens”, the COVID crisis may be far from over. And, as for the crisis of injustice and inequality, we must acknowledge its deep roots and that it most certainly is far from over. A failure to recognize and address these conditions could be catastrophic for everyone.

Equally disastrous, however, could be a loss of faith. Never lose faith in a bright future that will arise for all those who believe in, and are committed to, humanity and its great potential.