Stockdale's Paradox
The paradox that optimists cannot continue to believe in an optimistic outcome I was a prisoner of war, but I kept believing I would be freed.
Served in the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War and spent eight years as a prisoner of war.
I never lost faith in the outcome. Not only will I get out of here, but I'll be victorious in the end and be able to say that this experience was the defining event of my life and that it was the most valuable experience I've ever had" (Visionary Company 2 - The Law of Leap Forward).
What person could not do it?
"They are optimists. Yes, they are the ones who filialize that they will be out by Christmas. Christmas is coming, and it will be over. Then they think they can get out before Easter. Then Easter comes and goes. Next comes Thanksgiving, and then Christmas again. Disappointment piles up and they die." (Visionary Company 2 - The Law of Leapfrogging)
This is only a seeming paradox because the meaning of the word "optimist" is ambiguous.
'Eventually you'll be liberated and be able to say it was a good life experience' is a claim that cannot be disproved while you're still alive."
I can say that this one is also an optimist who thinks, without evidence, that "it will work out in the end." In adversity, do you believe that "this is God-given trials, that you will overcome in the end, and that you will grow afterwards? God only gives us trials we can overcome."
When you can't get approval from others.
I am the one who is ultimately approved
There is something wrong with the person who does not approve.
There have been many such cases in the past.
Can you believe it?
orthographical variants
relevance
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