“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you never can lose -with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever that might be.” -James Stockdale
These are the words of U.S. Navy admiral and aviator, James Stockdale, reflecting on his experience from being held as a prisoner of war and commanding officer for seven years during the Vietnam war at the “Hanoi Hilton”.
Friend, colleague and Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe reminded me recently of this quote often referred to as the Stockdale Paradox. He was suggesting that resilience in the face of adversity requires both realism and optimism. Simultaneously embracing hope and faith while at the same time facing the harsh realities of the present situation.
In onboarding leaders I often quote leadership expert Warren Bennis, “A leader’s most critical job is to define reality.” In my experience denying the present reality through naive Pollyanna platitudes is actually counterproductive to achieving a resolution and or moving forward. This is only achieved through a clear eyed honest assessment of a situation.
Yet amidst the most challenging of circumstances it is critical to be grounded in faith manifested in hope. The capacity to hold steadfast regardless of how strong the wind is blowing, the enduring hope that this situation can and will be redeemed. The present reality is not the last reality.
With one hand we hold the rope of reality and with the other hand we hold the rope of hope…standing in the middle grounded in faith we just might be transformed.
“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.” – James Stockdale
BP