"The test of character is not 'hanging in' when you expect light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty, and persistence of example when you know no light is coming." - Vice Admiral James Stockdale, USN (ret.)Off the shelf today is Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy behind the Military Mind, by Nancy Sherman. If you are at all of a philosophical bent, I recommend.
In my experience the light at the end of the tunnel is some bastard with a torch bring me more work.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, it's a train coming the other way...
ReplyDeleteI really want to make the "Who am I? Why am I here?" joke, but I liked Stockdale (his running mate, not so much). So I'll just spoil it for everyone else.
Suffice to say, there are lots of philosophical pilots (I could say that a Gann); some of them write on the sky. But there are damn few philosophical fighter pilots. Please inert your favorite fighter pilot joke here. Don't make me say it.
I wish every aviator who stayed at the Hanoi Hilton and then ran for office could have turned out as erudite and honest as Stockdale.
The Academies have surprisingly strong programs, albeit not majors, in philosophy (I've read the curriculum, and I have an old, shopworn degree in it). I credit this, in part, to Stockdale's influence.
I have learned that the light at the end of the tunnel is the sun shining through so that you cannot see the light from the oncoming train...
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