The World of Epictetus
By James Stockdale
Foreword by Os Guinness
(1993)Download this Reading as a PDF (160K) (see note below)
An essay on integrity, leadership, adversity, and education by James Bond Stockdale (1923–2005). Stockdale was a philosopher, professor, U.S. vice-presidential candidate, Navy admiral, prisoner of war, and recipient of the Medal of Honor.
When I ejected from the airplane on that September morn in 1965, I had left the land of technology. I had entered the world of Epictetus, and it’s a world that few of us, whether we know it or not, are ever far away from. . . .
What attributes serve you well in the extortion environment? We learned there, above all else, that the best defense is to keep your conscience clean. When we did something we were ashamed of, and our captors realized we were ashamed of it, we were in trouble. A little white lie is where extortion and ultimately blackmail start.
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Category: Readings (No. 5)
