James Stockdale

Dictionary is “something that truly exists or happens : something that has actual existence” (fact, n.d.). Yet, faith can lead to facts. I can have faith in something and then that thing may truly come into existence and be actual. It is then a fact, I no longer have faith in that thing because I know it exists. Facts can also lead to faith. I can learn of facts that form a foundation upon which I can have faith of things to come, or things that I might not have complete knowledge of yet. However, having faith in things to come that is not based on a solid foundation of facts can lead to some serious trouble. Jim Collins makes this point with a story about Admiral Jim Stockdale. Admiral Stockdale was a high-ranking United States military officer in the Vietnam war. He was captured for eight years from 1965 to 1973. Stockdale spoke about how he made it through those eight years of torture and eventually making it home alive. Essentially, he was not an optimist in the common sense. He did not hold up arbitrary dates and say that he was going to be free by those dates. He did not have faith in a random date and work toward that date as if he was going to be free because there were no facts forming a basis of that faith. Those who were optimistic and put their faith in one fake date of freedom after another ended up losing all faith and “died of a broken heart” (Collins, 85). Faith is an incredibly important principle in the Gospel. In fact, it is the first principle of the…

1. Vignette On September 4, 1997, James Matthew Garrison was born prematurely in a hospital. His parents are Tyler and Anya Garrison (a young couple 23 and 27 years old) who unexpectedly conceived James on New Year’s Eve at a party at an upscale hotel in New York City. Tyler and Anya Garrison are a wealthy couple and are well-known in their professions. Tyler is a successful entrepreneur in the technology field, and Anya is a world famous, traveling fashion designer and model. They are both…

I say high to everyone and then walk back through the Sasquatch sized door and walk down the hall to the living room. As I enter the room I 'm greeted by a sweet citrusy pine smell that makes the setting complete. I sit down facing the tree looking beyond into the black abyss and twinkling lights. I pull out my grandpas fly fishing book like I do every year. I read the cover, “ The Complete Angler” by James Prosek. Every year I can never seem to finish the book but I get closer every year. This…

AAARRRRR! My stomach growled so loud it sounded like a gorilla. I had just gotten back from mathematics, and I won the championship. For some reason I felt weird inside almost like I was scared. A random face comes up to me and asks ‘’did you win your math thing James’’. I said ‘’yeah in unusual way. For a second I thought he joking or something. As I walked to the cafeteria I feel very weird inside almost like I have butterflies in my stomach. Out of no were I see a kid fly like super man…

teacher, Mr. James. I say, “Hello, Mr. James! Lucky day! Guess what? It’s me! Francisco!” Mr. James says, “Yes, I see that. Please sit down. It’s time for our very first test. You did do the pre-reading, right?” I say, “I did not do the pre-reading. Or the reading. Or the post reading. I did not do any reading at all because it is summer and that is just wrong.” He says, “Well. Here’s your test. It is fill-in-the-blank. Good luck. Please, sit down.” But I cannot sit down. It is not…

That night, I went to bed and my mind was racing. Our plan was set in place. As the clock struck midnight, I quickly snuck out of bed and got dressed. I was so anxious. I wanted to be ready at a moment’s notice. It took less than two minutes to put on a thermal shirt, a sweater, jeans, and heavy wool socks. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling, counting down the minutes. At 12:50 on the dot, I heard muffled noises outside my window. I sat up and looked outside. There was James and his…

Rasta Man’s Cousin And Another Dream One day when I went out to get something to eat, I bumped into Rasta Man’s cousin. She told me that he had been asking about me and she asked if I wanted his number. I told her no. She was like girl, you better go ahead and get that money. I told her again no thanks. She was like I’m gonna tell him you acting funny. I just smiled and walked away. Weeks later after encountering Rasta Man’s cousin, I had a dream. I was awakened out of my…

Mrs. French, I hope you are feeling well today. I am sending this report by email as my handwriting is very hard to read. The first block class was very loud. I asked the students to talk quietly with their partners as they worked. Several students would converse loudly to others across the room regarding matters unrelated to the assignment.I began putting a check by the students name when I had to remind them to refrain from talking loud and from talking about issues unrelated to their math…

Mr. Wilson and I sit down to start his assessment. I explain what the assessment is for and confidentiality. We first start by obtaining personal information. He gives me his full name, his address, and talks about his wife who passed away. While talking about his wife I asked if he had other family members. Mr. Wilson told me he had a daughter and a pet dog. He told me he used to work as a farmer but know he just enjoys siting with his dog on the porch. I asked if he had any close Nabors…

The journey depicted the brutal action that the government underwent to remove the Cherokee out of their land. Around 4,000 Cherokee Natives died and showed the brutal actions that the United States took to strip the Natives of the ancestral land (Stockdale 2). The natives were seen as being uncivilized beings who were known as just being “hunters” or “savages” although they were able to prove otherwise by creating their own indigenous language and culture with neighboring Natives near the…