1/ People who are optimists may fare the worst in this crisis if it lasts longer than anyone expects (which is possible or even probable).

I was reminded today of the Stockdale paradox and it probably applies here. Let me expand.

https://www.jimcollins.com/media_topics/TheStockdaleParadox.html

2/ "Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking military officer in the Hanoi Hilton. He was there for seven years, from 1968 to 1974. He was tortured over twenty times. And by his own account, Stockdale came out of the prison camp even stronger than he went in."

3/ "His systemic constraints were so severe, and there was never going to be any end to it. His captors could come in any day and torture him. He had no sense of whether, or if, he would ever get out of the prison camp."

4/ Jim Stockdate: "despite all those circumstances, I never ever wavered in my absolute faith that not only would I prevail—get out of this—but I would also prevail by turning it into the defining event of my life that would make me a stronger and better person"

5/ Who didn't make it out? "The optimists. Yes. They were the ones who always said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ Christmas would come and it would go. And there would be another Christmas. And they died of a broken heart.”

6/ “This is what I learned from those years in the prison camp. You must never ever ever confuse, on the one hand, the need for absolute, unwavering faith that you can prevail with, on the other hand, the need for the discipline to begin by confronting the brutal facts".

7/ "We’re not getting out of here by Christmas.”

8/ Now please don't confuse this with fear mongering. This is about being mentally prepared for a fight of unknown length and consequences, and deciding that no matter what, we will not fail. We will sustain.