Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 8:35:14 GMT -8
Jocko,
I know you don't typically do Fiction books on your podcast, but in this case I think you should make an exception. I have read Ender's Game twice during my life and I recently started my third reading a couple of weeks ago - this time with my 10 year old son. Having listened to your podcast now for about a year I understand the main character of the book in a way I never did before. You could have written the character of Ender, he embodies your Warrior Kid mentality more than any other character I know.
Even if you don't read it for the podcast, I highly recommend you take a look and see the character that Orson Scott Card created and how he navigates his military school using discipline, training, and detachment to succeed. Most interesting is Ender's deep understanding of human nature and how he uses that understanding to build his team, fight battles, create strategies, and deal with bad superiors. One of the most memorable parts of the book is an instance where Ender's commanding officer ordered him to stop using his free time to practice in the battle room. The battle school rules specifically stated that commanders cannot dictate soldier's free time. Since the commanding officer made this order in front of the other soldiers, Ender took the commander out of the room, helped him realize that he had no jurisdiction and that the commander would get in trouble if he insisted on the order. The commanding officer was enraged that he was beaten by a subordinate, but Ender finished by telling the commander that he was going to go back into the room with the other soldiers looking as though he (Ender) had lost the argument - and then the commander was going to "change his mind" the next day and tell Ender that he was rescinding the order and Ender was allowed to practice in the battle room on his free time. A perfect example of standing up to a superior but not making him look bad. He won the argument without destroying the commanders authority. You and Echo discussed this topic in great detail in Ep. 66.
I want to thank you for giving me so much insight into your way of thinking. I didn't start reading Ender's Game with you in mind, but I have been able to use lessons I have learned from you to help my son understand what Ender is doing and why he is doing it. I can't get through a single page without stopping to explain sections of the book to my son using lessons I have learned from you. Without the Jocko Podcast, I was missing 90% of the book - and it was still great. Now it is amazing.
I also found that it is on the Commandant's Professional Reading List for the USMC (http://guides.grc.usmcu.edu/content.php?pid=408059&sid=5775651), but their description of the book appears to completely miss the point.
Michael
I know you don't typically do Fiction books on your podcast, but in this case I think you should make an exception. I have read Ender's Game twice during my life and I recently started my third reading a couple of weeks ago - this time with my 10 year old son. Having listened to your podcast now for about a year I understand the main character of the book in a way I never did before. You could have written the character of Ender, he embodies your Warrior Kid mentality more than any other character I know.
Even if you don't read it for the podcast, I highly recommend you take a look and see the character that Orson Scott Card created and how he navigates his military school using discipline, training, and detachment to succeed. Most interesting is Ender's deep understanding of human nature and how he uses that understanding to build his team, fight battles, create strategies, and deal with bad superiors. One of the most memorable parts of the book is an instance where Ender's commanding officer ordered him to stop using his free time to practice in the battle room. The battle school rules specifically stated that commanders cannot dictate soldier's free time. Since the commanding officer made this order in front of the other soldiers, Ender took the commander out of the room, helped him realize that he had no jurisdiction and that the commander would get in trouble if he insisted on the order. The commanding officer was enraged that he was beaten by a subordinate, but Ender finished by telling the commander that he was going to go back into the room with the other soldiers looking as though he (Ender) had lost the argument - and then the commander was going to "change his mind" the next day and tell Ender that he was rescinding the order and Ender was allowed to practice in the battle room on his free time. A perfect example of standing up to a superior but not making him look bad. He won the argument without destroying the commanders authority. You and Echo discussed this topic in great detail in Ep. 66.
I want to thank you for giving me so much insight into your way of thinking. I didn't start reading Ender's Game with you in mind, but I have been able to use lessons I have learned from you to help my son understand what Ender is doing and why he is doing it. I can't get through a single page without stopping to explain sections of the book to my son using lessons I have learned from you. Without the Jocko Podcast, I was missing 90% of the book - and it was still great. Now it is amazing.
I also found that it is on the Commandant's Professional Reading List for the USMC (http://guides.grc.usmcu.edu/content.php?pid=408059&sid=5775651), but their description of the book appears to completely miss the point.
Michael
