They say patience is a virtue! If so, then this is one virtue I'm totally lacking. It's like I always have something better to do, although most of the times I don't.
Earlier today I watched my lovely daughter taking her time arranging some flowers her grandma had just brought. Quite lovely flowers, actually! Still, waiting for her to be done was torture to me and even as I was watching her I realized being so annoyed was completely wrong- which got me thinking – what is patience? When is it justified and when does it become dangerous?
Maybe the lack of patience is a sign of our times – we live in a time when instant gratification is the norm. If we want something, we want it now! Even if it means getting a crappy fast-food meal, instead of waiting half an hour at a nice restaurant where they serve real food. Or buying clothes off the rack because who has time to wait? When I was a child, there was an old seamstress that came by our house – models were discussed and measurements taken, then there were fitting visits and alterations – getting a new outfit took forever! Nowadays, I wouldn't have that kind of patience. I guess the main reason is that the patience involved is of the passive type – it's just waiting.
But there are other types of patience, a bit more active!
Take for instance, Steemit – it takes a lot of patience to grow your blog and make friends in the community, but at least you get to actually do something. I know what is required of me and I can do this, even if it looks like it's taking forever! (Maybe I'm not such a bad person after all!)
That's the good kind of patience! The patience to work on something worthwhile.
It also depends on the goal. Working forever towards a mediocre goal is not always warranted.
The wrong kind of patience? Waiting for something to happen, without raising a finger! Like waiting for Prince Charming to show up on a white horse or waiting for a major publisher to show up with a million-dollar cheque for the manuscripts you keep hidden in your drawer! The not-gonna-happen kind of useless patience.
Or waiting for better times. It's not a virtue if you wait patiently for your country to be governed by better people. It's not good to stay in a bad relationship waiting for your partner to stop drinking or be more supportive. That's wishful thinking. It's not patience, but a passive attitude which takes you nowhere! Actually, in cases like these losing your patience is a good thing! Knowing when to say: Enough!
How about you? Are you patient?
Thanks for reading
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