22nd February 2012
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
No doubt, the ‘me generation’ suffers on many levels from a lack of patience. Any takers? We want it now! Whatever ‘it’ is. How many of us have blown our stack for decades because we have to wait? We wait in line, wait for the plane or train to depart or arrive, wait for a raise, wait for the check in the mail, wait on our significant other, or for our friend to be on time for the first time, wait for a phone call, wait for a child to learn to tie his shoes, or get beyond the potty training part of her life.
Regardless of what the wait is all about, most of us get annoyed (or worse) by being forced to wait. How about waiting for the waitress in a restaurant? We could make a long list of complaints here.
So What is Patience?
What is patience? Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one’s character can take before negativity.
From a Christian perspective, patience is one of the seven virtues, alongside chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, and humility. Most philosophical and religious thought systems would adhere to these characteristics as a general description of a person who has patience, and can wait it out without stress.
In the deepest sense, getting an ‘A in Patience’ on our Spiritual Report Card is one of the tell-alls when it comes to our development as Teachers of Love. Without patience, we are setting ourselves up for a big fall, and putting ourselves in a position of constantly starting over on our path to enlightenment.
This is what patience is really all about – removing and avoiding wear and tear on our mental and emotional natures, which results in a healthy, happy state of mind. Infinite patience quite literally gives us everything we want right now. Patience results in serenity, and prevents stress in our lives. No stress in a serene mental environment becomes really attractive when we look at the alternatives.
Patience is a kind of selective memory … it helps us bypass the obstacles to peace and arrive safely on the other side. It is like the bridge which transports us from the physical to the metaphysical. And it brings the monkey-mind that deprives us of happiness to a screeching halt, because of its inherent gentleness.
Patience is the big catalyst towards tolerance and being open-minded. It is the precursor to being non-judgmental and helps with the development of the most powerful teaching and learning device in the human experience – gentleness. Nothing is as powerful as the touch of gentleness. Every moment we walk the face of the earth is a ‘golden rule opportunity’ for each of us to help heal the world. That might sound like a pretty bold statement in the face of all this seeming chaos and agony, but not with the power of perfect patience and gentleness as our allies.
How to Score an ‘A’ in Patience
1. Be willing to stop investing in guilt as a response to a situation that doesn’t suit our schedule or headspace.
2. Be willing to recognize that peace is far more valuable than exploding in anger.
3. Be willing to forgive everything we think we know, see, or hear, and all past experiences that we would use to project thoughts of guilt onto the world, thus depriving us of what we really want.
4. Be willing to experience our own perfect love by giving all of our love away.
In the process of learning perfect patience, remember the times we did exactly what another person is doing now, only in a seemingly different time and space. And learn now that it is all just a part of the process, and not a personal assault.
Practicing patience will save each of us more time than we can possibly imagine. Patience, like forgiveness, has a miraculous quality that dissolves moments in time and transforms them into the remembrance of Eternal Love. With perfect love in our minds, what’s the hurry? We are in possession of everything we could ever hope for right now, as we recognize that this is no fantasy, but our present reality.
With love inside of us, there’s no need to do anything but extend it. Patience is the master key to unlocking the love within, and releasing it to a world in serious need of our love. Love is the Answer.
The Perfect Day
Video courtesy Denver, Colorado Indie Recording Artist Jason Stocker – The Perfect Day as heard on WorldWideWavez Radio Shows
About the author:
Carmen Allgood is the author of: The beginner’s guide to inner peace – Beyond Diapers – How not to wallow in your own poop“. Carmen offers readers a modern day exploration of spiritual evolution, with a timely twist of pop-psychology for the masses who are starved for lasting peace of mind and true happiness. Carmen unveils the mysteries of love, reveals the means to heal the mind and thus the body, and the simple steps available to all of us to live in constant joy. She also produces syndicated independent music radio shows, which have featured 20,000 Independent Artists from around the world.
Carmen Allgood © February 2012
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