Patience: The Virtue of the Soul

The word patience is defined as: "The ability to wait calmly for something to happen without complaining or giving up." So how long must our problem solving minds be silent before we're considered patient. And also, what can we possibly hope to learn from being patient?

For some people patience is an emotion that's almost impossible, while others seem to dwell peacefully in the sanctity of it all. Then before you know it your mind is bombarded with thousands of thoughts as new situations arrive at the speed of light.

Our Perceptions

The third dimensional mind is very quick to: evaluate the situation, provide numerous remedies for the problem, and also project the outcome of a situation long before it's even had time to unfold. Then before you can react to your decision the situation has again changed, and now your patience is beginning to wear incredibly thin.

The ability to see any given situation or problem from all available sides comes from the virtuous act of patience. Patience is an emotional act like wisdom which seems to grow as it ages with time. Has time and our decisions from the past taught us to be more patient, or are we just becoming more virtuous?

Virtue: "the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. An admirable quality or attribute." It has been stated that patience is the greatest virtue of all. The ability to be patient opens up the possibility to listen and also to learn. Patience helps to create confidence, and also a more rational outlook on life.

Attributes of Patience

Someone who is impatient helps to create: fear, anxiety, and failure. While patience helps promote: tolerance, composure, serenity, and restraint. All of these traits help to promote a good sense of well being, and also a good mental outlook.

Allowing yourself to be patient is a virtue that is gained from understanding your personal identity. After this has been done, inner harmony of the mind and the soul has now been acquired through the emotion of patience.

Stress begins to melt away as you learn to exhibit patience when you're under strain or in a difficult situation. Now you can enjoy the day without becoming upset or annoyed. Finally you're beginning to learn exactly who you really are.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727) stated that of all of his discovery talents he owed more to the ability to be patient than any other talent. The ability to patiently watch and observe has helped many great minds such as: Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, and Leonardo Di Vinci. The observation of life itself is the greatest teacher of us all.

A Dutch proverb states that "A handful of patience is worth a bushel of brains." Should we always react instantly at the first mental thought which arises or should we just sit back and ponder the situation? Sometimes just a little bit of patience seems to go a long way.

The Purpose of Patience

Doing what's right is a virtue which is ingrained in most of our hearts, but there never seems to be enough time for everything. Our lives are packed with activities from the moment we get out of bed until we lay our heads back down again. We busy ourselves every day trying to get everything into our visual perception of the day.

Life is a trip which seems to end long before we're ready to leave. Maybe if we were just a little more patient we could have: listened a little more to our children, helped the old lady at the store with her bags, or even just listened to someone who needed anyone to care.

What can be learned through just a little patience is remarkable if you take the time to do it. Don't wait until your life is almost until you find out what life is really all about. Life is neither about the past nor the future; it's about the present moment. So slow down, be patient, and make the best out of it.

Source of information:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patience -
dictionary.reference.com/browse/patience