2018.09.07. Patience

(Right now: Waiting.)

As human beings, we know that our time in this world is finite. The sad reality is that death has been hovering over us at the very instant that we had life. In one of the videos I usually present in my Physics 10 Complex Systems class (but has since been taken down), Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson explained that this eventual decay is a consequence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and is thus almost inescapable across all scales, from the tiniest living organisms to the stars and galaxies of the cosmos. In the case of us humans, our lifespans are in the orders of less than a hundred years. As Moses poetically wrote, 

“The span of our life is 70 years, Or 80 if one is especially strong. But they are filled with trouble and sorrow; They quickly pass by, and away we fly.” - Psalm 90:10 

This realization, while bleak, has actually produced positive results for mankind. The awareness of our own mortality has led us into fruitful endeavors; knowing that our lifetimes are finite has led us into making the most of our limited time and energy. Most of the great people we know from history have, probably, at some point thought about their legacy, the things they will leave behind when they finish their earthly course. This is what made them work tirelessly in pursuit of a goal which, in turn, benefited all of humanity in one way or another. 

But most of us don't have that high of a perception of ourselves. For most people, the main concern is not really the enduring global acclaim, but the effects on their immediate social circle at the moment. For these people, they don't really need to picture the ends of their lives; they live in the now and take things one day at a time. 

Now the thing with taking things one day at a time is that, especially with the bigger and more important issues, it takes time to receive a reward or even just to produce a result. Under such conditions, things tend to drag on, and we tend to lose our joy and focus. Impatience kicks in. 

Which, in fact, is understandable. We also have an inherent sense of fairness that is built-in in our psyche. We want to see the fruits of our labor, especially if we put in much hard work into something. We get impatient when we do not receive the things we think we deserve at the time we expect to receive them. 

Maybe that's the reason why, as the saying goes, Patience is a virtue. To be able to exercise patience is to be morally excellent. And since, as another saying goes, nobody is perfect, we can never expect to be morally excellent all the time, and, consequently, we can never expect to be able to show patience all the time. 

This is especially true if we experience enduring problems that we think we do not deserve. It depletes our physical strength and will. In many cases, impatience precedes surrender and eventual defeat, just as being tired precedes exhaustion and even death. 

How to have patience, then? 

First of all, we have to trust that there is an inherent sense of fairness and justice in the universe. Things may not work in our favor as of the moment, but, if we continue to work hard for it, the results will be evident at some point. Think law of averages. Or Newton's Third Law. Or the Biblical wisdom that “you reap what you sow.” 

Patience is closely associated with hope. Hope, as again illustrated in the Bible, is like an anchor for the soul. Much like an anchor that keeps the ship in its place even in the face of a tempest, hope will keep us from giving up and losing ourselves in the midst of trying circumstances. Because all storms, after all, cease and come to pass. With our hearts firmly entrenched in hope, our minds will be kept sane, always in the lookout for better days and the fulfilment of our goals. 

We know that the sea will calm down, eventually. Such is the assurance brought to our hearts by being hopeful, even under difficult situations. 

Finally, when our patience wears thin, we can always ask God to give us his spirit, so we can continue to bear difficult situations with hope and, yes, patience, even beyond what is humanly possible.

Yes, human life is short, and, according to Hobbes, even nasty and brutish. To get to the fulfilment of our goals, we need to put in the work -- that's on us. But in most cases, we also need to wait -- oftentimes, it is beyond our control. Let us not think of this waiting period as wasted time. After all, to give up is to render everything as a wasted opportunity. Instead, with hope and positivity, let us continue on as we patiently await for the results. For only if we patiently wait can we really enjoy the fruits of our labor -- delayed as it may, on our terms, but worth it and completely satisfying, nevertheless. ■