Understanding The Virtue Of Patience

Patience is not surrendering because an individual decides to wait for the right situation to act. Neither is patience static because it requires time to reassess, remember, and prepare for the next obstacle. So what is patience? The dictionary defines patience as the ability to endure difficult situations without responding in annoyance. However, there’s another definition of patience: focusing one’s attention to something for a long time without becoming bored or losing interest. Leaders practice both definitions of patience, often requiring self-restraint, a clear mind and endurance. Moreover, leaders hold virtues of empathy, tolerance, and purposefulness which often compliment patience. Empathy calls for emotional intelligence to be an effective leader, allowing a person to asses the situation from a different perspective than her own. Tolerance enables a leader to remain claim in the face of difficult circumstances; meanwhile, still concentrating on the goals. Meanwhile, other virtues such as defiance and acceptance clash with patience. While defiance, bold disobedience, and open resistance results in an open voice, an individual needs the right to time to speak up. Moreover, acceptance considers some circumstances cannot be changed. Patience, again, is not surrender, but reexamining all perspectives and factors are necessary for a successful end goal.

Patience is a rare trait in today’s world because society poses it as a weakness. It tells individuals to be efficient in their work for quicker results, possibly skipping the details to provide a “better” result. If this society views patience in a negative connotation, undertake the life of Jesus and Moses who practiced this virtue every day. Jesus’s disciples often doubted his claim as the Messiah. Although Jesus performed miracles and spoke words of wisdom, the disciples focused on themselves and wavered in their belief about his true identity. In the feeding of five thousand, the disciples question how Jesus would feed the people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus knew of their self-doubt but refused to complain about his infuriating disciples. He remained calm and broke the bread, even leaving twelve leftover baskets of bread (Matthew 14:13-21). In countless situations, Jesus demonstrates unwavering patience with hardly any complaints, following the leadership of Moses. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites complain to Moses about almost everything in the desert: food, water, living conditions, and commands. They often say, “Why have you brought us out into the desert to die?” Moses is occasionally frustrated (a human trait and unavoidable feeling), but inquires God or pleads on their behalf. At one occasion, God threatens to wipe out the Israelites, but again Moses pleas for their survival, clearly showing how he embodies the virtue of patience.

I have never been a patient person; I often look for “shortcuts” and lash out when situations seem terrible. Occasionally, I try to stop doing things that aren’t important such as spending less time on social media. Sometimes it’s our personal activities that cause stress and makes us impatient. However, I know it’s important to balance schoolwork and a personal life so before the week I evaluate the workload each time. I would recommend a middle school student to try to find self-restraint to social media and the balance with schoolwork because it could affect their grades in high school. Especially with so many extracurriculars in high school, it’s hard to find enough time to do everything. Steps could include using a planner or setting an amount of time for phone usage. Although patience is hard to acquire because of the era we grow up in where faster is better and everything is available to us. If everyone practiced this virtue, I think the world would be less stressful which is beneficial for their health. Stress is one factor in many illnesses such as cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, or respiratory disorders. It’s important to limit the amount of stress to gain a healthy lifestyle where we can focus on the important things in life: families, friends, love, and purpose.

I chose this virtue because it’s something I struggled with as a child. My parents comment on how if I never got something I wanted, I would find a way to retrieve it. Although this type of thinking has made me ambitious in high school, it has made me very stubborn and impatient. Moreover, I want to practice this virtue because it can transform my overall life experiences, enhancing my growth and awareness as an individual.