Summary

The text discusses the concept of patience as a virtue and its relationship with the understanding of time, the nature of existence, and personal growth.

Abstract

The author identifies patience as their greatest trait, defining it as allowing time for positive outcomes to manifest. This perspective is rooted in a philosophical view that only the present moment truly exists, and that our existence is a continuous interaction between the mind, soul, and physical actions. The essay explores the idea that all entities are composed of the same fundamental energy or matter, and that patience is an expression of being at peace with this unity. Historical figures such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi are cited as exemplars of patience, embodying a joyful connection to the universe and a faith in the resilience of life. The author reflects on personal experiences, emphasizing that patience is not passive resignation but an active acceptance of reality, coupled with self-compassion and the pursuit of personal development.

Opinions

Patience is associated with the belief in the eventual occurrence of positive events, not with inaction or hopelessness.
The author challenges the conventional understanding of linear time, suggesting that only the present moment is real.
Human beings are seen as a collection of atoms and molecules, with a dual nature of physical form and spiritual essence.
Emotional trauma is acknowledged as a real experience, but its impact is also attributed to internal neural processes.
There is a distinction made between the physical, collective human experience, which is prone to stress, and the spiritual human experience, which can cultivate patience.
Patience is linked to a deep sense of connection with the universe and a belief in the inherent potential for positive change.
The author believes that patience involves accepting one's current reality, practicing self-compassion, and actively working towards self-improvement.

Patience and Philosophy

If asked to state what I think my greatest positive trait is, I would say that it is “Patience.”

To me, patience means giving things the “time” to unravel in a positive manner. This last part is an important part of my definition.

If I was in a sinking ship, then I wouldn’t patiently wait to go down with the ship. Patience wouldn’t figure at all, but praying and making peace with myself if I wasn’t freaking out, would be on the horizon.

So “Patience” is tied up with, or associated with “letting good things come.”

It may bother some people to hear that I believe that “time” in the sense of linear time, with a past, present and future, does not exist. I think that there is always only the NOW which is the experience of a meeting of the mind and the Soul or Spirit with what the physical form is doing.

Fundamentally, we are made up of atoms & molecules and packaged together to form what we perceive as a human being, with the characteristics of living things.

This includes moving or doing. From an early age, I used to find it curious that I was a mass of matter shuffling or rearranging things around, from putting clothes on to opening the fridge door.

Everything is made up of energy or matter, and we label the Universe’s manifestations with words, for convenience in talking about and working with these manifestations. At the core, everything is from the same stuff or place.

I think that no matter what your ethnic background or your culture is, a deep and abiding sense of “everything in its own place” heralds the patient person.

Consider Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, the pinnacles of patient people perhaps. Within this type of patience, there lies a simple joy in being connected to all that is and having faith that positive things will happen (or are happening) - perhaps because Life is resilient and will draw what it needs from the infinite field of potential.

Patience helped me to get through my stressful childhood and earlier years.

I am not talking about the hopeful yearning for bad things to pass or about wishful thinking for a savior to magically appear.

I’m talking about “all good things come to those who wait” and about genuinely seeing, or believing in, a “light at the end of the tunnel”.

What happened to me in the “past” was a series of perspectives and feelings and processes arising from “gross (i.e. large)” happenings, or “macro events”, meaning what I experienced was stimulated by conditions external to me.

The emotional trauma that I experienced was very real, but still it was caused by the firing of my neurons and by the way that my brain and my senses processed the stimuli applied. This processing was as important as the stimuli that triggered the processes.

I think that there are 2 levels of being a “human being”: one is the 3-D physical person who is part of a collective with certain expectations and with definite needs.

The 3-D human being is predisposed toward experiencing stress or negative thoughts and feelings when their physical & psychological NEEDS are not met. Society as a whole has not yet reached the stage where all people can live peacefully and without stress.

The other level of the Human Being is the Spiritual Being. While “negative” emotions and responses, like fear and anger and self-abasement are said to be survival mechanisms, relevant during the origins of humankind; complex living beings have Souls or Spirits.

This Soul, also called “the Higher Self”, has patience or can cultivate patience when it is needed. Having patience does NOT mean letting yourself get beat-up or harmed while waiting for something “good” to happen.

It means having a deep acceptance of what is happening, in terms of claiming what your “reality” is, and having self-compassion for yourself, and knowing that as long as you are being a human (i.e. are reaching out for help and doing inner work) that your personal situation will be enriched.