Abe F. March Five Star Member
Number of posts : 10768 Registration date : 2008-01-26 Age : 85 Location : Germany
| Subject: Impatience Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:01 am | |
| The definition of patience that I think fits best is: “The capacity for calm self-possessed waiting.” Why have we become so impatient? At one time, our pace of life was slow. When I was a child, I saw signs on store doors that said: “Closed. Gone Fishing.” The Andy Griffith Show depicted the slow pace of life in rural America. We mailed and received letters with a reliable postal service. And then technology gave us the computer. That was great. Communication was accelerated. We learned new expressions, i.e., “Time is money”. Getting things done fast meant that eating a meal was done on the run and fast foods became the vogue. With PC’s we wanted them faster. We lost patience if we felt it took too long to boot-up. Now we feel the need to accelerate the growth of plants. GMO’s are intended to do that. The side effect of our impatience is accelerating our own death. In addition to harmful ingredients in our food, stress, often caused by being in a rush to get things done, is also a killer.
Our actions make it appear that we are impatient to die. No time to take a proper vacation and rejuvenate. No time to spend with our loved-ones. Can’t wait for the kids to grow up and when they do, we are sorry that they grew so fast. When we ask a question, whether by email or verbal, we expect an immediate response. Our impatience often leads to misinformation and misunderstanding.
We want our economy fixed quick forgetting that it takes time to repair. Young people want a house, a car, now. Can’t wait to earn the money to purchase it, they use credit and live beyond their means. Got to have it now!
My experience in the Middle East taught me the value of patience. Salesmen would fly into a M.E. country and be in a hurry to make the sale. The buyer had patience. Being impatient, the salesman would reduce the price. The longer the buyer waited, the lower the price. Impatience means we lose. I think we’ve all heard the expression: “Patience is a Virtue”. It appears that virtue is something many have lost. Is impatience killing us?
Last edited by Abe F. March on Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
dkchristi Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8594 Registration date : 2008-12-29 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Impatience Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:09 am | |
| |
|
alj Five Star Member
Number of posts : 9633 Registration date : 2008-12-05 Age : 80 Location : San Antonio
| Subject: Re: Impatience Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:34 am | |
| - Quote :
- Is impatience killing us?
give me a little time to think about that. |
|
Abe F. March Five Star Member
Number of posts : 10768 Registration date : 2008-01-26 Age : 85 Location : Germany
| Subject: Re: Impatience Mon Apr 08, 2013 2:08 am | |
| Is Impatience killing us?
Many people get frustrated when it takes too long for the PC to boot up. They have no time to wait for a meal to be cooked and resort to Fast Food. They get frustrated when traffic is too slow. They want faster cars for short spurts as roads cannot handle high-speed traffic. Many of these same people complain about pollution and don’t consider that they are contributors. Some farmers can’t wait for normal plant-growth cycles and resort to enhanced growth chemicals. Animals are fed chemicals to accelerate their growth while the meat and dairy products pass these chemicals on to consumers.
The result of our impatience is evident in stress-related illnesses, in our food and even in the air we breathe. We seek immediate gratification. The signs on a store: “Closed – gone fishing” are a thing of the past. Cell phones contribute to our impatience. Answering machines are no longer fashionable. One cannot take a vacation for rest and relaxation without having a cell phone that keeps one in contact with stress-causing activities. One cannot enjoy a relaxing meal without a cell phone ringing. Why have we become so impatient? Are we in a hurry to die? We call regular mail service: “Snail Mail”. When is the last time you sat down and wrote a hand-written letter? Whenever I receive anything hand-written it is meaningful. An autographed copy of a book with a comment is treasured.
Many are vulnerable to Get Rich Quick Schemes. We want a quick fix to our deficit. We want to solve world problems by getting rid of it quick. “Nuke them”. The right solution requires patience.
It has been said that “Patience is a virtue”. What happened to virtue? |
|
Shelagh Admin
Number of posts : 12662 Registration date : 2008-01-11 Location : UK
| Subject: Re: Impatience Mon Apr 08, 2013 2:55 am | |
| - alj wrote:
-
- Quote :
- Is impatience killing us?
give me a little time to think about that. Me too. |
|
Abe F. March Five Star Member
Number of posts : 10768 Registration date : 2008-01-26 Age : 85 Location : Germany
| Subject: Re: Impatience Mon Apr 08, 2013 5:31 am | |
| Ann & Shelagh, you are just too clever for me. I could say I'd wait until hell freezes over for your answers. Or perhaps wait until the solar system collapses, but that may indicate my impatience. |
|
Don Stephens Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1355 Registration date : 2008-01-25 Age : 85 Location : Wherever my hat's hanging today!
| Subject: Re: Impatience Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:47 am | |
| |
|
Abe F. March Five Star Member
Number of posts : 10768 Registration date : 2008-01-26 Age : 85 Location : Germany
| Subject: Re: Impatience Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:58 am | |
| Mr. Barkil, I like your new Avitar. |
|