Patience, which is rare in today’s life, is the key to everything that life has to offer, writes  AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI

The cosmic design is patience-based, and the quality of patience is needed everywhere, lots of it. See some of the evidences. A child is conceived but makes his appearance only after nine months or so. It takes that much time for the formation of his body. How long does proper education of a child takeIJ Even after finishing school, it requires many years. let us remember that school itself takes twelve plus years even after kindergarten, preparatory classes, etc. This goes on while the child’s parents look after their wards patiently. life requires us to go through various stages — childhood, youth, middle age and then old age.

The earth takes full twenty-four hours to make a round of the sun, just one round. We need roughly seven hours to rejuvenate ourselves. Fruit trees take their own time to give fruits to us; some of them even take more than seven years! Talking of creation, once it is done it stays for millions of years. Once it is annihilated, it again takes millions of years to make its appearance again. liberation — the avowed goal of a human life takes many births if one stays on course. That is why it is such a rarity. We get sidetracked with material desires and remain engaged in chasing material goals life after life.

Therefore, it is amply clear that the cosmic design is patience-based, and one needs a lot of patience to exist well. The word patience is defined as being quiet and calm, not worried or disturbed in any way. Patience is the basic requirement to achieve happiness.

But what is modern life likeIJ A modern person likes to be very busy; some people like to be always occupied. If this is not bad enough, many do multitasking, which is the opposite of doing everything in a relaxed manner. Today, we have tools that have made instant communication possible. Does that mean people are more at peace with themselvesIJ Not really. Eating, which was supposed to be a pleasurable activity has become a chore to be finished at the earliest. Foods have become fast foods. Even enjoyment has been equated with doing things in excess, like drinking or partying too much. Modern life promotes speed, which does not match with life as it has been designed.The resultIJ One suffers excessive stress.

There is no peace of mind. Even physical health is compromised. This sometimes forces one to neglect their duties. One may not achieve what one has set out to do. One will lack perseverance. One is likely to set inferior goals. Others dislike those who try to rush them. And one will be unable to achieve spiritual progress, which requires a lot of patience.

How does one develop this crucial quality of patienceIJ One has to realise that some problems can be solved with the passage of time only. One should realise that impatience is a drawback. Mental health can suffer on account of impatience. Some things can be achieved in time only. Good times or good happenings come at their appointed times only. And excellence requires patience. We must realise that to be able to achieve difficult tasks, one requires application over a long period.

There are enormous benefits of being patient. One will have peace of mind. One will not get easily irritated/frustrated. One will avoid overstress. One will persevere. One will not get discouraged by responsibilities, which require long and sustained efforts. There are health benefits in being patient. This quality rubs on others, being a divine quality.

let us never forget that we are small souls. Therefore, we need lots of patience to achieve what we desire. Eternity matches the concept of patience. Even faith requires one to have a great degree of patience as one has to be open to spiritual practices in order to learn important lessons.

Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com