Becoming patient requires patience. Some problems can be solved only with the passage of time, believes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
As the world is becoming smaller and faster, our desire for instant fruits is growing rapidly. Why when we can send millions of messages by pressing a key, we cannot get other things also done quicklyIJ Unfortunately, fast world or slow world, some things move at their own speed and cannot be rushed.
The following examples will bear me out. First of all, a fruit by its very nature takes some time to become mature. It happens when a part of a plant or tree is formed after the flowers have died. Seeds develop in it subsequently and fruits begin to grow. A child in the womb will take close to nine months before he or she is ready to come out. Quality education takes much longer, sometimes more than two decades. Similarly, excellence in sports does not happen overnight. It takes years of practice to come anywhere close to the world standards, if at all that can happen. We are all aware that setting of a broken bone does take a few weeks. Scientists have still not found faster ways to expedite the process.
Change of nature, for example not getting angry at the drop of a hat, does not happen in days, rather it may take the entire life, and that too if one is working seriously in correcting this serious weakness. Coming to the higher level, gaining knowledge, I mean adequate spiritual knowledge, can span several lives because it is almost unlimited. love of God also develops at a very slow speed, rather it can manifest at a miniature speed only because it is so difficult to stay on this course. And, finally, liberation, which is the result of proper use of spiritual knowledge over many birth-death cycles, does take some considerable time. (Bhagavad Gita 6.45) Therefore, the conclusion is that we need a lot of patience for gaining higher things; they don’t happen in a jiffy, even a small matter like healing of a bone takes some time.
The word patience is defined as the ability to stay calm and accept a delay or something annoying without complaining; the ability to spend a lot of time doing something difficult that needs a lot of attention and effort. And the purpose is to be able to achieve difficult tasks that require application over a long period; not to lose one’s peace of mind.
In order to get motivated to learn this divine quality, we must know its benefits. There are many. One will have peace of mind. One will not get easily irritated/ frustrated. Patience pays in the long run. There are health benefits of being patient. One will avoid overstress. One will persevere. One will not settle for inferior things. One will not give up important responsibilities, which require long and sustained efforts. This quality rubs on others too.
If patience is so wonderful, then, how does one develop itIJ One has to motivate the self quite strongly because becoming patient requires patience. Some problems can be solved with the passage of time only like healing of a heartbreak. One has to realise that he or she is only a small cog in a large wheel, ie the world, which does not revolve around anyone. One has to wait for results. Others are not likely to have the same urgency. As a matter of fact, others dislike a person who rushes them. Mental health does suffer on account of impatience.
Good times or things come at their appointed time only; one should be aware of this fact. Something can be achieved with the passage of time only. One should realise that impatience is a drawback, not an asset. Going to the higher level, spiritual realisation takes time. And one requires patience to progress in the spiritual field. (6.25) The moral of this article is: Do not crave for instant fruit; it may just not be possible or the fruit will be quite bitter.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com