LifeStyles…by Joe Davis

“May Patience Be Your Sword, So That Time Will Always Be an Ally”
As I rode the train the other day, I couldn’t help but notice an
announcement from the trains loud speaker proclaiming that the train
would be running five minutes late prior to it’s original schedule.
Though it held no significance to me, I noticed a gentlemen a few
seats over becoming more then annoyed.
“God damn it, I’m already running late, and of course, this shit would
happen to me today.” he cried.
This went on for five more minutes, in which time, I couldn’t help but
think “one, you should of left earlier, it is the CTA; two, it’s no
one else’s fault that your late so don’t throw a tantrum; and three,
what characteristic do we humans have that seemingly justify acts of
making asses of ourselves in public.”
Then it dawned on me, patience, if the guy could of simply accepted
being a little late and wait “patiently” for the result of himself
being late, forgo the being a jackass in public and around
unsuspecting spectators. But in fairness, It’s much easier to point
the finger at someone else being impatient then ever pointing it at
ourselves. Sure, I’d like to think of myself as a “sage of patience”,
but that fly’s to the wind when I spend forty minutes after my
scheduled appointment time, waiting in a doctors office.
With that in mind, I realized to an extent, today’s society doesn’t
really support or teach being patient any more. Instead, we find
ourselves still regurgitating the eighty’s protocol of the “ME ME ME
generation”, and unfortunate lack of development in selfishness, that
I can only theorize has been popularized by the “instant
gratification” lifestyle found here in America.
The notion proving to be more then upsetting, I pondered to how one
would really “practice” patience. Then as with most things, the answer
was abundantly simple and I found a realistic approach to how someone
should consider patience. As being patient is merely ignoring your own
agenda (and act of selflessness) and accepting the world’s
circumstances at the point in time your in. It’s important to always
keep in mind that we can’t force, barter, or beg time to match into
our plans; we’re simply not magicians and are slaves to time. That
being said, the next time you find yourself caught waiting, just
remember, this will pass, and you will get to where your going early,
late, or just on time. Just enjoy the moment.