Patience is something that a lot of people find themselves unable to develop and cultivate.

Why is that?

Let’s first define the term, patience. Webster’s define patience as the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like; an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.

That definition works just fine, but I don’t quite agree with the second definition – ability or willingness to suppress. Suppressing anything eventually manifests in other ways that one does not want or intend. Suppression is a whole other post that I will probably cover in the future.

Now that we have defined patience is, let’s get back to how to develop it.

The first thing to remember is that everything happens in Divine Time and Divine Order. Just because you want something to happen “yesterday” does not mean that it will – not even if you hold your breath in order to make it so.

I recently read something by one of my favorite teachers, Osho, about time consciousness. What does this have to do with patience, you say? Well, because of time and the invention of clocks and watches, we’re constantly mindful and reminded of how slowly things go or how fast events seem to take place. This ‘time consciousness’ has made us impatient. The below quote is not meant to bash any specific religion, but to demonstrate how we are influenced. This is a bit long, but it’s good stuff.

In the East it has been believed always that life goes on forever and ever, it is eternal, it is timeless — so there is no hurry; you will be again and again. Millions of times you were here and millions of times you will be again here; there is no hurry. This life is not the last nor the first, it is a long procession, and you are always in the middle — there is no beginning and no end. So there can be no hurry about time; enough time, more than enough, is available.

Buddha is not historic, Krishna is not at all; you can never be certain whether really Krishna was ever born or not, whether the whole thing was just a story or a history. But the East was never worried about it. They say everything is a story, and it has been told many times and will be told again and again. There is no need to be concerned with facts, because facts are repetitive. It is better to be concerned with the theme, not with the facts — so you may not be able to understand many things.

With Christianity there is only one life — this is the first and the last. Once you die you don’t have any time any more; so you have a lifespan of seventy years at the most. There is so much to do, and so little time with you. That’s why in the West there is so much hurry; everyone is running because life is going. Every moment life is becoming less and less. Time is passing, you are dying, and you have so many desires to fulfill and no time to fulfill them, so anxiety is created.

In the East it was totally different. It is said in one of the Tibetan scriptures that even if you have to go in a hurry, go slowly. Even if you have to go in a hurry, go slowly. It is said that if you run you will never reach; if you sit you can reach, but if you run you will miss. An eternal procession, many lives, millions of lives, enough time — patience was possible.

In the West only one life, and every moment life changing into death; nothing is fulfilled, no desire completed, everything incomplete — how can you be patient? How can you wait? Waiting has become impossible. With the idea of one life, and with another idea of linear time, Christianity has created anxiety in the mind; and now Christianity has become a global influence.

Christianity says that time is not moving in a circle, it is moving in a straight line. Nothing is going to be repeated again, so everything is unique. Every event is once and for all, it cannot be repeated. It is not a circle; it is not like a wheel of a cart moving where every spoke will come again, where again and again the same spoke will be repeated.

In the East time is a circular concept, just like seasons moving in a circle. The summer comes and then the summer will come again, and it has been so always and it will be so always. And the Eastern concept is nearer to truth than the Western, because every movement is in a circle. The earth moves in a circle, the sun moves in a circle, the stars move in a circle, the life moves in a circle — every movement is circular. So time cannot be an exception; if time moves at all, it moves in a circle. The linear concept of time is absolutely wrong.

That’s why in the East we were never interested in history. We have been interested in myth, but never in history. The West introduced history into the world. That’s why Jesus became the center of history, the beginning of the calendar. We go on measuring time with “before Christ,” “after Christ.” Christ became the center of all history, the first historic person.

So, let’s get back to patience and how to cultivate it. I’m going to just mention one word, and that word it meditation. I talked about it in the previous post and how it’s important. How else can you develop patience with yourself and with others than by getting to know the real you and going within. Meditation will help you accomplish more than you realize.

I’m sorry to disappoint you if you thought I was going to get all philosophical and give you tips and whatnot to your seeming problem. It does not have to be that difficult. Nature can be the greatest teacher if we observe and see how we can apply what we see. The below is a perfect example of that.

We have forgotten how to wait; it is almost an abandoned space. And it is our greatest treasure to be able to wait for the right moment. The whole existence waits for the right moment. Even trees know it–when it is time to bring the flowers and when it is time to let go of all the leaves and stand naked against the sky. They are still beautiful in that nakedness, waiting for the new foliage with a great trust that the old has gone, and the new will soon be coming, and the new leaves will start growing. We have forgotten to wait, we want everything in a hurry. It is a great loss to humanity…. In silence and waiting something inside you goes on growing–your authentic being. And one day it jumps and becomes a flame, and your whole personality is shattered; you are a new man. And this new man knows what ceremony is, this new man knows life’s eternal juices. ~Osho.

So, go back to that post, read about meditation, and apply it to your life. Here’s to you in developing and cultivating patience in the New Year.

Namaste!