Patience
 

Patience.

They call it a virtue.

I call it a skill.

It must be learned, practiced, perfected.

It is difficult to master.

Re: Patience
 

Same with all virtues I would say. They have to be learned and practiced until they are a natural ability.

Peace.G.

Re: Patience
 

I'm inclined to agree with Graham. I'd say that virtue is a subcategory of skill, that a virtue is a skill that we consider especially meritorious, and that -- like any skill -- has to be "learned, practiced, perfected".

Another take on virtues from management guru Tom Peters (written, IIRC, in his last good book "The Pursuit of Wow", some time before he jumped the shark), was that it's the act of an instant to sign up for the program, but the act of a lifetime to make good on your promise. The "program" in his example was exercise, but I think you can substitute any virtue or good habit.

Both are helpful ways to look at patience (or any other virtue or skill). In American society we venerate "natural" talent (whatever that is), and as a consequence we excuse ourselves for not developing skills. "Oh, I'm just not artistic/good at math/able to handle conflict/patient/whatever" places the matter out of our hands and excuses us from developing to whatever degree we can.

Re: Patience
 

Patience can actually be unlearned, unpracticed, and discarded. Being "patient" is a value judgement.

"Being patient is the assumption that you are waiting for something better to come along - and in that state, nothing better will come along. "

"When you live in the moment, you do not create the experience of the passage of time, as you do when you're sitting around waiting for things to happen."

Some insights into patience at...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CaDpuA88_w

Re: Patience
 

I'd disagree with this as a categorical statement But then, I'm a gardener.

Waiting patiently for the snow to melt and the garlic to emerge,

Re: Patience
 

I don't think being patient is that assumption or implies it. So I don't see that as a good analogy for that analogy only gives a concept of waiting.....not patience.

Patience implies not being rushed, panicking etc. You can be patient whilst waiting for something or you can do something with patience. You can even sprint with patience. A virtue indeed I would say.

Peace.G.