A Test of Patience – Part 2 – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #558 by Asrar Qureshi
A Test of Patience – Part 2 – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #558 by Asrar Qureshi
Dear Colleagues! This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #558. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here.
Psychologists have described patience, types of patience and therapies for cultivating patience. We pick a little from there for understanding but stay away from hardcore psychology.
A study by Sarah A. Schnitker, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology reports results of three studies, the first of which measures three types of patience on a new 3-factor Patience Scale.
Interpersonal Patience – is the one we need when we deal with people, and which is what we do most commonly. People are our family, our friends, our colleagues, our bosses, our teams, and lot of people around us. We all know that a lot of patience is required to interact with people. They would cheat, deceive, lie, break promises, not deliver on time, and not do as they are told to do. We are well familiar with the frustrations in workplace, and we also know the frustrations at home. Staying calm in the face of these situations requires lots of patience. Most people can handle patiently, but some do not, and they explode at the most inappropriate occasion.
Life Hardship Patience – is the type we exhibit (or not exhibit) when we are faced with a truly hard situation. Loss of a loved one, death in the family, loss of job, loss of a long-awaited promotion, loss of property are just a few examples. In these times, floods, droughts, fires, cyclones, hurricanes, and earthquakes are regularly causing havoc in many parts of the world. Thousands of people are losing life savings, homes, jobs and so on. The poorest of the poor nations, which are too many now, are totally unable to provide security, food, shelter, and subsistence to their citizens, who are trying to migrate to other countries illegally. Wars in many areas are creating disasters over large areas. Life was never easy, but it has become extremely tough for majority now.
It seems impossible to be patient in such events, but we see every day that people show lots of patience. Many of them show resilience also.
Daily Hassles Patience – is the test of patience every day. A long queue in a store tests our patience, and if someone jumps the queue, then God help him/her. Many people at the same time raise their voices to stop them. Traffic jams are now common in all cities, though some cities are really notorious for it. You may be tired, hungry, frustrated when you are going home from office, may be late also, and when you get stuck in a never-ending traffic jam, your manners may leave you temporarily. In countries like ours, the daily hassle is daily, versatile, serious, and disabling. It is a challenge to be patient all the time, an episode or two at some point are inevitable.
All three types are quite relatable. Every day, our patience is being tested severely. It is surprising that we see very few encounters where fights of any kind are seriously considered. Most ordinary people show extraordinary patience in very tough situations. Is it innate? Are they borne with it? What can be done to increase patience? Is patience better? Is it an asset to have? What is the duration of patience?
Patience comes from within, from our learned wisdom, from our personal traits, and from support given by those around us. We are not borne with it; we acquire it during our lifetime. There are several prescribed ways to cultivate and increase patience, some of which we shall discuss in the next part. Yes, patience is better in almost all situations. It saves troubles and serious consequences. Of course, it is an asset.
About the duration of patience. It is related to the issue. For example, a chronic illness will require long term patience. Poverty, resource deprivation, wars, famines, deaths, immigration, loss of property, loss of a career job are typical life situations requiring long-term patience. It could last weeks, months, years, or a lifetime.
To be Continued……
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