Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-02-15
Patience as a Virtue
Patience a Idtt1e, Learn to
Wait; Years Are Long on the
Clock Of Fate.'
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.

Patience little. learn 70 wait; .
Years are long on the clock of fate
One Of the hardest lessons for youth
to learn is that OF patience which Of
us has not said when facing trouble, II
could stand anything but the uncer-
tasnty." But almost the whole lesson Of
life Hes in learning patiently to endure
uncertainty
Patience il a mixture of disasters en-
dnred. Of growth In culture, Of ability 70
look all about a subject and OF calm
poise which must spread itself over
everything we do and say. 1t 10 the
power to wait with joyful expectancy for
happiness and to endure quietly up to
the moment OF actually facing sorrow
and pain and deprivation.
Probably no virtue Is less inherent in
human Nature and no virtue is harder TO
cultivate. And yet II is absolutely reaui-
site to happiness in life.
Impatience leads to all sorts OF foolish
impulsiveness. It drives one TO actions
which one almost knows VIII lead to un-
happiness. II impels one 70 try to-force
the hand of events. to pull open a rose
bud, to walSen the dream OF romance into
premature reality. Impatient people in
hurryine up events hasten them Into the
particular path they never should have
taken. Impatient people cannot wait for
things to work themselves out normally
and worthily. They wreck the ship they
do not know how to guide. SO much for
active impatience OF the sort that cannot
let events come to their natural fruition.
Passive impatience is of the sort that
forgets that all wounds heal but by de-
grees. 1t iterates to itself again and
again. "Oh. cant bear this eorrow,~
and so makes It indeed almost impossible
that the sorrow should be borne.
There lis no royal road to cuitivating
patience. 1t has to be sought most pa
tiently. 1t has to be striven for over
series Of failures and through q vast ac-
emulation Of little iapses back into i'm
patience.
Patience is part Of reposo ana pcise
They are needed 20 mako It up When
something happens and you feel you just
can't endure It and must do something
about II, try this: Instead OF getting up
and nuttering and sputtering Hike be-
headed chicken. walk over 10 the open
window Nand inhale deeply TO the count
Of ten. then exhale to the same count.
DO this dozen times. You will find
yourself very definitely concerned with
the physical process you have set up
And your poise viii be little increased
30 that curbing. your patience win be
txifle less difncplt.
Or try this: Proceed TO laueh ct your
self. Naturally It WIN be mechanical
process. but after you have kept Il UP
for = minute or two you wtll fsnd mat
you are actually laughing After that 1t
win not be possible 10 return TO the thing
which caused your frnpat4ence with quite
the irritabfiity you first felt
I have suggested two pureay physical
processes for curbing impatience But
the real way TO curb impatience is not
matter OF deep breathing OF daughter,
but one Of philosophy.
Life moves slowly, not in jerks or leaps
or bounds. IN one little reverse twist
against nature one fractures bone. And
then slowly. gradually, Mature sets up
her healing process. ana torn ngaments
and splintered bones mend themselves
into a perfect whole. Every time you get
excited and over-anxious and make an
atternpt TO put undue strain on the mem
Der which is mending you oounteract the
healing you break down some little it's
sue which was just on the verge OF
mending.
Impatience has a way Of sub5scting
mind and body 10 undue strain. Patience
tries things out to make sure they will
endure q strain. and tests sinew. fibre
| and mentality carefully before asking
| anything OF them. Patience knows It
must endure, and 50 proceeds phiiosoph-
icaiiy TO endure well.
When you have a wild feeling that you
must hurry events. force yourself to do
nothing. After all. whatever you do will
probably be exactly wrong.
Impatience Is part OF self-centerednsss
When you think you cart endure what
you must endure and won't await what
cannot be hurried, part OF your trouble
Is that your mind is on yourself and your
own concerns. A simple corrosive Is to
be found in doing something In no wise
related TO the crisis you are awaiting or
the sorrow You must bear
/ Actually remove your mind from the
thing over which It is becoming vexed
and ruffled. This is not at all easy at
first, But IL you force yourself TO sew
or read or walk. in the nature Of things
your body adjusts itself TO the mechani-
cal process you are performing. and
gradually your thoughts veer from their
other center to the healthier center of
your action.
We siI have to be patient at many
times during our lives 1t would be very
well IL We all set at once about cultivat-