Patience: A Dying Virtue
By: Edie Tuck
Tags: Patience, Human Decency, Entitlement, Life, Customer Service

I try not to vent too much in my writing, because, for one, I know you probably don’t want to hear it. And two, venting is counter-productive — rehashing things that made your blood boil will just bring it all back and make it boil again. But sometimes, like right now, I just need to get it out.

We — humans — seriously need to re-learn the dying art of patience. We all seem to want the world handed to us on a silver platter, we want it yesterday (because apparently today isn’t soon enough), and we want it for as little as possible — if not for nothing. We feel like it’s owed to us.

Newsflash: NOTHING IS OWED TO US!

Respect is a two-way street, and basic human decency is quickly becoming a thing of the past. It’s sad, really. What used to be one for all and all for one, is now just ‘everyone for themselves.’

I work in the freight industry and let me tell you, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Far from it. People (not everyone, thank goodness!) are impatient — to put it nicely — rude, obnoxious, and entitled beyond belief. One would think that every shipment contains live organs and it’s all a matter of life and death.

They wait until the last possible moment, give us impossible parameters in which to pick up their freight, and then expect the near-impossible for delivery — they want to pay the lowest rate in the book for the highest level of service — they expect that level of service to be the bend-over-backwards-in-stilettos type. And then they threaten to take their business away if you — god forbid — ask for a little bit of flexibility.

People! STOP. BEING. SO. DAMN. DEMANDING!

If I sound a little frustrated, it’s because I am. If I sound a little angry? I’m more than just a little angry. I’m furious!

I’m tired of selfish, entitled people who feel it’s okay to rudely demand the world at the snap of a finger, and who have zero consideration for the work involved or the people doing that work, and have just as little gratitude for it when things go right. They fly off their broomstick the moment something doesn’t go their way but don’t have the decent courtesy to recognize the work involved when it goes right.

There are those who will put in the effort to reach out and thank you for a job well done, but the number of customers who actually show gratitude is laughable — and this is true of any industry.

I think that generally in life, we’ve all become so quick to point out mistakes that we forget to also notice the good. The hard work someone puts into their job, to make sure things go smoothly — and we forget that we’re all human and that there are always a million factors in any given situation that are out of anyone’s control.

Growing up, I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying “patience is a virtue.” When did this become a saying nobody puts any weight in anymore? It’s a dying quality that desperately needs to be brought back, right along with courtesy, and (ahem), politeness!

Yes, you’re paying for a service. I get that. But you’ve got to understand that the people who are providing this service — whatever the service may be — are just that: people! They’re as human as you are. Screaming at them on the phone, or sending scathing emails, will not make them want to work faster or better for you. If anything, it will have the opposite effect.

So please, if you have to call a customer service person for any reason, please keep a few things in mind:

They’re not the cause of your problem, so please be patient with them — give them all the details (calmly!) so they’re better equipped to help you. Screaming at the customer service person on the other end of the phone isn’t going to make them help you faster, or even want to help you at all. They have to be nice to you, so be nice to them. They’re a person, just like you — with real feelings and emotions. How would you feel if you had a hundred people calling you every day just to yell at you? Not very good, I bet. Put yourself in their shoes. They’re just trying to do their job to the best of their ability. They don’t own the company (in most instances). Treat them the way you’d like to be treated (Now there’s a concept!) Not every problem is fixed easily — or fixable at all! Sometimes it takes a little extra time and a little extra patience, and a little imagination. Don’t fly off the handle when things don’t go your way; it’s really not becoming.

Patience really is a virtue, and so is being nice. So take a deep breath, and be a nice human. It’s easier than you think.