It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience. – Julius Caesar
Introduction
Wisdom is a close ally of patience. Since the truth is parallel, foolishness is also a close ally of impatience. It is elementary for us to observe foolishness in the life of someone given to regular outbursts of impatience. It takes a little provocation to trigger the beast in them and suddenly all the respect we were having for them vanishes into thin air. No wonder they say patience is a virtue. Patience truly shows the fortitude of your character. Patience makes you position yourself systematically over the years until you can go for the jugular vein.
The Baboon Story
I will never forget the other time I was playing in the forest in my rural home with a couple of friends. I enjoyed myself very much watching the baboon, which is a monkey slightly bigger than a dog. I watched it harvest raw wild oranges which were very green. It moved a few meters from the tree and then started digging a shallow hole where it deposited the oranges and covered the place with grass and soil. I thought the baboon was smart because it then walked away, but a few minutes down the line it was back and digging up the wild oranges hoping that they had ripened and ready for consumption. That hit a cord inside me on how impatience is such a dangerous trait, which on one end will end up manifesting as foolishness.
Outbursts Condemn Your Character
Consider the case of a colleague who has limited intellectual capacity continually frustrating you. If you are an impatient person they may choose to do that to you in the presence of fellow workers and then you will burst out in anger. Chances are that your fellow workers will miss the mischief of the other colleague but they will certainly lose respect for you because of your outburst. They may even condemn you outright because you have failed to exhibit the level of maturity and patience expected of you or at your level of seniority. A little bit of patience would have made you respond differently with maturity and gusto.
Patience Creates Real Power
Contrast the impatience of the baboon to the patience of a lion. Did you know that the lion is the most patient animal in the jungle? The lion can surround its prey and strategize around it for hours without striking. The objective is very clear, when it strikes it should not miss. This is why if you pass by a zone where the lion is circling its prey, you may consider it as a lazy animal, but it surely understands patience, hence its ability to turn patience into wisdom. Once the lion targets you, it will get you even if it needs the whole day to study you. The lion surely knows how to focus and that is why it is the king of the jungle.
Patience Built Don Carlo
Patience and wisdom have defined Champions League-winning coach, Carlo Ancelotti. Take time to reflect on the fact that he was fired at Bayern Munich, fired at A C Millan, fired at Chelsea, fired at Napoli, and fired twice at Real Madrid. The man never lost patience with the football fraternity, he kept believing and kept his cool. On Saturday he made history by winning a record 15th Champions League trophy for Real Madrid. On a personal note, he won the sixth Champions League, which is twice the coach who follows him on the rankings. Patience has been the hallmark of his success.
Impatience Fosters Instability
The reason we have no peace in the Middle East is due to the impatience of Sarah and Abraham, who did not faithfully wait for Isaac. The reason Gehazi never succeeded Elisha is the impatience he had with God’s processes thereby falling prey to greed. Jesus Christ succeeded because he learned patience through suffering. Patience indeed builds character and wisdom. Let us remember that a shortcut is the longest way to our destiny to do things right and qualify for the next level.
Allow me to share some nuggets of wisdom and patience.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Wisdom is the principal thing, it is our anchor of life
- Fools rush in, but wise people discern danger from a distance
- Patience is wisdom expressed as confidence
- Wisdom speaks to communicate but foolishness speaks to be noticed
- By wisdom a city can be built and a nation preserved
- Learn to listen more and speak less
- Many wars have been avoided by patience
- Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.
- Great organizations are products of patient men and women
- Love is patient and longsuffering, it is not puffed up
- Patience demands mastery and an iron will
- “To lose patience is to lose the battle.” —Mahatma Gandhi.
- “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- “Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. …
- “Have patience with all things but first of all with yourself.” —Francis de Sales
No matter the matter, Christ remains the Ultimate leader. Follow him and many will follow you. Never forget that you belong to the top. Let us practice patience as we establish transgenerational organizations. The nation is holding its breath, hoping to see the leader in you come to the party. Have faith in God and your leadership mindset will certainly be stretched to get to the next level. May the leader in you rise to conquer.
Ted Msipa (PhD)