Dealing with impatience is a challenge that every human being needs to face. Patience is the practice of accepting what is but still pursuing an intended result.
I remember seeing a video on YouTube where a person used a broomstick to bring down a newly built bird’s nest. The birds had been collecting materials for that nest for days, or perhaps even weeks. One can imagine that it has been quite hard work for them. However, upon noticing that the nest had been destroyed, the birds immediately started to build a new one. There was no whining or crying; they just started over as if nothing had happened.
My conclusion from this is that birds don’t have a mind that is attached to things or the past, nor do they have frames for how things should or shouldn’t be. They only have their minds set on ensuring they have a place to stay, for which they must construct a nest.
Humans differ in this regard. We tend to cling to the past and carry a lot of fear within our minds. This is evident in our actions and our society, particularly in today’s fast-paced society where we seek quick rewards and become very impatient when things don’t go as planned. If we were to lose our home like the birds did in the YouTube video, we would likely feel devastated and most likely blame external conditions, wasting time instead of just taking care of our situation.
The mind is the culprit
What is the problem? The mind is the culprit. It is the impatient mind that makes us behave this way. So, the solution to the problem is also in the mind.
We can think of impatience as a program in our mind, a program with set rules for how things should and shouldn’t be. It’s a program that activates frustration or a desire to give up when the world doesn’t timely deliver according to what the mind demands.
The solution is to root out this program from our minds, and this is done through meditation. It’s a long-term practice, and results should not be expected immediately (patience again!), but if we work on it daily, our minds will naturally change.
Learn a meditation method to empty or discard the mind. Meditation is an introspective practice in which we observe our thoughts and feelings and release them. Through meditation, we can observe our pre-programmed, scripted mind and let go of it. Every time we recognize impatience, frustration, anger, or the desire to give up being activated within us, we release those thoughts and feelings. As we continue to release them over time, our mind returns to its natural state, which is the emptiness and consciousness of the universe. In this state, there are no desires; it is empty, yet it encompasses everything. In this state, impatience ceases to exist, and we naturally become patient.
Consequently, if we live a life focused on emptying our minds, we will naturally grow more patient because our minds become one with the world. We do what we need to do without expectations. Just like the birds whose nests were torn down, we naturally do what we have to do, and that is by itself joyful.
Take a minute and check out the video below to see how meditation can help you become patient.
