“Patience is a virtue.” If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times from Suzy’s mom. She was a wonderful woman with a saying for every occasion, but her wisdom on patience was a recurring theme. Yesterday, Suzy herself echoed her mother’s words, sending me an insightful essay on patience by Oren Jay Sofer.
Sofer’s piece, “Patience: Like Water on Stone” (which I highly recommend reading here), offers a profound reframe. He writes, “patience is like water slowly wearing down stone, patience is a quiet, powerful force that endures and shapes the world over time.”
This idea struck me. I’d always envisioned patience as passive—quietly waiting, doing nothing. But Sofer’s reflection caused me to consider patience in an active mode, much like a slow, persistent drip that ultimately moves mountains. It’s not about inaction, but about a sustained, gentle pressure that doesn’t let up.
In our age of instant gratification, rapid responses, and heated disagreements, perhaps we could all benefit from slowing down. Instead of shouts and screams, maybe we should embrace the forceful nudge of patience, allowing it to subtly and powerfully shape our world over time.
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