We are used to living in the world of instant action and
response. Each generation claims that the current speed and
flow of information is almost too much to bear. The stress we
feel, which is imposed by our society, the closest ones, and our
working life, is almost too much to handle. So what is all this
fuss about? Who’s in a hurry and why?
We feel anxious when things seem to move too fast for us.
We are not focused and cannot exactly draw the full picture.
This is something very personal and subjective. Air traffic
controllers have a different meaning of stress than kinder-
garten teachers and extreme sports base jumpers have. What
is common to everyone is that the external activity level and
the inner state of patience and calmness are totally different
issues. When we are feeling comfortable, we can achieve a lot
without any distress.
With experience and practice, our comfort zone extends.
We learn to separate our physical existence from our inner state
of being. With time, we start to feel less concerned about the
circumstances and even new situations facing us. No matter
how fast the pace or strange the situation, it should not affect
our inner being. Those are just issues to deal with—no big deal.
We start to perceive life with patience. Everything has its
time and place. For some activities we get involved, and for
others we do not; sometimes our presence is required for an
activity, and for some activities our presence is not necessary.
Our time will come if we need the experience or the capabil-
ity. Our life gives us what we deserve, but we are often just too
impatient to wait for it. We get anxious and start to act on our
own. And then we are confused. Things get out of our control
and beyond our reach. At this point, we need even more
patience.
This is the original text, and an edited version can be found in the Fragments of Reality -book.
