Rilke

What a nice and unexpected read this was. Although the first long passage was a pleasure to read, the second passage was what jumped out at me.

The passage talks about the importance of patience and I think it is a really important virtue to talk about. We can jokingly say, “Patience is a virtue” but it rarely really sets in or clicks with people. How can you change how patient you are (or are not)? Well, just accept that things will come in time and do not be disappointed if it doesn’t come at all. It goes back to the Buddhist teaching that when we end desire we end suffering. Just be and let things happen. Whether it be waiting for a boyfriend or girlfriend to call you back, life-changing news from a doctor or simply waiting to see your child smile at you, you cannot force it to happen and you have to just wait for it to happen. I used to really struggle with waiting – waiting for everything, too – but now I relish the time I spend waiting because to me it isn’t “waiting” at all. Now, I see time spent as time I have to myself to do the things I’ve been meaning to do and I’ve found that I’m so much more productive and satisfied. And once the thing I’ve been waiting for comes along, it is all the better and means so much more.

Another passage that I really liked was the second to last, which said that one of “the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us” is that of loving our fellow human beings. We’ve talked about this in class and I couldn’t help but mention it again. Someone had said that it is truly one of the hardest things to be nice to one another, especially in the face of torment or ridicule. Luckily I haven’t had too much drama in my life in the past few years, but when I did it was so hard to just let things go and just love whoever was the cause of issue. It is easy to get caught up in the moment of the pain and only see the other person as an embodiment of what they’ve said, but they are so much more. They are a human, with a vulnerable body and feelings and a family and they are simply learning how to live their life just like me. When I think of it that way it is much easier to forgive and forget and just accept people for who they are instead of seeing them for their faults. I’m not perfect, though, and it very well may be the hardest thing to do in life!