Patience — Likely one of the most underrated skills in the modern world
by Jeanette Peterson

In our modern society, with us all living on what seems like hyperdrive, it would appear that patience has become a dying art. As a mindfulness coach, the skill of patience is frequently the most common skill I have fostered in people, from children to grandparents.
So why are we fast losing from our society, one of the most underrated skills of the modern world?
As a society, this isn’t the only skill fast disappearing. It is one of many skills that is slipping away as a result of the technology era. An era, that has brought everything to our fingertips in an instant. We expect everything from instant gratification in social media to the instant approval of loans. Nothing in life seems to go unscathed in our desire for everything now, including love.
Technology has in so many ways made our lives easier, so we keep getting reminded of it in advertising, marketing and everywhere else we seem to look. Yet less than 100 years ago, we spent most of our time daily just doing the essentials to survive. Yet we should a whole lot of spare time, right? So why don’t we, when we have all this technology to make our lives easier. Why are we not finding time to stop, relax and foster these important lost skills that have the potential to enrich our lives greatly.
It is pretty simple really, technology has disrupted the fabric of not only convenience but distraction itself. We are distracted by every buzz, bell and whistle, that technology is using to disrupt us. We are literally acting like a bower bird on steroids. Why? Because it is our phone in the palm of our hands. It has become our umbilical cord, stealing our every moment of every day.
We have all done it, been in a beautiful location and focused on getting the perfect photo, not simply enjoying the experience. We are somehow more determined to keep a photo memory and urgently post it on social media, than actually breathing into it and enjoying the moment, right then, patiently and blissfully experience it all. When did we stop just seeing the sunset, rather than taking twenty pictures of you pretending to hold it in your hand? Feeling the sunset, and reflecting on your day with gratitude for what it brought, as it is literally shining on you from 150 million kilometres away.
The scary part is that we are yet to fully understand the impact of where technology is taking us because we are so utterly and blissfully distracted by everything in our smartphone.
Has the smartphone stolen our smarts? Have we surrendered skills like patience because the smartphone now makes all our decisions for us? And because we can have everything in a second is there no need for patience anymore?
The concept of these questions is a whole lot scarier than we probably would like to admit. Could you turn your phone off for a week? Too hard? How about a day? Still too hard? What about an hour?
This is how big our problem really is! We are the most intelligent species on this planet right? Yet, we are fast losing some of the most important skills we are going to need in the future, to not only survive but to thrive.
For the majority of us, we crave human connection. For some of us, the only human connection we get is disappearing right before our very eyes. The impacts of this are unfolding in every part of our lives, undermining our relationships on every front.
Online dating is mainstream, with many people now meeting this way. It is not uncommon for people using online dating sites to live less than 30min apart, yet their first interaction is often by video. When did we decide video is better than a face to face interaction with a real person?
There are now fewer people serving us in places like the supermarket, with a definitive grading towards person-free spaces in many sectors. COVID19 has helped to expedite the person-free potentiality. Many of us are working from home, often in absolute isolation. Isolation of COVID19 is still unfolding in the mental health space for people of all ages.
A smartphone is a highly effective tool, yet it has become a crutch, crippling the fundamental skills that make us human. Is this what we want?
You can learn to foster skills like patience, one of the most underrated skills in the modern world. It was once taught at school, in the home and highly valued. Try it for yourself, show someone you care about patience and see what happens. Equally, when someone else shows you patience when you are struggling to understand or learn something new, it helps you feel heard.
We all want to be seen and heard. Reinvigorate the patience in your circle and watch people grow. Patience is a beautiful nurturing skill that brings greatness to the giver and receiver alike.
You can be far greater than the boundaries of technology because your potential is limitless. Let it bloom within the flower of patience.