— CONSTABLE ODO. NECESSARY EVIL. 47282.5

In a world of warp-drives and personal transporters, time is perceived differently. The rhythms of biology are no longer our primary reference. Our “natural” sense of time is redefined by the increasing speed of our artifical devices. Patience is a lost virtue if only because our interactions with technology rarely require it!

But our personal interactions are another matter. Here, biology is still the defining factor. “Real time” must be readjusted for the slower pace of thinking and feeling; for the deliberate nurturing of relationships; and for the subtle, cumulative effects which combine to change our lives. One spiritual tradition symbolizes this “living” process in the sacred image of the lotus flower, unfolding itself petal by petal until it is finally revealed in all its glory.

Patience is the quiet acceptance of the fact that some things must be allowed, like the lotus, to unfold at their own pace. Love is the classic example. Likewise developing a spiritual discipline, overcoming our fears, or finding our life’s purpose. These things must “unfold.” Rushing them can only disrupt or prevent their flowering.

In the process, it’s not really patience that becomes our ally. It’s The Universe.

I won’t be rushed by the timetable of technology. I will take time to fully absorb the lessons I must learn. My life is unfolding at just the right pace.

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The above meditation is taken from Going Boldly on Your Inner Voyage © 1999-2004, IF Books.

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