patience is a virtue

patience is a virtue is an easier said than done phrase. I personally tried on a little experiment where I promised to remind myself to be patient every time my heart races and I feel like an outburst of rage coming. They were a lot of successes but there were a couple of downfalls to which I have somewhat established my threshold or rather the one thing that ticks me off without leaving a space for me to put thoughts of remaining patient into.

What I have noticed is that, most people I know are easily carried away by labile emotions or anger and rage when they are TIRED. It is as simple as being tired, that gets you to succumb to emotions that you are able to keep well under control when you have had enough rest or at least sleep. For some being rested would also mean having a good meal and enough fluids to keep the body healthy. In medicine we were taught in our first year, that a spiritual body with a healthy mind, is a body that has good physical health overall. However, when good physical health isn't accompanied by good mental or spiritual health, the body (or rather person) is said to be NON-healthy. And yet it makes me wonder, despite having had this knowledge from my first year in med school, it did not in any way influence the hours of rest I have devoted for myself. I have deprived myself of a healthy diet, healthy exercise, adequate amount of water per day to keep me hydrated, and most of all, I have always deprived myself of sleep! Most med students are used to staying up late putting in that extra hours of study when really a healthy time table can be conjured up so we could avoid strenuous practice of medicine, while preaching medical treatment or plans in the name of hypocrisy.

Having said that, let me add also that the medical facilities (hospitals, clinics, etc) albeit having tried various methods on reducing the number of accidents (medical accidents) that take place, have failed to reduce the number of hours required for a physician to work. Physicians worldwide have been trained from the time in med school that working life isn't going to be easy but rather one should get used to the number of sleepless nights as that is one of the requirements of being a physician.

Some of you who work in developed countries' medical facilities might rebut my views on this because perhaps your facility has reduced the number of hours you are required to work in order to produce healthier, less tired, more patient physicians who are able to make wise medical decision. However, this sadly isn't the same in developing countries, where the believe stands that, a physician that can train itself to sleep a mere 4 hours a day, is a physician who has the most experience (I call it experience based on the number of mistakes they may have done!).

Going back to the topic of patience is a virtue, no matter what your job title is, no matter what your stand in life might be, if you could truly control your mind and avoid falling into the traps of anger and hasty decisions, then my friend, you have allowed your mind and body, a healthy diet of peace and rest. Shalom!!