WEBVTT 00:00:16.010 --> 00:00:19.269 Good morning, everybody. It is 3 a .m. here where 00:00:19.269 --> 00:00:23.309 I'm at, and we're picking up where we left off 00:00:23.309 --> 00:00:25.589 with the moral series. This is Food for Thought, 00:00:25.690 --> 00:00:29.649 Thoughts If It Were You by Neogentrics. We're 00:00:29.649 --> 00:00:33.909 going to go ahead and cover one of the last of 00:00:33.909 --> 00:00:37.289 the morals, and that would be patience. By definition, 00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:40.090 it's the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, 00:00:40.429 --> 00:00:42.649 trouble, or suffering without getting angry or 00:00:42.649 --> 00:00:46.859 upset. It's chiefly a British term for solitaire, 00:00:46.979 --> 00:00:50.640 if you will. Patience is one of those skills 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.840 that a lot of people say they have, but can't 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.280 really demonstrate in any way, shape, or form. 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:00.600 It's often said that patience is a virtue, but 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:06.019 in this on -demand world, is being able to wait 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:09.609 patiently really still necessary? There are so 00:01:09.609 --> 00:01:12.890 few things for which we really have to wait nowadays 00:01:12.890 --> 00:01:15.989 that patience can seem an outdated idea. Even 00:01:15.989 --> 00:01:19.230 the other uses of the word as a girl's name and 00:01:19.230 --> 00:01:22.450 for a card game have largely disappeared, replaced 00:01:22.450 --> 00:01:29.430 by more modern equivalents. Patience, then, is 00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:32.709 the ability to wait calmly for or through something. 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:36.040 If it is a virtue, it seems likely that there 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:38.299 must be some element of suffering in the waiting, 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:41.859 even if the suffering is only boredom and not 00:01:41.859 --> 00:01:45.340 necessarily physical pain. Self -control, to 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:48.239 be able to control our own reactions to the situation 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:50.420 and endure it without complaint, whereas humility 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:55.439 is to accept that you are no more important than 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:57.400 anyone else and there is no particular reason 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:01.530 why you should not wait, and generosity... To 00:02:01.530 --> 00:02:04.370 smile at the world even when it seems to be conspiring 00:02:04.370 --> 00:02:10.310 against you. It's not that patience is a single 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.189 virtue. Rather, it's combined with these others. 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:16.750 This is the reason why I'm wanting to cover them 00:02:16.750 --> 00:02:21.830 so fervently. By covering all the different virtues, 00:02:21.909 --> 00:02:27.370 I cover the worlds as well that back them up. 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:30.580 Because each of these morals backs each other's 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:33.680 up. So this brings up the next question. Why 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:37.580 is patience important? Let's look at the Stanford 00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:42.879 experiments, okay? Back in the 1960s and 1970s, 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:45.139 a series of studies were carried out at Stanford 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:49.060 University on delaying gratification. Broadly, 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:51.919 children were given a small treat, such as a 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:55.039 marshmallow or a biscuit. They were told that 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:57.889 they could eat it immediately, but that... If 00:02:57.889 --> 00:03:00.090 they waited to eat it until the researchers returned, 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:02.889 they would get two treats instead of one. Or 00:03:02.889 --> 00:03:05.710 a preferred treat, if you will. The researchers 00:03:05.710 --> 00:03:08.009 then left the room for 10 to 15 minutes before 00:03:08.009 --> 00:03:10.530 returning. And as you might expect, some of the 00:03:10.530 --> 00:03:13.090 children ate the treats immediately. And others 00:03:13.090 --> 00:03:15.169 waited for the researchers to return and claimed 00:03:15.169 --> 00:03:17.870 their greater reward. What is interesting about 00:03:17.870 --> 00:03:22.439 this experiment is the... is that following up 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:24.759 follow -up studies found that the children who 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:26.860 waited and claimed the double reward generally 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:30.080 had better outcomes later in childhood for example 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:32.060 10 years later their parents reported that they 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:35.219 were more competent and they had better educational 00:03:35.219 --> 00:03:39.539 attainment and lower body mass index the irony 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:43.259 huh The Stanford experiment showed effectively 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:46.680 that patience does matter. Being able to accept 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:49.159 a delay in receiving a reward and understanding 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:51.479 that the rewards of that can be greater can lead 00:03:51.479 --> 00:04:17.379 to increased success in life. Let's look at patience 00:04:17.379 --> 00:04:21.379 versus this god -awful world, okay? The growth 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:23.600 in technology, and particularly smartphones, 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:27.420 you know, has led to instant gratification becoming 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:30.379 the norm. Computer games provide instant feedback. 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:33.120 You know, we can post things on social media 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:34.699 and get an immediate response from our friends. 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:36.839 Information is available at the touch of a screen. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.800 No more having to go to the library to look things 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.139 up. You know, it's just... How do I put it? And 00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:48.139 let's start... I mean, Amazon has invested in 00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:51.720 drone technology because it says its customers 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:53.819 are too impatient to wait for next day delivery 00:04:53.819 --> 00:04:57.279 when they order something they want it now, not 00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:01.480 later. So, in other words, we have become used 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:04.000 to instant rather than delayed gratification. 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:06.579 The thought of waiting for anything has become... 00:05:06.579 --> 00:05:12.279 What's the word I'm looking for here? Ineffective. 00:05:13.939 --> 00:05:17.470 Obsolete. There we go. Put this together with 00:05:17.470 --> 00:05:19.709 the results of the Stanford experiments and the 00:05:19.709 --> 00:05:22.250 picture starts to look more quite worrying If 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:24.410 success in life comes from being able to wait 00:05:24.410 --> 00:05:27.209 are we raising a generation or several for that 00:05:27.209 --> 00:05:30.980 matter who will struggle with life? Anecdotally, 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:33.939 there are reports that this may be true. Employers 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:36.740 have commented that young people joining the 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:38.800 workforce now expect everything to be given to 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:41.920 them. They don't necessarily expect to work for 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:44.000 their rewards, and they don't expect to take 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:47.139 time to build up their skills. Perhaps this is 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:51.139 an exaggeration, but indeed, perhaps all generations 00:05:51.139 --> 00:05:54.279 have felt like this, but the picture is not reassuring 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:57.300 nonetheless. Fortunately, it is possible to still 00:05:57.300 --> 00:05:59.819 take action to develop your own patience, and 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:16.220 for parents, that of your children as well. Cultivating 00:06:16.220 --> 00:06:18.899 Patience Some ideas for cultivating patience 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:21.560 in yourself or your children include identify 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:25.360 something that you want to buy or do, but cannot 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.540 afford and save up until you can. Although particularly 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:30.899 effective for children, this is a useful exercise 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:34.360 for adults too, particularly those who are prone 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:36.699 to spending on credit. With children, you may 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:38.660 want to encourage them to earn money through 00:06:38.660 --> 00:06:41.639 doing chores that they would not otherwise do. 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:49.699 you want to save each period. Next, go sit in 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:51.879 an art gallery and look at a single picture for 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:55.579 an extended period of time. Art historian Jennifer 00:06:55.579 --> 00:06:58.620 Roberts at Harvard University recommends three 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:01.199 hours, explaining that this is meant to be an 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:04.740 uncomfortably long time. However, even sitting 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:07.060 in front of one picture for 15 -20 minutes will 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:09.639 enable you to see new things and experience the 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:12.720 idea of being impatient and then settling down. 00:07:14.049 --> 00:07:17.990 Next, take up gardening, or something, and pursue 00:07:17.990 --> 00:07:21.230 it over a period of weeks or months. Growing 00:07:21.230 --> 00:07:23.889 plants, particularly from a seed, cannot be hurried. 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:27.189 Neither can the seasons, for that matter. Spending 00:07:27.189 --> 00:07:29.709 time gardening is a useful reminder of the slow 00:07:29.709 --> 00:07:33.750 way of life and having to wait to see what will 00:07:33.750 --> 00:07:36.350 happen. How do you know that the seed you put 00:07:36.350 --> 00:07:38.750 in the ground is actually a watermelon seed? 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:42.310 It could be a pumpkin seed. is also very good 00:07:42.310 --> 00:07:46.189 for your humility as Sometimes plants die despite 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:48.389 your best efforts and slugs and snails can be 00:07:48.389 --> 00:07:52.310 hard to control No comment there. I've tried 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:57.430 trust me. I've tried Read classic books classic 00:07:57.430 --> 00:08:00.250 books such as those of Charles Dickinson Anthony 00:08:00.250 --> 00:08:04.250 Trollope C .S. Lewis and so on are often very 00:08:04.250 --> 00:08:07.509 very long and because they were written and published 00:08:07.509 --> 00:08:10.829 in serial form Weekly or monthly their language 00:08:10.829 --> 00:08:13.750 is often difficult for modern audiences with 00:08:13.750 --> 00:08:16.029 you know long passages of description taking 00:08:16.029 --> 00:08:19.329 time to read them in Book form not in an electrical 00:08:19.329 --> 00:08:22.250 reader such as in Kindle your tablet your phone 00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:25.350 or a computer Can help you to develop more patience 00:08:25.350 --> 00:08:28.189 and a longer attention span plus it keeps you 00:08:28.189 --> 00:08:33.480 from skipping through the book Next Put away 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:36.220 all screens for a set period. There's a growing 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:38.679 recognition that frequent and regular interaction 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:40.440 with technologies can affect neural pathways 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:42.600 and perhaps prevent you from improving your patience. 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:45.279 Try putting away your technology for a defined 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.340 period, say an hour at first, but then trying 00:08:48.340 --> 00:08:50.899 to work up to a whole holiday and see how you 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:56.480 get on. Okay? You may find this a little irritating 00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:59.889 at first, but it's really worth the effort. There 00:08:59.889 --> 00:09:01.730 are, of course, many other options for slowing 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:04.149 down and developing your ability to wait. These 00:09:04.149 --> 00:09:06.610 were just a few examples. For me, I'd just go 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:08.590 to the park and sit there and stare in the sky. 00:09:10.809 --> 00:09:14.950 So with that, I leave you with this final thought. 00:09:15.129 --> 00:09:17.230 The expansion of instant gratification in our 00:09:17.230 --> 00:09:21.409 world may make it feel that patience is overrated, 00:09:21.470 --> 00:09:25.110 and that impatience is necessary, but those who 00:09:25.110 --> 00:09:28.240 can wait... often get a greater reward in the 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.080 end this suggests that trying to develop patience 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:32.440 is more important now than it ever has been before 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:35.899 there are some things it can't be argued okay 00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:40.440 which cannot and should not be hurried nobody 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.080 has yet found a way to reduce the length of pregnancy 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:46.620 for example learning to wait with patients could 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:52.159 bring dividends in more than one way okay So 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:54.580 with that, that's all I have to say about patients. 00:09:54.659 --> 00:09:57.600 It's not really that complicated a topic. I thank 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:00.559 you for listening yet again. And like I said 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:02.120 before, if you have any comments or concerns, 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:05.740 I'm here on the Anchor app. Just find my channel, 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:09.000 search Neogentrics, N -E -O -G -E -N -T -R -I 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:13.039 -C -S, and favorite my channel. Send me a message 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:15.659 whenever you can on any topics y 'all have that 00:10:15.659 --> 00:10:18.399 you would like me to cover. Or if I missed something 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.759 and you wanted to add to the podcast that I currently 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:24.480 just did. or any other previous one for that 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:28.539 matter. Hit me up. I'm also available on iTunes 00:10:28.539 --> 00:10:31.519 and Pocket Cast for Android as well as Overcast. 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:34.759 I thank you and have a great rest of your day.