Patience

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances such as perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in annoyance/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms include hastiness and impetuousness.Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere; who say, when afflicted with calamity: 'To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return'.Narrated Aisha: I asked Allah’s rasool about the plague. He said, “That was a means of torture which Allah used to send upon whomsoever He wished, but He made it a source of mercy for the believers, for anyone who is residing in a town in which this disease is present, and remains there and does not leave that town, but has patience and hopes for Allah’s reward, and knows that nothing will befall him except what Allah has written for him, then he will get such reward as that of a martyr.” Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances such as perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in annoyance/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms include hastiness and impetuousness. In psychology and in cognitive neuroscience, patience is studied as a decision-making problem, involving the choice of either a small reward in the short-term, versus a more valuable reward in the long-term. When given a choice, all animals, humans included, are inclined to favour short-term rewards over long-term rewards. This is despite the often greater benefits associated with long-term rewards. In 2005 a study involving common marmosets and cottontop tamarins, animals of both species faced a self-control paradigm in which individuals chose between taking an immediate small reward and waiting a variable amount of time for a large reward. Under these conditions, marmosets waited significantly longer for food than tamarins. This difference cannot be explained by life history, social behaviour or brain size. It can, however, be explained by feeding ecology: marmosets rely on gum, a food product acquired by waiting for exudate to flow from trees, whereas tamarins feed on insects, a food product requiring impulsive action. Foraging ecology, therefore, may provide a selective pressure for the evolution of self-control. Patience of human users in the online world has been the subject of much recent scientific research. In a 2012 study involving tens of millions of users who watched videos on the Internet, Krishnan and Sitaraman show that online users lose patience in as little as two seconds while waiting for their chosen video to start playing. The study also shows that users who are connected to the Internet at faster speeds are less patient than their counterparts connected at slower speeds, demonstrating a link between the human expectation of speed and human patience. These and other scientific studies of patience have led many social commentators to conclude that the rapid pace of technology is rewiring humans to be less and less patient. Patience and fortitude are prominent themes in Judaism. The Talmud extols patience as an important personal trait. The story of Micah, for example, is that he suffers many challenging conditions and yet endures, saying 'I will wait for the God who saves me.' Patience in God, it is said, will aid believers in finding the strength to be delivered from the evils that are inherent in the physical life. In the Hebrew Torah, patience is referred to in several proverbs, such as 'The patient man shows much good sense, but the quick-tempered man displays folly at its height' (Proverbs 14:29, NAB); 'An ill-tempered man stirs up strife, but a patient man allays discord.' (Proverbs 15:18, NAB); and 'A patient man is better than a warrior, and he who rules his temper, than he who takes a city.' (Proverbs 16:32). The emotion is also discussed in other sections, such as Ecclesiastes: 'Better is the patient spirit than the lofty spirit. Do not in spirit become quickly discontented, for discontent lodges in the bosom of a fool.' (Ecclesiastes 7:8-9, NAB). In the Christian religion, patience is one of the most valuable virtues of life. Increasing patience is viewed as the work of the Holy Ghost in the Christian who has accepted the gift of salvation. While patience is not one of the traditional biblical three theological virtues nor one of the traditional cardinal virtues, it is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, according to the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians. Patience was included in later formulations of the seven virtues. In the Christian Bible, patience is referred to in several sections. The Book of Proverbs notes that 'through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone' (Proverbs 25:14-16, NIV); Ecclesiastes points out that the 'end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride' (Ecclesiastes 7:7-9, NIV); and 1 Thessalonians states that we should 'be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good for each other and for all' (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15, NAB). In the Epistle of James, the Bible urges Christians to be patient, and ' see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,...until it receives the early and the late rains.' (James 5:7-11, NAB). In Galatians, patience is listed as part of the 'fruit of the Spirit': 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law'. (Galatians 5:21-23, NIV). In Timothy, the Bible states that 'Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life'.(1 Timothy 1:15-17 NIV). Patience with steadfast belief in Allah is called sabr (Arabic: صْبِرْ ṣabr‎), one of the best virtues of life in Islam. Through sabr, a Muslim believes that an individual can grow closer to God and thus attain true peace. It is also stressed in Islam, that Allah is with those who are patient, more specifically during calamity and suffering. Several verses in Quran urge Muslims to seek Allah's help when faced with fear and loss, with patient prayers and perseverance for Allah. For example: