On Patience: Reclaiming a Foundational Virtue

We can all quote some pithy adage that recalls the virtue of patience.  “Time and tide wait for no man”; “Life is short”; “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle” (attributed to Abraham Lincoln). The tortoise and the hare tale narrative remind us that it is the slow and steady the win the race.  And by race, we should mean the important stuff of life.

Matthew Pianalto, in On Patience: Reclaiming a Foundational Virtue, lifts the notion of patience from its philosophical obscurity, defends it as a multidimensional virtue which we cannot have too much. He reminds us of its deep roots such as Gregory the Great’s dictum that “patience is the root and guardian of all virtues”. The author’s overarching thesis may be succinctly summarized as “patience is a foundational virtue,” e.g. , which plays into one’s courage to act decisively when it is expedient and wisdom that purposely exercises patience in all situations.

Pianalto selects three major virtues—love, courage, and wisdom –to argue that there is a close connection between them and patience. In a broad conception of patience (gathered from Gregory), he argues, “When we wait, forbear, endure, or persevere with patience, we maintain an attitude of acceptance toward the various burdens thrust upon us by a situation” (57). This is to say that there are various aspects to the virtue of patience, viz., self-possessed waiting, forbearance, endurance, tolerance, and perseverance, while on the other hand we can wait with patience, forbear with patience or persevere with patience (buying one’s time). This is a crucial lesson for those who carry deep burdens for social change. One learns to temper virtuous anger or righteous indignation; anger is kept under rational control

Aristotle taught that patience like all virtues is constitutively valuable. Pianalto expands with the astute opinion that virtues derive their worth from their telos. That is they are valuable because they are instrumental to living a good life construed not primarily individualistically. This teleological dimension or a reference point (i.e., a worthy goal or a long term plan), informs us in a technological age where we are more prone to rely on instant responses and information that calm our anxieties and need for certainty. So what if it becomes evident to us that a goal we are pursuing is hopelessly unattainable? What if, e.g., one is terminally ill and in excruciating agony? Should she continue to be patient? Pianalto states poetically that “there is a kind of patience that endures — that can endure — even if our particular faith is shaken or our hopes are dashed” (134). Allow me to note that the opposite of faith is certainty and it is rather akin to doubt. Thus patience is more than necessary to live a fully human life. 

Text: Matthew Pianalto, On Patience: Reclaiming a Foundational Virtue, Lexington Books, 2016.