Be Impatient

We're asked to be patient. We're expected to be patient. It's polite to be patient. Well, sometimes it's time to get impatient.  Not angry. Impatient. 

Anger is irrational, thoughtless and hateful and invites more of the same. The ugliness we see so prevalent today is fed by anger. Evil people like anger. It's used to manipulate others to no good purpose, to divert their eyes and attention from ulterior motives and pervert those noble principles that have defined us as a nation and give us strength. It plays to ignorance; it draws on the worst of human nature; it divides us and leaves our society depleted.

Impatience can be a call to thoughtful, meaningful action.

Impatience goes beyond simple frustration. It suggests the crossing of an important threshold where you want needs met and obstacles cleared at a time and in a form meaningful to you. It is a point at which these feel threatened and you want someone to do something about it. That someone starts with you. 

Take charge of those things you can control, work with others to influence things you can influence, protect yourself against things you can’t control. Being a problem solver for things large and small is invaluable. Be a problem solver, not a problem waiting to be solved.

I'm not speaking about vain things, but things important to the health, welfare and potential of our society and to everyone within it – including you. 

There's a lot to be impatient about these days - important things; so, be impatient, but use that impatience with purpose to make a difference and incrementally move us all forward in a time and manner meaningful to us all.

Be demanding of institutions (for and non-profit, public and private) and their leaders and staff to set high standards, to be accountable and transparent and act in the public interest – not narrow interests – to fix what's wrong and act with purpose. This isn't naivete. It's what we should expect, no less. It does demand people of character, integrity and ability.  It also demands that we recognize and help leaders (at all levels and in every quarter) who are, be successful in solving problems and moving civil and principled society forward – irrespective of political party, ethnicity, race, gender, religious belief or sexual preference. We are one nation.

What we demand of others we must demand of ourselves. We are among those leaders if we choose to be. If we want to make a difference. I hope you do. It’s important for all of us.

We also need a measure of impatience with ourselves. Have we let ourselves fall into too much dependency on others to achieve our goals. Have we surrendered to fate? As a leader, have we become too complacent with the status quo or in the fulfillment of our mandate? There’s a lot to do. Are we asking people to be patient?

Complex, chronic problems are solved by impatient people. Society needs impatient people who make things happen, who are focused on solving problems.   

The ability to solve complex problems successfully depends on a clear understanding of what the problem is, on what it depends and on how it is measured; so, educate yourself on those things that matter to you but also how those same things affect other people. You may find common purpose.

This November 6th is a time to turn impatience into thoughtful, purposeful action. So be impatient – VOTE! And don’t let anyone stop you.