Lanre Fatokun Something Good!
This month of November, I led a meeting in which there was a Nigerian man who clocked 60 on one of the days of the meeting. To commemorate his birthday, he published a small book which he gave to everyone around for free. “Being African,” I dived into the book straight away.
One of the key lessons the gentleman has learnt in life is patience. Immediately, I replayed the meetings in my mind. I was the youngest but the leader of the team. Was I patient with him?
Hmm.
I tried to push him a bit and thought out loud once that the man would delay us. Gladly, I wasn’t rude at any point. Sixty certainly is not an age of speed.
The striking thing is that the gentleman reports how he was very impatient as a young man.
Does that mean that I’ll lose my precious speed (or, if you like, hurry) when I get “there?”
I guess that’s the trend in the cycle of life. We start out vivacious and wonder why these old people are so mute. Then as we know more, we speak less.
Since we know that eventually we will all become “patient” in life, it is good to give some leeway to those who are already patient.
The ‘patience’ in your context refers to or implies patience that comes with age, provided one has been exposed to such stimuli as help to build up patience which becomes an invaluable asset later in life. I congratulate the 60-year old in question and wish him many more years of useful experiences.
On your part, try to be patient with older people as they tend to be ‘slower’ respondents, apparently because their discs are getting full. God bless your vision.