— witsandnuts

Test of patience ala Karate Kid

I wanted to watch The Karate Kid since I saw the trailer pre-airing of Ironman 2. Unfortunately, we got a late playdate in the UAE and it debuted in the cinemas just this week. The trailer provided a glimpse to the trainings which the kid (Jaden Smith) had: on patience, endurance, courage, and perseverance. Did you know that these trainings are also available through the iPad? Amongst these, my favorite is the test or training for patience. Not that I am impatient, it is just that I never win in the other “trainings”, too soon the game is always over. I think that it is indicative of my level of patience (winks).

The game allows you to choose your own music which serves as backgrounder. I really appreciate this option because the audio can significantly affect our moods and/or mindset. So while I catch the flies, Smile (Cover of Lily Allen song), which Glee has a version, too, played. As you can see from the screenshot, I easily passed the first level.

[Flies to me: "Catch us if you can!" Still using the chopsticks, the number of flies that need to be captured increases for each level. To the extent that I can no longer keep up.]

While this game is not a substantive means to train our patience, it is one of the light outlets to me. Taking a break from the wild world is one of the means to improve our patience. I once took a quiz that claimed that I am like a dormant volcano. That while people regard that they are safe around me, they also know that they should not push me around too far. Hence, it is encouraged that we remain patient and impatient as well. The nicest thing is that patience is, of course, a virtue and it is one of those which will always be a work in progress. Sometimes, we need to pause to ascertain why we are in a rush, identify our impatience triggers (I generally become impatient when I am at my most hungry state, being queued, and when I do not like to deal with the person at all), to relax when we feel we are annoyed, to practice thinking before we speak, if there is nothing you can do about the situation, let go and it shall take care of itself, and most importantly, try to focus on what matters most in life.

At the end of the day, try to realize that we will get what we want.  I have proven this many times. Well, not always in the manner that we prefer. It depends on which side we view it. We will not always get things done instantly. For all we know, some of the best things in life require ages of real hard work and… waiting.