耐性 有些人喜歡「新年立志」—在新的一年立下戒煙、減肥、多做運動、儲錢等大計，但過不了幾星期甚至幾天，不是半途而廢，就是早把目標拋諸腦後，一切皆因欠缺耐性。現今社會科技發達，要有耐性，必須先重視人類成長所需的冗長時間。人的心智和軀體往往成熟需時，即時的滿足實在與人的本質相違。 有些作家認為火藥發明後，權力成為萬靈丹，力量惟獨武力，耐性不以一生一世量度，而是一時三刻的事。要知道凡事若能持之以恆，成效通常持久昭彰。 大家放心追求理想吧！縱然所想所求未能即時實現，但不等於好夢成空，只表示要另闢蹊徑，一方面要克服當前局面，另一方面要繼續為理想而奮鬥。 人若對自己多一點耐性，自然對別人多一分包容，自省自悟教人更有修養。人貴自知，包括承認自己的弱點和不足，才確切懂得忍讓別人。耐性使我們不因眼見的過失而摒棄犯錯的人。人若能忍一時之氣，對己對人同樣有益。 耐性教人學會兩件事：其一是凡事並無絕對，其二是接受。當可能變成事實，就是耐性的回報；不然，人將學會接受現實，就是事情仍然有待解決。問題是人總希望立即擁有一切，但生命中好些重要事情偏偏需時醞釀。正如P. Sweeney所言：「現今社會充斥快餐、預先包裝的雜食、急凍晚餐和即影即有相機，大家怎能教導下一代培養耐性呢？」這才是問題癥結所在。 你或者認為耐性與生俱來，畢竟人也是地球物種之一：十月懷胎，緩緩學步，十年窗下。那為什麼大家在有生之年還要不斷催促別人加快腳步呢？新年伊始，祈願大家放慢節奏，對自己對別人多一分包容和忍耐。新年快樂！ 懲教署司鐸
畢尚華神父 王子：恭喜老婆贏得獎金，進身最後十二強，出書機會十拿九穩。 佢參加左一個由三聯舉辦ge少年作家大賽，勝出可獲三聯書局免費出書。 佢ge其中一夢想係作家，曾經有人生必要出一本書ge諗法。 自從上年六月免費去布拉格，今次，已經係佢一年內第二次贏公開比賽。似乎，佢真係一步一步咁完成緊佢人生ge 「Dream comes true」。真係高興。 睇完上面篇文章，真係好到point 。我地ge人生都太過「急功近利」，往往就忽略左耐性同信念，人生價值ge計算往往同年齡同成就掛勾，你越年輕越高職越有搵錢能力就越有價值。股票就係一個最好ge例子，好多人想做少年股神，響i bank打滾十年，然後40歲退休，甚麼第一桶金。老實說，我們真的太趕了。我們都忽略了「基本」。事情要持久，就要堅持，堅持就要耐性同信心去維繫。我地會為未來鋪路，卻忘記了為現在打好基礎。 Patience At the beginning of a new year some people make “new year’s resolutions” — promising themselves that they will quit smoking, exercise more, lose weight, save money, etc. But after a few weeks or even a few days many people forget about the resolutions quit trying to achieve their goals. They lack the gift of patience. The problem with patience in a technological society is that it requires a respect for the kind of time human development demands. Instantaneous satisfaction is not a part of the slow growth that is common to the human condition — spiritually, physically and psychologically. Some writers claim that with the invention of gunpowder, power became the drug of choice, strength became physical, and patience began to be measured by hours rather than lifetimes. It is true that patience takes longer, but it usually lasts longer, too. So you shouldn’t be afraid to persist in your pursuits. Just because what we want does not happen immediately, does not mean that it won’t happen. It simply means that we will need to find better ways to make the present bearable while we work to make it better. If we are patient with ourselves, we should find it easier to patient with others. Self-knowledge and self-criticism can make us better persons. And once we know who we are — with all our weaknesses and all our own mistakes — it becomes clear that we can afford to be patient with others. Patience is the ability to see beyond an error to the person behind it. Patience is as good for us as it is for the person with whom we refuse to become irritable. Patience can teach us two things: one is possibility, the other is acceptance. Either what's possible will happen and our patience will be rewarded, or we will learn to accept the fact that there is something yet to be dealt with in the experience. Our problem is that we want everything now. But the really profound things of life we are required to grow into slowly. And that is our problem. “How can a society that exists on instant food, packaged food mixes, frozen dinners and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” (P. Sweeney). You would think that patience would be built right into us. After all, as a species, we gestate slowly, we grow slowly, we learn slowly. So why do we spend the rest of life telling others to hurry up? This new year let us slow down and be more patient with ourselves and others. Happy New Year! Father Sean P. Burke
Correctional Services Chaplain | 
