tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950282101785558588.post6483723051145568145..comments2024-02-25T22:00:41.197-08:00Comments on Notes from Freyashawk: The Virtues of PatienceFreyashawkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00379748386863454385noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950282101785558588.post-50597916192476493212007-06-05T15:18:00.000-07:002007-06-05T15:18:00.000-07:00I forgot something I wanted to say about social or...I forgot something I wanted to say about social order vs. chaos in human society.<BR/><BR/>You ask, "Why is it that humanity worships those who, by regulating their lives, restrict their freedom of will?" I've read that people who have experienced a breakdown of social order when nothing restricts anyone's actions -- no law, no courts, no police -- say that ANY form of order is better than no order. The population of Iraq comes to mind. Most people who have survived the breakdown of a society into chaos say that they would prefer a strict dictatorship to anarchistic disorder.<BR/> <BR/>That's something we who complain about the social restraints on our freedom should remember. It could be worse.Fleminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11134828658060646685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950282101785558588.post-85365019724649764432007-06-05T14:51:00.000-07:002007-06-05T14:51:00.000-07:00Freyashawk, your insightful essay makes me look at...Freyashawk, your insightful essay makes me look at my own impatience, which I must say is one of my most pronounced -- and problem-producing -- traits. I've always "stopped to smell the flowers", but when I want something very much I lose all patience. I once drove to a town 70 miles away to buy a recording I could have received in the mail two days later. That's one example out of hundreds, and one of the least expensive and troublemaking.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if my problem is a lack of trust: Will something happen to keep from from getting this thing if I don't act now? Will I still be here tomorrow? Will the world still be here tomorrow?<BR/><BR/>Your words have helped me encourage a good feeling I've had lately -- that I am willingly floating along in a big river, at its pace, rather than trying to set a faster pace myself.Fleminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11134828658060646685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950282101785558588.post-2603407736078977892007-06-04T14:26:00.000-07:002007-06-04T14:26:00.000-07:00Thank you for your thoughtful response, Shelley. ...Thank you for your thoughtful response, Shelley. You offer a ray of hope, and I believe you are correct. I worked on Saturdays at a local doll shop for awhile, and soon it became obvious even to the owner (to her ultimate fury) that people chose to come into the shop on Saturday rather than during the week because I was willing to take the time to learn about them and their tastes in collecting. You speak of bookshops and I know that I always chose to return to a shop where the clerks were enthusiastic about books and could discuss them intelligently with their customers, even when the location was not as convenient or the prices not as competitive as others might be.Freyashawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379748386863454385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950282101785558588.post-45321640575889255092007-06-04T08:43:00.000-07:002007-06-04T08:43:00.000-07:00Excellent post, Freyashawk! One of my largest peev...Excellent post, Freyashawk! <BR/><BR/>One of my largest peeves is the advertising world and their attempts to speak as quickly as con artists in order to fool us into buying without thinking things through. <BR/><BR/>After being conned a time or two I adapted to stop when it happens. I make it a point to push myself to complete even the most slow-going projects so that I'll gain more patience in general. I taught myself to knit, and knit well. I am resolved to teach myself to play guitar as well, which is as laborious as knitting, with less sharp objects. ;) <BR/><BR/>It's incredibly difficult in our modern world to take our time. It's become clear to me that people really want that, however. As a retail salesclerk at a bookstore chain I was told (in the beginning) that I should take less time with the customers, only to have the customers not only buy three times the number of books, and go back to the managers to commend my service. I sold books for eight years and this was always the case, again and again. <BR/><BR/>My point (and I do have one I promise) is that the mind of the consumer is not set to fast forward. People DO respond to the slower yet knowledgeable approach. Anyone who says differently is only out to speed it up for the sake of speed.TiGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00764953157742258902noreply@blogger.com