I have a guest post on the Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life blog. It is something of a follow-up to my last one on being a craftsperson.
Craftspeople are often thought to be patient. There is good evidence for this – they spend years pursuing their craft – and this involves doing the same thing over and over again. It also means dealing with frustration – developing a skill means learning how to overcome one frustration after another.
But I’m not sure that “patience” is always the right word. I think curiosity is sometimes what it’s about – and I think that curiosity is different to patience; and I think that curiosity and patience are different attitudes to life.
I hope you like the post, it’s called The Patient, Frustrated Craftsperson. Let me know what you think, Evan.
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Tags: craft, curiosity, frustration, patience
Curiosity is active; patience passive.
That puts it very well Adelaide. Thanks for the comment.
I thought it was rather too simplistic and flippant.
Hi Adelaide, I didn’t intend it to be flippant. My worry at the end of having written it was that I was too serious. Thanks for your comment.
I meant my own comment “Curiosity active; patience passive” was flippant and simplistic.
Oh, now I understand. I thought your comment was brief but certainly had a good deal of truth in it – but I have a love for brevity. Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding.
Hi Evan
Ok, I resisted yesterday making a comment here, but now that you and Adelaide have had further discussion and clarification, I’m contributing my two opposite cents.
I’m also tending to agree with Adelaide’s flippant, inability to simplify to this degree.
In my opinion patience is anything but passive. It takes a great deal of strength to exercise patience, restraint, etc., and an entire list of other active steps could apply.
I do think curiosity by it’s nature implies active. And I agree it is or can be.
I think and perceive both things to be activities. I also consider them to both have elements of passive. One can be curious with nothing more than a fleeting thought passing through. However, if one or the other is in use, passivity will lead to other states or actions that are no longer patient or curious.
No brevity Evan, sorry. Not simplistic or reducable to one or two word designations, and opposite designations at that. At least I don’t think so.
And yes, nerve touched because I have had all I could do in attempting to exercise patience at times, and I have curiosity about almost everything, know I couldn’t possibly maintain all of it, have to let it pass!
Hi Barbara, I agree. Both are activities. The tinge of passivity with patience for me is that it can have a feeling of endurance and putting up with (though this too is an activity) while curiosity doesn’t have this feel for me. I’m enjoying this discussion, thanks for your comment.