Urgent Patience

Everything is urgent in our breakneck modern world, because we didn’t slow down when we had the chance. Speed overcame us because we didn’t act patiently when we should have. Now it is urgent to be patient in the midst of urgency.

Dante Medina, "Patience and Urgency" (2002), p.48

Many of us face immense societal pressure to conform in ways that may not fit our values. Capitalism measures our worth, belonging, and security by our ability to please those with power over us. The ongoing effects of colonization compromise our ancestral/ecological connections and present us with bitter choices. This context challenges me to change. I work with people who can resonate and want to find peaceful ways of transforming together.

I base my work in a style of interpersonal and community relationship-building I’ve been developing over several years. Inspired by Dante Medina and many others, I call this style “urgent patience.” For me, this means allowing some space before acting. It means celebrating the choice to wait: not necessarily for the latest possible moment; often simply a later possible moment. In an age where so many forces can dissociate us from our bodies, needs, and values, I find that urgent patience helps me live in peace with others.

In my work, I aim to provide urgent patience at all times and in all interactions. From the design of services I offer to the ways I communicate with collaborators to how I advance projects, urgent patience is something I try to prioritize and practice throughout. This helps ensure space and time for everyone to engage in ways that are consistent with their values, needs, and capacities. To summarize, urgent patience is a foundational orientation that supports and connects everything I do at ICS.

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