Patience vs Endurance
Although patience and endurance may seem similar because they both involve dealing with challenging situations or difficulties, they have distinct meanings that emphasize the difference between the two. First, let’s consider the definitions of these words. Patience is the ability to accept delay or trouble calmly, while endurance is the act of experiencing and surviving pain or hardship. The primary distinction between the two can be understood as follows: patience is generally associated with how we handle wrongdoings committed against us, while endurance is typically linked to challenging circumstances in life. In this article, we will explore the differences between these two terms while gaining a deeper understanding of each.
What is Patience?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines patience as the ability to accept delay or trouble calmly. This indicates that patience is a quality exhibited by individuals when they face problems in life. For example, when someone is wronged by another person, they can choose to be patient and forgive the other person or seek revenge. In such a scenario, the person displaying patience is considered the better person.
Patience can also be used in a context where a person is tolerant of another individual, such as a teacher being extremely patient with weak students. In this situation, the term patience is not used to indicate wrongdoing but simply as tolerance. Let’s consider a few more examples:
– She patiently listened to the child even though he was lying.
– He was running out of patience.
– She patiently waited her turn in the queue.
In all these examples, the word patient is used in situations where a person is tolerant of another.
What is Endurance?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines endurance as experiencing and surviving pain or hardship. The term endure is often used to describe difficult situations that we encounter in life. It conveys the idea that an individual does not give in to obstacles but perseveres. For instance, consider a person whose life situation is extremely negative, with no proper place to live and a difficult job. This individual endures their circumstances, hoping to survive and improve their life. This illustrates the concept that endurance is somewhat different from patience. Let’s examine a few sentences:
– His friends were amazed by his endurance in life.
– She had no choice but to endure.
In both cases, the word endure refers to obstacles that an individual encounters rather than wrongdoing.
Key Takeaways
- Definitions: Patience is the ability to accept delay or trouble calmly, while endurance is experiencing and surviving pain or hardship.
- Self-Control: Both patience and endurance are associated with self-control.
- Wrongdoing vs Difficult Circumstances: Patience is typically linked to how we handle wrongdoings against us, while endurance is generally connected to difficult life circumstances.
