I recently listened to a story to help me fall asleep. It was about a person who dreams they are visiting the main library in New York City. Out front of this library are two larger-than-life stone lions, one named Patience and the other Fortitude. In the dream, these lions come to life, becoming real lions who take the dreamer on a tour of the deserted library. The obvious question is, why were lions named Patience and Fortitude? A little research turned up the fact that the reason was that when New York City was in just terrible, terrible straits during the great depression, Mayor LaGuardia named them Patience and Fortitude because he thought that’s what New Yorkers would need to survive the difficult time.

As we as a nation are at this moment going through an equally extremely difficult, existential time, perhaps now those two things, patience, and fortitude, would be important for us as well. The question is, though, what is it about patience and fortitude that makes them important qualities for surviving something catastrophic?

To survive difficult times means having the fortitude to persevere. It means holding onto resilience and compassion with a spiritual tenacity. It means no matter what, taking that one step after the next step and staying connected to each other. Fortitude means we don’t give up. This fortitude and the strength to hold onto hope can bring us through looming troubles with our spiritual essence intact, both as individuals and in community.

Patience is required, along with fortitude, because we can’t expect things to change overnight or just because we wish it so. We have to put in the work for things to change, and that takes time. Patience is not stoically accepting suffering. Rather, it is necessary to preserve inner tranquility while accepting a current, external reality. It is the key to developing wisdom and serenity, allowing us to face life’s challenges together. If we have the patience to go through difficult times with hope, we can persevere in the face of adversity. As a fire can seem to go cold, yet from hidden embers, like those lions come to life, so fortitude and patience can ignite the embers of a healthy society and the spiritual oneness we have with each other. With patience and fortitude, we can rekindle in our society the eternal fire of infinite Love that will bring us to mutual wholeness.

“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.