In the present day, we all suffer from hardships and deprivations that normally make us worried. A very present behavior in our society is anxiety. To give you an idea, I just did a Google search for the word anxiety and got a result of 4,200,000,000 pages on the subject! According to the Anxient & Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect 18.1% of United States population every year. Personally, I believe these numbers must be much higher, considering that many people do not like to talk about their own problems, preferring to suffer in silence.
One certainty we have: problems are part of our life. Many of them can be avoided, others not. What is up to us is to learn to react appropriately to these problems.
Therefore, our theme today will be Patience. I have been a Buddhist for 20 years and many friends associate this philosophy of life with a “Zen” posture. They believe that problems don’t affect me and that’s why I’m always happy. Big mistake! I prefer to develop my patience. I have checked the Cambridge dictionary and I believe that the definition is very close to what I believe and seek to apply in my life:

“the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed.”

Patience in Chess

It is a common behavior in children who do not yet have a minimal understanding of reality, to want or even demand something they want very much and still receive it immediately. Many people grow up, but in their maturing process they don’t completely get rid of this kind of attitude, do they? Do you know anyone like that?
Returning to the chess board, we can see several tactical and strategic behaviors in which players, due to lack of patience, end up losing important pieces or even the game:

• Premature departure of the queen,
• Unnecessary exchanges of pieces,
• Unnecessary checks,
• Attacks without sufficient support from other pieces, among others.

Time management in chess is very important. It’s not about getting things done quickly, but efficiently. As the definition above describes: “the ability to wait” – wisdom lies in making the right move at the right time. Getting ahead or delaying a move can get in the way of your plans. “Keep doing something despite difficulties” – the opponent wants to see your defeat, so don’t worry about the difficulties.

Patience in Life

Up to a point, anxiety is acceptable, but when it affects your quality of life, your sleep, your health and relationships, it’s time to do something. We have talked before that the universe and our lives are governed by the Law of Cause and Effect. An effect cannot be expected without an adequate cause having been created. It’s like waiting for a plant to grow without having sown it first. Acting wisely is learning to create causes first, not just waiting for results: “The ability to wait”.
“Keep doing something despite difficulties” – Each person has different karma and so our difficulties are also different. Health, money, disharmony, war, there are many problems, but as we said before, we are not in control of these problems, but in the way we choose to react to each one of them.
President of SGI Daisaku Ikeda says:

“Appreciation and gratitude increase good fortune. Complaint and negativity erase it.”

We all can live a full and happy life by developing these attitudes in daily life. It’s not a quick process, but if you try to exercise patience a little each day, happiness and victory will be more and more present in your life.

If you want to know more about Buddhism and Chess, download our BuddhaChess app, which brings daily encouragement quotes from chess masters and about Buddhism