ਧੀਰ (dheer)
Meaning: (i) noun: abridged form of dheeraj (steadfastness, perseverance; patience).
(ii) adjective: abridged form of dheerak (encouragement, support, consolation).
Quote:
ਜਾ ਕਉ ਤੁਮ ਦੀਨੀ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਧੀਰ॥ ਤਾ ਕੈ ਨਿਕਟਿ ਨ ਆ ਵੈ ਪੀਰ॥
jaa kau tum deenee prabh dheer. taa kai nikaṭ na aavai peer.
O God! Pain does not approach him, unto whom you bestow the virtue of patience..
– Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 188
Message: Patience is a divine virtue. It is a barrier between feelings and negative expression. Without this barrier, feelings find instantaneous negative reactions. This can cause hurt and pain to others as well as ourselves. For example, we strike out in anger and disappointment when our needs are not met and regret our actions later. Patience encourages self-restraint and offers time for reflection. It opens up your vision, gently. It gives you enough time to think through your action and words. The forces most challenging to patience are not other people, but simply one’s own mind and body. Cultivate patience. It’s a guardian angel that keeps pain away. It is a protective presence. It is an antidote to counter ill health and disease. One who masters patience is master of everything.
Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.
-Plautus, a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period, 254 – 184 BC.
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Etymology: For (i) from Sanskrit dheerya (intelligence) → Pali dhijaa (trust, reliance).
For (ii) from Sanskrit dheer, noun, (wise, clever; steady, resolute) → Pali and Prakrit dheer (wise, firm) → Prakrit dheer (courage) → Sindhi dheeru (firm, patient; quietly) → Punjabi dheeraa (patient, grave) → Hindi dheer (steadfast) + ak (suffix). Comparable to Marathi and Gujarati dheer, adjective, (patience).
Summary of the Week: Divine wisdom is an antidote for the pain and suffering all of us endure at some point in time in our lives. An awareness of the presence of the Divine within us, and a commitment to live our lives according to divine wisdom go a long way to help us. Divinity or the ethical culture, with which we are supposed to live our lives, enriches us on the inside. We do not see anyone as bad or evil. We renounce our malice, hatred, anger and pride. We grasp, instead, love, patience, confidence and faithfulness. We dwell in divine awareness at all times. We find good health, happiness and peace.
“Our Creator has given us five senses to help us survive threats from the external world, and a sixth sense, our healing system, to help us survive internal threats. There is much we can do, as individuals, to activate or impede this healing system.” -Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., an American writer and pediatric surgeon, b. 1932.
