School shootings remain a terrifying staple of news in the U.S. The most recent shooting occurred in a Maryland high school on Tuesday, March 20. Two students were critically injured before the shooter himself was killed (Chicago Tribune, March 20, 2018).

As regional and global tensions increase, there is growing concern humanity could annihilate itself by nuclear war. In a recent interview, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk commented, “Humans must prioritise the colonisation of Mars so the species can be conserved in the event of a third world war….

The famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018 at age 76. His contributions to science and cosmology have pioneered significant developments in understanding our universe. And yet he had a yearning to learn even more about the universe and to “search for a complete unified theory” (A Brief History of Time, 1988, p. 13).

Many have heard the joking declaration: “Lord, please give me patience—and give it to me right NOW!” This tongue-in-cheek, satirical statement humorously depicts what is so hard about being patient.

Many have also heard the maxim “Patience is a virtue,” probably so many times that it becomes a cliché—tiresome and meaningless to them. That is regrettable because patience is a highly valuable character attribute! Whoever has and exercises patience will reap rewards.

While watching a classic epic movie from the 1960s, I was surprised when, about halfway through the film, there was an intermission. I suppose the directors figured the audience needed a brief break before the lengthy production resumed to complete the story. In live theater productions and at the symphony, an intermission is often provided before the actors again take the stage and continue the performance.