At last

Elvis Francois was repairing his sailboat off the coast of DominicaAn island country in the Caribbean. last December when a strong current swept him out into the Caribbean Sea. 

His phone quickly lost signal. He failed to start a fire. Out of options, Francois scrawled "help" on his boat's hull. Then he sat it out: "There was nothing else to do but sit and wait."

To survive, Francois filtered rainwater using a cloth and ate stock cubes, garlic powder and three daily doses of Heinz tomato ketchup.¹ Eventually, after 24 days, he used a mirror to alert a passing plane. Soon after he was picked up and rescued.

But his story did not end there. Francois was left boat-less. Representatives of Heinz launched a social media campaign, #FindtheKetchupBoatGuy.^2. This week, Francois was located and given a new vessel. A good thing came to a man who waited.

Waiting is often viewed as a waste of time. Sitting in a bus at a red light or standing in a queue at a shop can be frustrating. We often desperately try to fill the time, listening to music, sending Whatsapp messages and browsing social media. Waiting time is wasted time.

Yet many believe that this is the wrong approach. Some psychologists believe that periods of waiting can make us relax and help our priorities become clear. Would Nelson MandelaA South African anti-apartheid activist who spent 27 years in jail before becoming president. 's battle to end ApartheidA system of legally-enshrined racial discrimination and oppression which existed in South Africa from 1948 until the 1990s. It denied non-white South Africans basic human rights. have been as successful without the 27 years he spent waiting in prison, thinking it over?

Waiting can help us to develop patience, the ability to accept delay. Christians see patience as a virtueA good moral quality. . The Biblical Book of Job celebrates a man who remained patient and devout through extreme suffering,³ while the Book of Lamentations says: "The Lord is good to those who wait for him."

Others believe that sitting still is often foolish. The world keeps moving whatever we do. By waiting too long we can miss opportunities. Other people can take advantage of our inaction.

In 23 BCE, the Roman poet Horace wrote carpe diem. This is often translated as "seize the day".⁴ It means that we should act as soon as we have the chance. Horace's thought has echoed down through centuries. "Time and tide wait for no man", wrote Geoffrey Chaucer. Benjamin Franklin said: "You may delay, but time will not." We should heed their wisdom.

Yes: Impatient people are dreadful. They arrogantly believe the world rotates around them. They allow no space to learn and think. This makes them very dull. Waiting, by contrast, lets us open our minds.

No: We should learn to wait less. Waiting is a waste of our most precious resource, time. Our lives are always changing. Nothing lasts forever. Chances come and go. We must seize the day while we can.

Or... We have to wait whether we like it or not. Waiting is the essence of life. Every moment is a wait for the next one. Just as it is our choice how we live our lives, it is our choice how we wait.