It was about 10:30 a.m. on a June Saturday morning when he went absolutely berserk.

The antecedent of “he” will remain unnamed, but suffice it to say the man is an elder friend who is allowing me to live in his house for the summer. Because I do not wish to be conspicuously derisive, I admit that under certain conditions his behavior would have been somewhat normal. If his house had been engulfed in flames and if Communists were coming to capture his family and steal his fortune, fine: I would have understood the profanities (many), the stomping (thunderous), and the repeated violations of the Second Commandment. But insofar as the above conditions were unmet, his reaction to my parking behind his car (a proscribed act) was the most comical, most ridiculous and most childish display of emotion I have ever seen. And that conclusion preceded my finding out what he was late for. I would later find out he was late for a massage. Really.

Yet, amid thorns come roses; though childish, his antics were illuminating. They illuminated the gratitude all must give to those who do not break down doors when their cars are not immediately mobile. So now, on this horrendously hot day, let us praise people who keep their cool.

The singular trait of people who keep their cool is this: Whether they are right or wrong, whether they do or do not know the fullness of perils at hand, they make everyone think that everything will turn out just fine.

The most able practitioner of this perfect patience is in a line of work where it really matters. He is Dr. Richard Emerson, orthopedic surgeon and half the reason I was added to the world. When I was a child and found myself especially frightened or especially in trouble, my father always remained calm. He handled all dangers and problems with consistent placidity. Still does.

To society, people like my father are indispensable. Calmness reveals, or at least gives the impression of, confidence. And confidence is despair’s best antidote; it relaxes tension and reduces panic. Most important, it is contagious.

In politics that is particularly true, so patience is particularly necessary. The world’s greatest leaders are those who manage their emotions and decisions with prudence and deliberation, who leaven bad news with a tone of certainty. I remember when last year a politician did just that, as he said: “The number of casualties will be more than any of us can ultimately bear. And I don’t think we want to speculate on the number of casualties. The effort now has to be to save as many people as possible.”

Some may say that such a statement was perfunctory and unimpressive. But I remember watching Mayor Guiliani’s press conference. I remember his articulation of private and public devastation, and I remember his confidence. It was a quiet and subtle confidence, but in its own way it was as powerful a response to the attacks as any cruise missile. Consider the consequences for New Yorkers on the morning of 9/11 if Mayor Guiliani had carried the temperament of my elder friend.

Happily, one does not have to be a world leader to merit Guiliani-type praise. I once worked as a receptionist at my father’s office, and from time to time-every day, actually-we were behind schedule. (My father, God bless him, is so good at keeping his cool he sometimes is as quick as an iceberg.)

Anyway, patients would sometimes have to wait up to two hours beyond their scheduled appointment. Many patients became irascible, and understandably so. But some accommodated the delays with an agreeability that bordered on the angelic.

On one particularly grotesque morning, when the waits were at least two hours, I began to apologize profusely to an elder patient who had suffered through the long wait. The atmosphere was stuffy, the scene chaotic, and I was surely not making sense. Patients were grumbling and phone calls kept coming and . . . and as I mumbled on, the man stopped me, and with friendly eyes and a soft voice said: “Son, don’t worry. You’re doing a great job.”

In honor of that man and millions of his kindred spirits, let us take today to give praise to people who keep their cool.