“Punctuality is the thief of time.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
I took this selfie with Eva (the beautiful dog next to me) during a meeting on last Sunday. Needless to say that I was the first to arrive to the gathering location and waited a long time for the rest to arrive
Hello there, full-time weekenders!
Punctuality is an interesting gray area to discuss. I'm fixated on time. And this obsession is hereditary. My father has something with clocks. I think this is a form of OCD. His is all about having every clock at the same time. He has damaged many clocks and watches by virtue of this principle. Mine is all about being on time. It doesn't matter if others are not. I have to do it myself.
However, I'm well aware this is a really bad habit for health. We all know it's a good thing to be early. It is a sign of respect and not wanting to waste anyone's time. It might even be said that it is a show of respect as equals. If I were late, it would send the message that my time is worth a lot more than the others. But why I say it is a bad thing for health. Simple. If this is tied to an obsessive compulsive disorder, anytime I'm early and others take their sweet time to arrive, it has an effect on my mental health. It sounds silly. So is everything that's tied with obsessions.
I tend to carry books or pieces of paper to write and take my mind off this problems. It helps a bit, but having to wait is on the bottom of my least favorite activities.
Besides, living in a city where being late is the accepted standard isn't good for someone like me.
The perspective on this might go around having people feeling sorry whenever they make me wait. A lot of others do not care. It is the garbage habit they carry on. Why should they change? I was raised on the premise that being late is problem. But growing up I have learned that being early is usually a problem as well. And this transfers to all scenarios. Appointments might start later that scheduled because whoever needs to arrive is late. You might have to wait your sweet time until a business opens. I think some of the worst times have been on dates when I have had to wait for over an hour for people to show up.
Needless to say, I never went out with these girls again.
Nevertheless, this even goes all the way to the academic affairs. Last Saturday, I arrived early for the last class on a poetry workshop we started in July. I arranged the place with the chairs and everything else and it wasn't until half and hour later people started to show up. And the teacher came by half an hour after that.
It's a blessing I had a book with me and spend a sweet time reading while waiting for people to arrive and the class to start. I can give some room on tardiness because I know public transportation is a really convoluted topic in this city, but it doesn't change waiting is the worst thing to do.
I guess punctuality is a thief of time. In my case, it is a thief of time in my life. One day it will siphon the rest of my good will and I will be all dull and giving people their well-earned mouthfuls of colorful language. But we shall see. I guess I came with a factory defect that is only good in other countries where respect for time is a thing. Then again the dilation of time in the tropic is a well-known issue.
That and the fact that many people have a really hard time with keeping an eye on a clock. It might be an anxiety thing or just how they were raised.
Maybe I should try an approach similar to other people. You know be carefree on the regard. But I would argue that doing that would mean giving up in something that's a core element of my personality.
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