"If someone promises to meet me at an agreed place and time, but is a no-show or arrives late for no good reason and without forewarning, I already know a lot about his character.. "
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
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I hate being late.
If I promise to attend an event (physically or virtually), I make sure that I arrive early.
In these days of COVID-19, virtual conferences, cyber meetings and video chats are the preferred methods for business and social interaction.
Since my area (and the rest of the Philippines) is vulnerable to spontaneous power outages - called "brownouts", my home Wi-Fi could easily "$hit the Bed" during an important cyber meeting, video chat or virtual conference.
That's why I run administrator diagnostics on my home Wi-Fi and verify that I can instantly switch to my mobile internet service.
Back to my deeply ingrained "anti-tardiness habit" .
My lifelong "Never be late!" obsession began in early childhood; where I experienced a lot of disappointment, sadness and anger resulting from many no-shows and periods of prolonged waiting.
The habit was further solidified during my military career.
While on active duty, if I was late, I paid dearly for it with physical or financial pain.
Several times, my "tardiness fine" cost me 100 push-ups for every minute of being late. Sometimes that meant 200 push-ups; other times it meant over 500!
Serious tardiness infractions, like missing ship's movement in the Navy, can result in a Courts Martial.
As I grew older and moved up the ranks, I learned that being late was perceived as a clear sign of disrespect to whoever may be waiting.
If that person was your superior, there surely would be Hell to pay! And of course, the higher the rank, the more severe the punishment.
Fast forward to now.
If someone promises to meet me at an agreed place and time, but is a no-show or arrives late for no good reason and without forewarning, I already know a lot about his character:
- He doesn't think time is important and wastes a lot of it.
or
- He believes that his time is more valuable than mine.
Either way, his behavior is saying...
I don't want to be like that - an irreverent asshole. That's why I make it a point to always be early.
Even if I think I might be late, I text or call way ahead of time - NOT after I'm already late.
Yes, tardiness is one of my major pet peeves.
But I live in Asia - where being late is an accepted cultural norm.
That means on a daily basis, I have to bite my lip, hold my tongue and resist the urge to fire off an angry email, phone message or DM!
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By JaiChai
"Really Appreciate You Stopping By. Truly hope to see you again!"
And if you liked my post, kindly Upvote, Comment and Follow.
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Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his girlfriend, teenage daughter and two dogs.
(This article contains excerpts from "The Futility of 'Impressing' Anyone But Yourself" - JaiChai, 2018. Revised 12-5-2020. Simultaneous, multi-site submissions posted. All rights reserved.)