Wednesday, June 23, 2004
The Late Comers
This was on the news the other day. The holiday plans of many travellers were ruined after they arrived five minutes late at the airport. Normally, the airlines would have made some due allowance if they can manage. But these people have bought the very economic air tickers on specials recently. They were refused entry and there were no refund in accordance with the conditions of the sales. This must be a costly lesson for not being punctual.
Very often, people arrive late for meeting, for dinner and at a lot of occasions. For some, particularly those who hold positions of power and command, being late is status symbol, a way to show off one’s importance. By coming late for an event, the rest of the people have to wait for them, so they can make a grand entry. They had no idea how much time have been wasted by people waiting for them. Since they are not suffering any consequential loss, like the traveller above, these people continue to be late.
There are times when people are running late. These are unforseen circumstances, such as being caught in a traffic jam. However, these circumstances can be eliminated or minimised with proper planning. Sometimes, being late is just a habit. Nevertheless, there is always a cost for being late.
Are we always late for an event? Do we purposely come late to show our importance? Or have we learned from the lessons for being late?
Very often, people arrive late for meeting, for dinner and at a lot of occasions. For some, particularly those who hold positions of power and command, being late is status symbol, a way to show off one’s importance. By coming late for an event, the rest of the people have to wait for them, so they can make a grand entry. They had no idea how much time have been wasted by people waiting for them. Since they are not suffering any consequential loss, like the traveller above, these people continue to be late.
There are times when people are running late. These are unforseen circumstances, such as being caught in a traffic jam. However, these circumstances can be eliminated or minimised with proper planning. Sometimes, being late is just a habit. Nevertheless, there is always a cost for being late.
Are we always late for an event? Do we purposely come late to show our importance? Or have we learned from the lessons for being late?
