Tardiness: an arbiter of interpersonal relations

Tardiness causes moral and/or material damages and it is disrespectful to others because we abuse their patience and time. A balanced society devoted to developing and improving not only its people’s quality of life but also their coexistence needs individuals who know how to master time and give each task the required priority.

Every day we deal with situations that alter our daily rhythm because we plan to see someone for a certain matter or go to a government agency for any arrangement or even to a doctor's appointment and suffer the consequences of tardiness. True, sometimes it is not up to us to be on time because of transportation difficulties or a last-minute situation, but that is not always the case.

The pace of life today, when COVID-19 imposes certain regulations, has its drawbacks to move around, hence the need for us to make a greater effort.

Parents can teach their children to set priorities and schedule their activities. Being at school on time is an essential aspect bound to have positive effects throughout the individual's life. Many say, and rightly so, that a child who arrives at school punctually will also be at work at the right time as an adult.

Latecomers would do well to write down the day before on a sheet of paper the activities of the following day, ask those around them to alert them about the time they should do those tasks or even seek the company of those who go to the same place and do it punctually.

But in order to succeed, we must all take heed of this precept, because sometimes we are on time for a doctor's appointment, a job interview or a formality in an institution and then it turns out that those that we went to see are late. Or the other way around: we summon someone for a meeting, a pick-up in a vehicle or even a recreational activity and we fail to keep track of time and leave them in the lurch.

Punctuality is an arbiter of interpersonal relationships, and it can even undermine a friendship. Scholars hold it to be the true arbiter of human relationships supposed to be based on harmony and well-doing and, therefore, a very positive principle of daily life.