Is punctuality very important for you?
By hotsummer
@hotsummer (13837)
Philippines
July 17, 2009 10:46am CST
In my country, the philippines, it is part of our culture not to be on time. When they say a program will start at that particular time expect it to get delayed by an hour or two. that is just so part of our culture. that is quite hard to change. though in schools the students are mostly punctual and even workers in going to the office work. but in personal basis, like in meeting with their friends or relatives they promised to meet or other things like shows in school programs, the organizer are not on time. even in big concerts or shows of singers or entertainers always not on time.
so mostly it is just accepted part of our culture. so if your friend is not on time in a place designated for you meet like in a restaurant. would you wait. for how long can you wait.
9 people like this
39 responses
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Jul 09
I get stressed when people are late and even more stressed when people make me late. I don't think I'd make it in your country!
@kcoregon (302)
• United States
18 Jul 09
I do not like waiting for people who are late. I will usually wait if they have the courtesy to call and say they are running late. Or I may call them and find out what is taking them so long. But honestly why is it acceptable to leave your friend waiting when you would not be late for work (for fear of being fired), you would not be late to class (for fear of being lectured), and you would not be late to your mom's house for dinner (for fear of being scolded). So why do we not respect our friends as much as our mom or our work or our school? It may hurt feelings if you do not wait around for your friend to show up but it also hurts feeling when they cannot be bothered with being on time, with exception of being late for circumstances out of their control.
I am not a late person. I always arrive five minutes before hand for most everything. When I drive my kids to school they are one of the first ones there. When I take them to gymnastics class or art class they arrive sometimes even before the teacher does.
1 person likes this
@rprashanth1988 (103)
• India
18 Jul 09
Personally, I feel a person who is punctual is good mannered and follows his rules. So i like to be punctual. But i have seen many of my friends who are not. They i feel are very lazy people. I don't like people who are late. Punctuality has a lot of advantages. SO i request people to be punctual and do your work in time.
@Archie0 (5652)
•
27 Sep 09
[i]Hello hotsummer
well yes at some extent punctuality is really important for me.I try never to be late for my college or any important functions, i prefer to go 5 min early.
For i always remember my teachers words- Late is Late, On time is Late, Before time is On Time.
[/i]
[/i]@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
27 Sep 09
college is quite strict. i do happen to be late in college class often before when i was still a student. it really needs lot of discipline actually to be on time which i never had even until now i think. ha ha .
@abenitez (501)
• United States
18 Jul 09
I am a very punctual person. i tend to be on time for everything and to me it is very importnat. I believe that people should really make an effort to be on time. I dont really like waiting for too long for people to me it gets annoying. I have a few friends that are always late and I get very impatient waiting.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
20 Jul 09
i think that we filipinos say sorry when we get late. only some dont'.
@jralivio511 (480)
• Philippines
20 Jul 09
I felt the same if someone gets late without even saying sorry.
@candy2306 (576)
• India
18 Jul 09
Yes, definitely! Punctuality reflects a persons diciplines and attitude. I'm sure, that only punctual people will inform their lateness before hand. It also builds trust between individuals and it's not easy to be punctual at all times! I'm a punctual person at the same time if I found I'm delayed, I will put extra effort to inform my lateness!
1 person likes this
@terri0824 (4991)
• United States
17 Jul 09
I like being on time for appts and engagements. I tend to be a very punctual person unless, I have my children that hold me back and are not ready when I am.
I rather be early than late. And as far as waiting for a friend, I would wait up to 30 minutes. Otherwise I would reschedule.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
it is good that you can wait for a friend. but here in my country, people will expect that you will wait for them no matter how long . if you will reschedule it then it will create some misunderstanding or hurtful feelings. cause he or she is a friend. and we expect more from a friend. that is the culture here.
@clocks123 (1225)
• United States
18 Jul 09
i like a person to be on time. if that person was late more than once, i would tell them how i felt about it. i like to be on time, i don't like anyone to wait for me, and i don't like people who are habitually late.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
17 Jul 09
Hi hotsummer, I believe that something would have to be very important for me to wait two hours. I would assume that my friend wasn't coming and make other plans. It appears that people in your culture are very relaxed and that is not necessarily a bad thing. In the west we have have carried punctuality to the extreme. Blessings.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
not really. it does not have to be an important thing for us to wait for some one that long like two hours. it just depends on whom you are waiting for. if it is a friend a close friend you to get wait that long. for just someone you just know and not that close to you of course we can just couldn't care if we just leave after about 30 minutes.
30 minutes of waiting is not that long actually for us. and i have heard stories many times of filipinos who have been in US. and they said people in US are very punctual. and they experienced it when they were a few minutes late that the person they supposed to meet have left cause they can't wait for few minutes.
in our country it is just totally different.
yes we have a relaxed culture here. here life is not that fast compared in US. here if you a person does not want to work then he can just stay at home and just let the time pass and so just watch tv whole day but of course he will not get rich that way.
but i have heard that it is totally different in the US. cause people there usually work a lot. and so we can see the progress of your country.
@geniustiger (1694)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
Yes it should be followed but sometimes
you told that it is a culture then it
will be. I know we can make it better
through imposing such a great rule or
penalties to have them punctual in every
meeting.
It depends upon the organizer if he will
do on time. It is so vital for me if my
friend set time for our meetings for important
things I will wait for it specially if it
is collection but if not 1 hour is the
longe for me.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
yes, it will depend on the organizer. but mostly they are always late. but i am not used to be always on time. i hate it actually. like now. since we think that Western things are better. there are few cinemas here that are american style . i mean we have to get inside the cinema before the start of the movie and we have to exit after the end of the movie. but in our culture, or traditional cinemas we ahve here, which is much bigger, we can get it whatever time we want. we can buy tickets and get in at the middle of the movie showing and we can watch the movie and stay in the cinema as much as we want. we don't have to leave the cinema after the end of the movie. we can repeat the movie again. we don't have to leave our seat.
i like this kind of cinemas than the american style cinemas.
@entrepinoy (709)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
You are right there Kabayan that its been part of the Filipino culture to be always arrive late when they have important activities be it in school, office or even in the Church or simply bonding with their friends.
If ever my friend arrived late the first time I try to meet him, I will just forgive him for being late. But if he keeps on being late, I will tell him straight that I hate waiting for so long because for me time is essential and precious because time wasted is life wasted.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
yeah. but mostly we wait for a friend. but for other things like job interviews yet we are strict on being on time. but in personal things or matters we tend to be late always. though lots of filipinos are on time but still we tend to be late sometimes. and our friend will usually wait. and i get to wait often to a friend like an hour or even more. but anyways, i just try to entertain myself while waiting. if i am waiting in side the mall i will just around the place for hours till he comes . it always happen every time.
@cmnavarro (251)
• Philippines
18 Jul 09
hahaha! i agree with you, we need a little discipline when it comes to punctuality. for me, i think it's rude if you're late on a meeting even if it's with just a bunch of friends... i can wait, but not for 2 hours or more
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
18 Jul 09
yeah two hours is quite a long wait and even best of friends can have conflict if they have to wait that long for a friend.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
17 Jul 09
Hello hotsummer this is checkmail and mine too, peoples are never doing things on time.There is always delay in each and every work performe.Yes the schools and colleges and offices start on time but the crowd do not follow the same time they are always late.And do you know its affects our country's economy as well as standard.Acording the most puctuall country to follow is Japan.Its so much punctual in its works that its one of the leading nations in the world even after suffering such a bad damage in world war 2.I hope mine country could also be ounctual atleast in terms of emergency and essential works.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
17 Jul 09
yeah i admire japan for their hard work and their punctuality. that is why they are so progressive as they are now.
@joiele (49)
• Philippines
27 Jul 10
i am also from the Philippines but i actually don't agree. i know there's this "Filipino time" and some are using this as an excuse for being late. but i won't agree that this is a culture. this is just an excuse! as for me, i'm always punctual. i won't mind waiting for a couple of minutes but not an hour or so. if a person does this to me, i won't mind if there's a valid reason or its just the first time. but i will make it a point to tell that person that should not happen again. and what concerts are you referring to hotsummer? i've been to some concerts myself and i can't remember any major concert that started late. where i attended, at least. :)
@seymiss (622)
•
18 Jul 09
Hi There!
Punctuality is very important in life.People don't like being kept waiting and sometimes it can cost you your job.A punctual person will be a winner everywhere and always one step ahead of others.
I don't like people who are not punctual,and don't understand or respect the importance of other peoples' time.
cheers!
@EliteUser (3964)
• Australia
27 Sep 09
Hey,
Yes I think that punctuality is quite important for me. Although, some times I don't really turn up on time myself, so I know that it can get quite difficult. But I am also striving to always be punctual wherever I go. Make sure you have a good day, God bless and Happy Lotting!!
@jralivio511 (480)
• Philippines
18 Jul 09
Well, I am a Filipino and yes that is true in our culture but most of the time I'll make sure that I am on time. It's part of self descipline. I hate those person who came late. But if he or she let me know ahead of time that he will be late for about fifteen to thirty minutes. I'll be willing to wait.
@yogambal_64 (1014)
• India
18 Jul 09
Although I am very punctual I do not mind waiting for even half an hour if my meeting is really important. On the other hand if it is not all that important I would ring the person and ask if he really plans to meet me at the specified time and also let me know the reason for the delay.
