I hate tardiness. It's the one thing I can't stand. I form an automatic dislike for people who are perennially late. Many might react against this and say that I should not generalize. I argue that carelessness with time is very telling of someone's personality and way of thinking. It's a grave offense. It should be taken seriously. It is the very fact that people dismiss lateness and absence oh so easily that makes such so normal. It actually encourages them. Look at cultural things like Filipino time, American time, the Spanish manana habit. Undoubtedly, people need a right attitude about time.

Of course being late due to a matter of life and death is excusable. Sickness, death, family emergency, accident, serious problems, and things like that are valid reasons for being late or not showing up at all. But as much as possible, one should notify the other party and not keep him/her waiting. We should be understanding, patient, and forgiving when the circumstance truly asks us to understand, to be patient, and to forgive. yes, there are some things it's ok to be late for but we shouldn't be late for most things. Alibis like "Sorry, I woke up late," "I was stuck in traffic," and the worst, the excuse one should not have given at all because it just pisses the person who waited for you, the "Wala pa naman yung iba eh" are NOT reasons for being late. People who give such lame excuses deserve a good whack in the head. Maybe two. Maybe a hundred. Oversleeping, being caught in traffic, and just following the crowd simply don't cut it.

Tardiness implies a lack of respect for others. A late person imposes upon the time of the one he/she is supposed to meet. He/she presupposes that the poor other guy/girl doesn't have anything better to do than waiting. It's like you deem yourself so high that the one you are supposed to meet should be honored to be graced by your presence. It may very well be that whoever it is that is waiting for you has an important duty to attend to. He/she may be doing something a whole lot more productive than the time wasted on you sleeping, waiting it out in traffic, or just hanging around.

Oversleeping can be avoided. Set an alarm clock. Ask someone to wake you up. It will be beneficial for you too as you wouldn't need to rush and be stressed running late. Traffic can be anticipated. For crying out loud, heavy traffic is a reality here. Manila is the traffic capital of the world. Estimate your travel time. Overestimate if you must. Lastly, being fashionably late is not fashionable at all. Some people come in several minutes later than agreed upon just so they wouldn't have to be there in the meeting place and wait alone. That's insecurity. It is so not cool. In fact, it is plain stupid. Nevermind that the other person or the rest of the gang (in cases where there are more than two people meeting) are not there yet. So what? Punctuality connotes discipline, respect, and efficiency. Following the crowd isn't always right. Why should you be defined by others' actions?

We can't always be punctual but we could at least try and try hard at that. Tardiness is not just a matter of time. It's an issue of respect. Respect others if you want them to respect you too.