Bob Morris’ “Age of Dissonace” column in the Sunday Times examines punctuality, or the lack thereof.
Are you punctually challenged? You’re not alone. According to a San Francisco State University study, 20 percent of the population is chronically late for business meetings and social engagements.
Freud traced the inability to manage one’s time to being late at toilet training. That’s a dated notion. A more contemporary study by Cleveland State University found that tardiness is a trait of the unusually anxious and distractible. Some theorize that lateness creates thrills for otherwise dull lives or that being late is a bold form of power display. Or is it just anti-authoritarian?
I think it’s mostly about power and lack of sensitivity to to others. Even though the megalomaniac responsible for wasting everyone’s time will likely just say, “Sorry, I was busy.”
