According to the American monthly publication, The Atlantic magazine, there is officially a new personality trait – the purposeful late arriver. In other words, someone who is genetically programmed to be late. Born with it.
They say they are typically type B personalities (relaxed and unambitious), and being late is essentially not their fault.They actually enjoy being late the story claims. They’re ultimate vision is to be running from the security desk to the aeroplane door at an airport barefoot with laptop in hand.
Really? I don’t buy it – and I’m sick of the way technology has enabled all of us to introduce and accept lateness as part of socially acceptable behaviour. It’s not.
Before phones, we had to turn up on time to meet a friend or risk not seeing them as they may have left, thinking we were not coming at all.
If we were meeting at a coffee shop, we didn’t call the coffee shop to ask the staff to locate them and then give them a message we’d be there in 30 minutes. Instead we turned up. On time. Every time.
If we didn’t, we risked losing the friendship.
Being late then was a sign of disrespect. News flash -it still is. Only now we all do it to each other. Today, if we organise any social gathering – on average I see at least 40% of people text and say they’re running late. Sometimes up to an hour. It’s plain bad manners. And it’s global. And it’s men and women and it’s people of all ages. As long as they have a phone they will do it.
And as for the so-called official diagnosis of the purposeful late arriver, what’s next? The purposeful cheater? (sorry darling, I was born a cheater, it is not my fault), or the purposeful stealer ( same again)? It’s madness.
We all know how to do the right thing, but we are often in such a hurry we don’t stop and think about the impact our tardiness can have on those around us. More specifically the person waiting. Seriously? Turn up on time or decline the invitation. Simple.
