A dialogue between two friends about punctuality

Akbar: Hi! Good evening! What a nice surprise. Come on in.

Imran: Good evening, Akbar. I had to go to the nearby secondary school for a meeting with teachers and parents. On my way back, I thought I'd stop by and say hi to you. How's life?

A: Not bad, can't complain. What was the meeting about?

I: It was about introducing uniforms at school. That was the only thing on the agenda. But what bothered me was that nobody was on time. The meeting was supposed to start at 2:30 p.m., but the President himself arrived at 3 p.m., and it took until around 3:30 for enough people to be there.

A: Being punctual is often talked about more than it's practiced. What can anyone really do about it?

I: That's the issue. No one seemed to care. You know what I did? When the meeting finally began, I stood up and interrupted to make a point. I told the President that he should at least apologize for not starting the meeting on time.

A: How did he react?

I: I explained that time is important to people like me and insisted that the minutes of the meeting note that it started an hour late. The President took it calmly, said sorry, and promised to start on time in the future.

A: Have you ever seen any event start as planned? Even in government offices, no one arrives on time. Department heads and even ministers are usually late for meetings. It's because we don't object that things continue like this. I applaud you for what you did.

I: Thanks. People even think it's odd to be on time. Nowadays, if a party is supposed to start at 6 o'clock, you're told to be there at 5 so that everyone is actually there by 6.

A: Why do you think people do that? It's become the norm, and people don't care about such things. Everyone is used to it, but if it were the other way around, they'd be upset. Organizers should stick to the announced time and make others feel they're late.

I: I actually experienced this the other day. I was invited to a party at 5 o'clock. I arrived exactly five minutes before 5, and for nearly half an hour, I was the only guest there. It was quite embarrassing. The kids were having fun, of course. Around 5:30, the second family showed up, and by 6 o'clock, almost everyone was there. It felt like I had arrived too early and others were punctual. They could have told me the party was at 6.

A: But then guests might not have arrived until 7. People stroll in slowly, knowing the event won't start until they're there. It's the way things are in this society, and you can't change it. Pretty amusing!

I: If I ever invite someone, I think I'll tell them the event starts right on time and ask them to be punctual. If they don't show up on time, they should feel like they're arriving late. I always want to be punctual, and I've never been late in my life.

A: I wish people could learn to be punctual. You really value punctuality, don't you? Let's hope others follow your example and benefit from it.

I: I just hope the next meeting starts on time. Why should we wait for latecomers? Punctuality isn't just talked about; it should be practiced by everyone.

A: Otherwise, what's the point of having a watch? I wish everyone were like you!

I: I should get going now. Thanks for the lovely cup of tea. Goodbye!

A: Please visit again. Goodbye!