THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PUNCTUAL

 

Last Sunday 18th of March, there was a very interesting article in the Sunday supplement of the 'El Mercurio' of Valparaiso, about the cost of being unpunctual in Chile. According to this article, the economic cost of being late for 7 minutes every day in one whole year amounts to US $104,677,397. This sounds incredible. But it is based on a survey carried out in the year 2006 by  the Libertad Institute in Santiago. The cost includes what the employer loses, the employee's cost, domestic service, armed forces, police force and that involved by labourers and workers. It ends up being a chain of events: if you're late, you'll make someone else late, and so on.

Why are Chileans like this? According to the people interviewed, there are several reasons. These include an educational problem, a lack of culture,  being unconscious of the needs of those who surround us, belonging to an underdeveloped country and lack of discipline. Being unpunctual may mean you're not really interested in something, because if you have to get someone to pay you money, you'll probably be quite punctual. This problem affects all areas of society. Most people agreed that the solution lies in educating the younger generations. To be punctual is a virtue which should be cultivated and enforced everywhere. Time is precious! Let's not waste it, and make the most of the time we have. What can YOU do to improve the situation?

1. Try to plan ahead so you'll always have a few minutes to spare for emergencies.

2. Encourage others, like parents, relatives and friends to do the same.

3. Don't accept unpunctuality passively. Fight it! Rebel against it!

4. Set an example to the rest.

 Do we know how much more  time we will have in our  future?