As I was coming out of a class on Einstein’s theory of relativity last week, I saw John sitting on a bench all alone looking slightly flustered and bored out of his skull. Like the good friend I am, I never pass on a serendipitous opportunity to poke my head into a friend’s dilemma.
After quick exchange of greetings, I came to know that John was actually waiting for a common acquaintance of ours, Adam who incidentally was late again for the second time that day. They were supposed to meet at 9 in the morning but Adam arrived half an hour late. Now, he was waiting for Adam who told him that he will meet him there in 5 minutes but that was over twenty minutes ago.
In order to get a grip on the situation, it is important to know that John lives by his Chinese grandfather’s mantra that time is money and has always regarded punctuality as a virtue. Meanwhile, Adam is an exchange student from Maldives and they were both very close friends. With that in mind, let us get back to the story.
Although John was clearly frustrated, he seemed to make light of the issue by joking that he should have known better and woke up a little later himself that morning. We spoke for another ten minutes and Adam finally arrived. John waved his frustration away and soon they were both laughing together as if nothing had happened earlier on.
Looking back, the incident clearly indicated an intercultural difference with regard to time. Despite Adam’s insensitivity towards punctuality, John understood that in Maldives where the population is densely packed on a small island and the community is closely knit, it is acceptable to be late if one has to stop and greet an acquaintance along the way. Moreover, the sandy beaches lend a more laid back lifestyle where it is common to meet up for coffee breaks 5 times a day. Therefore, John had no problems brushing aside Adam’s tardiness.
Perhaps Einstein’s understood much about the different cultural norms of different countries when he stated the interconnection between space and time.
6 comments:
Well stated, Yu Ming. I agree that it would seem that Einstein had a sense of "relativity" as it relates to ethnic diversity and varying norms. Rubber time, as we call it, right?
My only question is about the sandy beaches. Actually, what do you think is the root of this discrepancy? I have my own ideas, but I'd like to know why you agree that some groups of people don't live by the clock but by other rhythms.
Hey Yuming,
Interesting post as always. I believe that tardiness is not just due to culture but also a matter of habit as well. There are some people I know that are always late, no matter what you do.
I have even tried arranging a fictitious timing (e.g 'Lets meet at 8', when the actual is 9), and they can still arrive 1/2 hour late. They seem to have some ESP to determine the actual meeting time.
Dear Brad,
I guess the rhythms we live by are often dictated by our environment. One of the reasons I can think of is the occupation factor. Most of the locals work as fishermen or are descendants of a fishing family. To them, life is very much dependent on seasonal changes and weather conditions. Rainy season would force them to lull away the days staring into the ocean praying for the sunny rays. Moreover, most of the time they do spent ashore would be to work on chores such as repairing their nets or cleaning the boat. All in all, I guess when working on boring chores and wishing for the months to past, it helps not to be too concern with how slow time ticks away.
Dear Wei Kin,
I too share your pains. It seems impossible to discover how much earlier one should set the fictitious time as to weed out the waiting game. I guess ESP only works for those who live beyond the same space time continuum as we do:)
Hi Yu Ming,
I am just thinking, is it really because John had understood the cultural differences between Adam and him, or is it because they were very good friends?
I personally have been though this situation many times. Most of the time when I meet up with two of my best friends, they will be late. Most of the time, I will be frustrated with them when I am waiting for them. However, once I see them, all my frustration will be gone.
Probably this is the case for John too?
Dear Hui Xuan,
Yup, I guess you have a good point there. Friendship like all relationships is built on compromise. It could very well be that John places their friendship ahead of his frustration towards Adam's tardiness.
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