“You Are Not Running Late–You Are Rude”

We find ourselves in a coddled, hands-off society. It’s impolitic to address faults directly. For this reason, posts that tell the truth sometimes go viral. Here’s a good example.

A Sydney businessman named Greg Savage just wrote a fiery piece in which he addressed those who are habitually late. “You are not running late,” he writes, “You are rude.” Here’s a swatch:

And it is not that we lead ‘busy lives’. That’s a given, we all do, and it’s a cop out to use that as an excuse. It’s simply that some people no longer even pretend that they think your time is as important as theirs. And technology makes it worse. It seems texting or emailing that you are late somehow means you are no longer late.

Rubbish.

You are rude. And inconsiderate.

Read the whole thing.

Many of us who read this will find ourselves implicated by Savage’s words. I’m thankful for truth-tellers who call us out. Christians have a stake in being people of their word, for sure. Christian leaders, furthermore, should set the tone here.

One of the best ways to show kindness and others-centeredness is to be on time. One of the best ways to show narcissism, on the other hand, is to live by your own clock, and to avoid practicing self-discipline and self-control necessary to, you know, be an adult and all that.

In sum, consider yourself forewarned. If you have business with Greg Savage, woe to you if you show up late!