Like a foreigner to them
It is a source of
amusement when I consider those who dismiss my viewpoints as borne of Western
ideals totally bereft of understanding the cultural norms of my forebears.
I appreciate that I
am quite detached, if not absent, but to mistake any of that for being
oblivious is to fail to understand the power of influences of place, people,
and position on the character and personality of a person.
One gets dismissed as
a foreigner, mostly for convenience in terms of taking guidance, one's
generosity is however more welcome and accepted than when one’s Western-tainted
wisdom is dispensed. People only align with you where there is some advantage
they can gain.
Time is not time to
them
The somewhat unfortunate
and conspicuous Englishman in me is rarely gratified on the use of and the
sense of time as a material of precise measurement, by others.
You could be forgiven
for thinking you live in a totally different universe, their timepiece is
usually lagging yours by hours, and any synchronisation takes no consideration
of putting any value on your time. It is assumed; you always have the time to
suit the needs of another rather than yourself.
What a foible it becomes,
if you are fastidious and punctual, making every effort to be on time and on
schedule. You strive on principle to ensure any inkling of not making an
appointment is always communicated with respect and courtesy to the other
person.
Making allowances for
them
Time to them maintains
and retains an elasticity totally indeterminate, that no properly functioning
watch can aspire to give it any sense. Your attempt at giving time a bare modicum
of precision is to be viewed as an obsession indicative of a mental health
problem.
Even with the allowances
made for tardiness, patience is ultimately a finite resource, and if others
have no better things to do with their time, it is not universal. In the
Western world of thought to which I have belonged for longer than I can
remember, the abuse of your time is a clear sign of disrespect.
This is why I have
adopted the flexibility of allowing the other person to decide the time and
place for any meeting. I know I'll be there, on time.
It begs the question
when the person who chose the time and place for our meeting is not there on
time and has not bothered to communicate why. If you cannot keep to the time
you set for yourself, what can you successfully do for yourself?
