T.N.G. SIGNS
OF THE TIMES - N.M. September
14, 2004 (#136)
Greetings from
Russell's Remnant: www.oocities.org/dkone_us
A member of Dr. Russell Whitesell’s
Tuesday Night Group pointed out that being late is stealing. Several years ago, one member kept the
teacher waiting for the third or fourth time.
It resulted in that member being removed from the class for being late
and then lying about it to cover his ass.
He also refused to use a phone to communicate scheduling difficulties
which could have mitigated the situation.
The Manu of
the Hierarch (Morya) of the White Brotherhood states:
The majority
do not know the value of time. MG2 189
At times the
dissipation of strength and time is equal to suicide. AY 116
Least of all
is it admissible to steal the time of one's brother. Aimlessly stealing time is the same as stealing ideas. MG2 224
*****
Notes from a
newspaper article entitled: The Latecomers by Kathleen A.
Mulvihill:
The
latecomer, everybody knows one, and it doesn’t matter whether he wears a watch
of an alarm clock around his neck.
Being late is his way of life, and damn you for noticing. Chronic tardiness has soured friendships and
love affairs and caused people to lose their jobs. Motives often are hidden in the unconscious and range from the
most sinister to the relatively innocuous.
One
motive is lack of consideration, which figures prominently with latecomers,
says Tulane social psychologist Fredrick Koenig. They have problems putting themselves in other people’s
places. They are insensitive to the
wants and reactions of others. They are
so into themselves that they don’t know what it’s like to waste the time of
others.
Sometimes being late is a form of
dominance and that’s even worse then being inconsiderate. If you’re late you’re in control, and others
are passively at your mercy. Koenig
believes doctors are among the worst offenders by scheduling people for
appointments for the same time so they won’t have to wait. If they have to wait they lose money; but
they don’t mind if you lose money.
Bureaucrats, executives, movie stars and others with sometimes
exaggerated senses of self-worth also are notorious for making people wait. Individuals with authority frequently make
people “wait outside” thus establishing a kind of hierarchy and indicating they
are “valuable to you.” The latecomer
becomes the master, the waiters his subjects.
At the more extreme end of thinking,
sadistic motives may underlie lateness.
It can be used as a weapon with which to defy, sabotage, humiliate or
strike out at someone. Being late is
almost always of “a way of saying something to someone.” Usually it’s a way of saying something
negative. Often, it suggests
unconscious anger or resentment.
Lateness also may be a prelude to rejection.
Being consistently late to work
sometimes becomes a status symbol.
According to Ronald E. Milliman, professor of marketing at Loyola
University, it may indicate “Who can be latest and not get in trouble.” Not taking a job seriously may be an
underlying reason for frequent absenteeism or tardiness. Or sometimes it is a matter of “taking
advantage of a nice-boss situation.
It’s just as easy for most of these people to get there early as
late. It’s just a matter of scheduling.
Milliman’s research finds that
single people are usually late to work because of “social reasons” (staying out
too late the night before) as opposed to married and older people whose reasons
for being late are frequently due to domestic responsibilities or are health
related.
There are also cultural explanations
for lateness. The Latin “manana
attitude” tends to permeate this region “across the board.” Whether it’s a plumber or deliveryman, don’t
bank on them being on time.
Then there is the politics of
lateness. Politicians are always first
at the voting booth, but do you expect them to arrive at a campaign pep rally
on time.
“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late” was
Shakespeare’s counsel. Being late is an
attention grabber. The chronically late
can – and do – change their behavior, especially when being late would
inconvenience them. If they have
tickets to their favorite play, they probably will be seated before curtain
time.
As for those of you who wait, you
can set limits to how long you are willing to linger before leaving. When appropriate, let your anger be known.
What you have to consider is who is
more important: those who are already there or those who are late? Go ahead and start, and when they arrive
say, “We went ahead and started. We
knew you wouldn’t mind. In fact, you’re
probably used to it. Or how about
this? “Sorry, we didn’t think you were
going to make it so we went ahead and ate. Care for leftovers?”
***
A prominent business man was asked by a wealthy doctor to
come to the doctor’s office for a consult about insurance. The insurance man was on time and had the
receptionist inform the doctor that he was ready for their 5:00 p.m.
meeting. The doctor continued to sit in
his office with his feet up on his desk.
He did nothing for fifteen more minutes after the time for the meeting. The insurance man saw that the doctor was
just sitting there. He got up and
walked over the receptionist, handed her his business card with a note on the
back. He asked her to give the doctor
the card and told her to tell her boss that from now on if the doctor wanted to
do business with him, the doctor would have to come to the insurance man’s office. On the back of the card the insurance man
had written, “Dear Doc, I am sure your time is much more valuable per hour than
mine is, but my time per hour is just as valuable to me as yours is to you.”
***
D.K. - The Teacher to Humanity believes
that the true teacher must deal in truth and in sincerity with all
seekers. His time is too valuable to
waste in social politeness or in
refraining from making critical comment where a good purpose would be
served. He must depend thoroughly upon
the sincerity of those whom he teaches.
***
There is a famous quotation from Mark Twain which is: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug." It would not be too far wrong to change that quotation to: The difference between “being on time” and “not being on time” is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug.