Be on Time for Things ⇥ defector.com

Albert Burneko, writing for the recently-launched Defector:

Strive to be on time for things! Striving toward routine punctuality is the absolute bottom white-belt level of adulthood. You can be “kind of whimsical” and also strive to be on time for things. You can be “a freewheeling person” and also strive to be on time for things. You can even be “a literal cannibal” and also strive to be on time for things. Sometimes you will be late anyway, but when you are habitually late for things — moreover, when you do not even strive to be on time for things, and then further indulge yourself by socking your habitual lateness behind the cover of personal whimsy or being “a freewheeling person” — what you are expressing toward the other people around you is that you do not care all that much about them. What they will express back toward you is the middle finger, and you will deserve it.

My endorsement for this is not limited to punctuality. We should all at least try to be better about general human adult stuff more often: honesty, niceness, driving — whatever. We will all fail at these things from time to time, but that doesn’t mean we should become chronically rude liars who text and drive just because other people are.