punctuality
As punctuality refers to the precise adherence to a agreed date or date . This applies to personal arrangements as well as to means of transport. In post-industrial societies, punctuality is associated with reliability and courtesy . It was valid in the past and is still valid today as a so-called civic virtue alongside diligence and thrift . In the case of means of transport , compliance with the timetable or flight plan is referred to as punctuality.
Importance of punctuality
In cultures where time plays such an important role as in post-industrial society (proverb time is money ), the social importance of punctuality has increased greatly. Being unpunctual is considered impolite and a delay that exceeds a certain tolerance limit can be perceived as an insult and disrespect . Anyone who travels a lot or leaves their own environment often has to develop a keen sense for people's sense of time, as time-related social rules can change quickly even within a given culture. So it is for example in German Switzerland as polite, about five minutes before arrive the appointed time - in Romandie but about five minutes after the appointed time. A different way of dealing with time can therefore lead to major communication problems or even conflicts (see also culture shock ).
Development of the sense of time
In the everyday life of agriculture -oriented societies, punctuality to the second is usually of no importance. The time orientation is more based on the course of the day of the sun, the lunar cycles as well as the seasons and climatic changes. In such an environment, clocks are of little importance and only serve as a rough guide.
In trade-based societies, there is a heightened awareness of time: merchants, craftsmen and moneylenders use time to calculate their work output. A more precise breakdown of the time units as well as increased efficiency and productivity (= production per time unit ) are the logical consequence. Time is given a prize and thus becomes a valuable resource. This situation roughly corresponded to the late Middle Ages in Central Europe , which then found a technical equivalent around 1300 with the invention of the mechanical wheel clock . With the widespread introduction of clocks in the cities of the European Middle Ages, the actions of city dwellers became calculable and controllable - punctuality began to be important. The more precise the time measurement instruments became, the more punctual, the more precisely timed, people had to do their jobs.
Punctuality in different cultures
Modern, western societies have a linear, horizontal understanding of time that is closely linked to the term progress , which is assigned an important role in our value system . In Eastern cultures or among indigenous peoples, time is perceived cyclically or vertically, ie in several timelines that coexist at the same time . Societies with a horizontal view of time divide their time. They have a tendency to plan every minute of their actions and therefore attach great importance to punctuality. People in societies with a vertical view of time, on the other hand, behave more flexibly in this regard. The anthropologist Edward T. Hall (see lit. ) speaks of monochronous or polychronic cultures.
Punctuality in polychronic cultures
Time planning in cultures with a vertical or cyclical understanding of time is often relatively flexible, and punctuality therefore only plays a subordinate role. People in societies with a polychronic understanding of time have time . In interpersonal relationships and communications, correct completion of the interaction is more important than keeping to any schedule.
Punctuality in monochrome cultures
In Northern Europe , German-speaking countries, Japan, and the United States , there is a monochronous attitude towards time: there is only one time; it is assumed that appointments with details of times or plans that are linked to time periods are precisely adhered to. The division of time is often tightly organized, so that the unpunctuality of an individual component of the planning - for example the train , bus, airplane or traffic jam on the motorway - can jeopardize the success of the planning.
Even interpersonal relationships are organized according to the clock, punctuality often takes precedence over the needs of interaction.
Conflicts
Wherever monochronous and polychronic cultures meet, there is bound to be a conflict . The “chronic unpunctuality of the natives” drove Christian missionaries in Africa and Polynesia to almost despair in the 16th century. Robert Levine (see lit. ) mentions many examples from the 20th century, including some that he experienced himself. For example, people in South America understand an appointment at 10 a.m. to be “late morning”. H. any time between about 9:30 a.m. and noon and are therefore inevitably unpunctual according to the western understanding of time. In many countries, for this reason, business hours or public transport timetables, even if they are provided with time information, should be interpreted relatively and are subject to many other influences than the clock. In a monochromatic society like in Germany or Switzerland, however, regular unpunctualities of a few minutes are already a political issue at the railway.
See also
literature
- Edward T. Hall: The Hidden Dimension. Anchor Books, 1990. ISBN 0-385-084-765
- Edward T. Hall: The Dance of Life - The Other Dimension of Time Anchor Books, 1990. ISBN 0-385-192-487
- Robert Levine : A Map of Time. How cultures deal with time (original title: A Geography of Time , translated by Christa Broermann and Karin Schuler). Piper, Munich / Zurich 1999. ISBN 3-492-22978-6 ; NA: 2003, ISBN 978-3-492-04560-5 .
