My Leaguefest Story: On being late

Vikram Bath

Vikram Bath is the pseudonym of a former business school professor living in the United States with his wife, daughter, and dog. (Dog pictured.) His current interests include amateur philosophy of science, business, and economics. Tweet at him at @vikrambath1.

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12 Responses

  1. Kazzy says:

    But what costs did you pass on to others? If your friends had to wait 30 minutes each, that could add up to hours of lost time. If they didn’t mind waiting but now your party occupied the table an extra 30 minutes eating free chips and salsa, the restaurant lost out on additional earning opportunities.

    All so you could give yourself the warm-fuzzies.Report

    • Glyph in reply to Kazzy says:

      Interestingly (spoiler: not really), my wife and I had a similar conflict yesterday. We were brunching with some family who recently had a baby, and we had planned to stop on the way and get a small gift.

      But we didn’t get out the door early enough, and stopping would have made us at least 1/2 hour late, so I vetoed that and we went straight to the restaurant sans gift, arriving right on time for the reservations.

      Now, my wife, left to her own devices, definitely would have stopped and been late, feeling that to arrive without a gift is Not Done.

      I, on the other hand, detest being late in most circumstances, especially when trying to make a brunch reservation time with relatives I don’t see often, so arriving late is Not Done. And I was driving.

      Who was right (and don’t just say, “you should have left earlier”, because 1.) Duh and 2.) YOU try to get somewhere on time with these people) ?Report

    • Vikram Bath in reply to Kazzy says:

      I wasn’t that late, Kazzy!Report

      • Kazzy in reply to Vikram Bath says:

        I misread the “30 minutes spent getting cash” as “30 minutes late”. My apologies. You are only half-Hitler.Report

      • Glyph in reply to Vikram Bath says:

        Half-Hitler only has 1/8 of a mustache. And is a dwarf.Report

      • Kazzy in reply to Vikram Bath says:

        Slightly more seriously, I do think it important that we consider the costs we export to others.

        I remember a time when I was already running a bit late to work. As I flew down the street, I saw a gentleman a few decades my senior (meaning he was probably in his 40s or 50s) standing beside his car with the hood up. I screeched to a stop and asked if he needed help. He waved me off saying he had everything under control and I moved on. I felt like stopping was doing the right thing. But then I thought more about it: Was it? What costs did I impose on my colleagues by being late? What of those I impose on my students? Every situation probably dictates its own calculus but I think that back end is often forgotten. “I did the right thing today!” is a great feeling. But we should be careful about having that feeling at the expense of others.Report

  2. Damon says:

    “Of course, I did actually recognize what I was trying to excuse and wrote this post admitting it. Most people wouldn’t do that. Right? How great am I for that? ”

    Seems like a perpetual loop 🙂Report

  3. Miss Mary says:

    Ask me a question you want to answer. 😉

    It was awesome meeting you, Vikram! Thank you for hanging out. 🙂Report