16/11/2024
He seemed to be in a haste.
The old man that sat next to me in the Keke.
The rider was trying to get two more passengers to join the vehicle before moving but the old man beckoned to him and asked what the fare for his destination was.
When the rider told him, the old man said he was going to pay for the two empty seats because he needed to get to where he was going to in time.
This was such a rare thing to see in this generation and it reminded me of how important it is to stay 'time- conscious' and embrace punctuality.
I remember how our lecturers in school tried their best to ensure we understood the importance of being punctual even though we rebelled quite a number of times. We knew that what they were doing was for our good. We saw how they came to class at the exact time for lecture and showed up early even for programs organised by students.
The older generation clearly had a greater respect for time than ours and I think that if the template used to inculcate that discipline in them worked well then it should be revisited to salvage ours.
Whenever I attend events and see how most of them start way behind schedule, it breaks my heart. An event will begin two hours after the scheduled time and the organisers will not even apologize for their lack of respect for people's time or even show the slightest sign of remorse.
I know that I still struggle to keep to time for every event I attend but I'm glad that I've improved greatly and the goal is to keep getting better.
I really hope that the "African Time" syndrome gets a reliable cure that will make it fade into oblivion.