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Yeah, the non-western concept of time is so picturesque, laid-back and "non-linear", so different to that ugly "monochronic" concept of the western world. Until shit gets serious. Until a patient in an emergency room requires an urgent treatment and a punctual surgeon.

Important, critical things depend on a rational approach to time.

I was irritated by the author's romantic view of the non-western concept of time.

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The point is that, if your treating all the appointments in your schedule as life-threatening events, you're doing it wrong.

Indeed. I am able to separate critical and non-critical appointments, as I suppose most people can do. I am punctual to business meetings, class meeting times, doctor appointments, and such. I am perpetually tardy to things like going out to party, having a cup of coffee, or visiting a friend.

Being punctual is stressful, requires planning, forethought, and saying no to unforeseen circumstances. I can't imagine living being punctual in my non-business life. I would feel like a slave. I once lost a girlfriend because she was extremely uptight about punctuality and I wasn't. While that attitude might seem completely normal to an American, to me it was a glimpse into insanity.

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