Cultural Spotlight: Tardiness

Taken from a recent online article I read...

Anyone who’s been to Chile knows that punctuality is not a national strong point. But they may not know that tardiness is costing the country a fortune. A new study estimates that tardiness cost Chile between $160 million and $343 million in 2007.

This is a slight improvement over 2006, when the cost of lateness was upwards of $385 million, according to the organization's calculations.


Chile is far from the worst in the region. Similar studies have estimated that in Peru, 84% of people admit to tardiness, costing the country $5 billion a year, and a 2003 study in Ecuador, put annual losses at $2.3 billion.


Chile Senate Vice President Baldo Prokurica, however, finds these losses unacceptable, and wants the government to tackle the problem. “Chile has a terrible habit of being late,” he told El Mercurio.


The Senator feels that he personally a victim of constant tardiness. On April 9, he suspended a special congressional session because Chile’s economics minister arrived 45 minutes late. “He said he was meeting with the president,” explained Prokurica, “but that’s no excuse.”


Tardiness is a cultural problem, says Prokurica. “In developed countries, it’s unacceptable to show up late for a meeting. But in Chile we have a warped conception about being on time. If someone arrives on time, people think, ‘Does this guy not have anything better to do?’”


Prokurica has proposed a three-part plan to combat the bad habit nationally. He wants the President and interior minister to launch a campaign for punctuality within the government. He also wants to promote punctuality in schools and to promote punctuality with a national ad campaign. (Source)

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Obviously, there are major implications for ministry in Chile. Training people that tardiness goes beyond a cultural issue...at the heart of it lays the issue of stewardship of the time God gives each and every one of us.

Please pray that we would be balanced in our schedules and punctuality, at the same time have wisdom and discernment in teaching Biblical principles of stewardship to Chilean believers.