This brings me back to the 'idle rhetoric' part. Yes, heroin's even more nasty to kick, but you can just as well say "Stopping the ball here, and not shooting up ever again is just a decision to follow through with." And we both know that it's not that easy. I'm not saying tardiness is on the same level as heroin. It's not. But it's the same concept, as are alot of the things people whine about.

Saying that "this one is hard, but this one isn't," to me is an arbitrary line. That's like trying to separate in the color spectrum where purple ends and blue begins.

It's still a big lifestyle change, and I personally have had a hard time with it when I've put my mind to it, for instance. Belittling the effort necessary isn't exactly fair. Things are further complicated by the idea that some people might be able to stop buying cigarettes one day after a lifetime of smoking, yet cant seem to quit their habit of flying off the handle at the slightest issue, for example. Heck, maybe if I got diagnosed with cancer, I'd end up coping with it comparatively comfortably. Its different for everyone.

In the end though, what I mean to get at is that writing off a person with an issue like this as being generally inconsiderate or weak is not accurate, nor fair.

Linda, I think I and a few others really do have an honest disagreement with you here. I believe that chronic lateness is much more a choice than some sort of psychological problem. It appears that you see it as more deeply rooted. I agree to disagree w/ you on this issue!

What I'm saying is that some problems - cancer, depression, etc - these are problems caused by real illness that is sometimes beyond our control. I think you would agree with that. There is no way, however, to argue that being on time is out of one's control. An occasional lateness due to traffic? sure. Everytime? Nope, that's just not having regard for others.

Sorry, people whine about all sorts of little things as if to suggest that everyday, simple, daily living tasks as so very hard. Being on time, raising your kids, going to work. Well, they aren't - they are simply a regular, non-onerous part of life.

And I'm glad I didn't argue that, having seen so many repeats of this fact throughout the thread by myself and others.
But whether or not some affliction is within your control was not the issue - It's how one deals with it. This is the debate, I believe.

Again, it might end up that even though I'm diagnosed with Cancer or something, I shrug it off and live life well anyways. Yet I can't seem to be on time consistantly, despite attempts to curb it.

I'm not saying that you should take pity on people who can't seem handle things that are so simple for you. Punctuality is a big part of our society, particularly compared to others. What I am proposing is that labelling all of 'em as irredeemably lame and inconsiderate twats just ain't right. They simply suck at something, the same way one might suck at sports(which is practiced, not innate).

One of my friends is always late too, usually by half an hour to an hour. I've thought about bringing it up, but I think she is late usually just because she is nervous about social situations and I don't want to make it more stressful. Or, it is just because she is a bit spacey.