Me time

In class last week, we talked about the fact that different cultures run on different times (monochronic and polychronic). I agree that there are generalizations among large groups of people but I also think it is very important to keep in mind that each individual has specific practices.

One great example of this is the excercise that we did in class. People made a list of the actvities they do reguarly and what time they would start at. Then we were supposed to make a list of what time we actually arrive at the activity. My arrival times varied drastically from everybody else's. I tend to arrive anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes early to everything whereas most students in the class arrived around the start time or even a little late. This completely blew my mind because when it comes to getting somewhere on time, I start worrying about it an hour before I have to leave. To me, it is incredibly rude when somebody else is late because it shows that they do not value my time. My view of time doesn't really fit a monochronic or polychronic frame because, while it is closer to a monochronic frame, it does not focus on the event of the moment, but also simultaneously focuses ahead.

Therefore, I think that it is important to make sure that when generalizing, you keep in mind that everyone has a personal system for time and you should be respectful of their idiosyncracies.

Also last week, we tried to tell a story without using non-verbal communication. I think that this was very interesting excercise because it proved the point that it is impossible for someone to not communicate nonverbally. Even when you do not gesture, make facial expressions, or move, there is somebody interpreting your actions and attributing meaning to every physical movement you make. Even if we were to live life in the same way that we told out stories, the listener would assume that we were communicating distance or disinterest in the story. Thus, this activity shows that it is impossible to get rid of non-verbal communication.