02.05-2019 Cultural Differences concerning TIME

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” ..  Time is what we want more, but what we use worst. William Penn

Monochronic v.s. Polychronic

There are two visions when we talk about time, the one that considere the time as something sacred, that work on schedules, procedures and tasks, and the polychronic which works based on emotions, family, friends, and that time can wait for the rest of the things but first family and love one´s.

I live in a country that is polychronic, you can do what you want if you have friends, connections. Last year a friend of my daughter went back from his mission, he was late to enroll to college so since grandpa is a principal at College, they went to talk with him and ask him to help him to get enroll. And it happened, just like that.

I have being planning to open a restaurant for the past 2 years but since I don´t have the connections and friends I haven´t be able to have the permissions I need to open it. This is a country where for us is very important to have friends and connections, as part of our culture we can change schedules, procedures, tasks, as we want, and sometimes is not fair, to be honest is never fair, but sometimes it has a positive imparct and som
etimes a negative impact on us. It was good for my daughter fiend, but not fair for my permission to set a restaurant.


On the contrary in the monochronic people can have the assurance that if someone says I am going to do it, they will do it, if they say is going to be on a certain time then it will be done on that time. Like my friend of the United States.

But which is better? I was wondering that talking about church, when I go to the Temple the sessions are always on time,  the conferences, even the speakers are always on time. But is not the same story at our stake activities,  nor the Sacrametnal meetings, why?  Because we bring our culture polychromic, and despite we know that we must be on time, sometimes we say we must wait for the rest of the members that are not here yet. To be honest this is embarassing, becuase we waist the precious time of the one´s that are on time.
But the great questions would be, how do we change from polychronic to monochronic? Is it worthy or should we have some of both? How can we judge when should be one or the other way?

I personally think that Jesus gave an example of being on time, His time, not ours, When his friend Lazarus was sick his sisters Mary and Martha:"... sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." 
Jesus stayed where he was for two more days,  he didn´t leave his mission. After he went to see Lazarus which has passed away already.
"...Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give itthee.  23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

And he did, our Savior is our guide, we must follow him,  so we must let the holly spirit to guide our path so we can be on time where ever we must be, in His time, in His way so we can enjoy it and make good use of our precious time.