第58期:论守时

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　　A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment. The unpunctual man，on the other hand，never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. There is a proverb that says, "Time flies never to be recalled¹". This is very true. A lost thing may be found again，but lost time can never be regained². Time is more valuable than material things.

　　In fact，time is life itself. The unpunctual man is forever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable assets³ as well as the assets of others'. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters or return calls or keep appointments promptly⁴. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful with his time and seldom complains because he lacks it. He knows that he cannot get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully attends to every piece of work when it has to be attended to ...

　　Failure to be punctual in keeping one's appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time，he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present. Unpunctuality，moreover，is very harmful when it comes to doing one's duty，whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually⁵ unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men. And the unpunctual man is a source of annoyance⁶ both to others and to himself.

　　一个守时的人养成了按时做事的习惯，这样的人言必信，行必果。 另一方面，不守时的人却从不按时完成他应该做的事情。他总是匆匆忙忙的，到头来却既浪费了时间、又败坏了自己的名誉。 有句谚语说道："光阴一去不复返。" 此话千真万确。 一件东西丢了可能找回来，而弄丢了时间可就永远找不回来了。 时间较之财富更加珍贵。

　　实际上，时间本身就是生命! 因此，那些不守时的人是在不停地浪费自己的宝贵财富，同时也是在浪费他人的珍贵财产。那些不守时的人总是在抱怨，说自己没有时间去写回信、没有时间回电话、或者没有时间按时赴约。 然而那些真正有大量事情要处理的人则会非常仔细地安排时间，很少抱怨说时间不够用。 他们知道，除非自己按时处理好应处理的每一件事情，否则他们是不可能做完这一大堆事情的…… 赴约不守时是对他人极大的不尊重。

　　如果一个人应邀去参加晚宴，却没有按时出席，就会让其他的客人等他一个人。 这是对主人和其他客人极大的不尊重。 履行义务的时候--无论是公事还是私事--不守时是非常有害的。设想一下，如果把一件重大使命委托给一个不守时的人，结果他没有在恰当的时间和地点完成这项任务，那么结果会怎么样呢? 如果一个人以不守时而"闻名"，他怎么可能得到朋友和同事的信任! 不守时的人既惹别人生气，又弄得自己不快活。

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