“Being on time” has a different meaning, depending on the society and culture you are living in. Of course, this tends to reinforce stereotypes and raises expectations about the punctuality, the respect of time as a means to effectively synchronize human behavior and its interaction with technology. Train or bus services are commonly referred to in this context. However, our interest here is with the wider margins or, statistically speaking, the normal or not so normal distribution around a specific point in time.
Colloquially we refer to these time periods as being late (more common) or as being early (less common). Add to this perspective that you may be very late (early) or too late (early) and we are going to really deal with the spice of life. Just think of the last instances when you were late, very late or too late.
The same rationale of a “statistical view of time” can inform the sociology of technology. Some innovations can come too early for society to be ready to deal with it, or they may come too late to save us from disaster.
Genetic engineering of human cells is an issue in this regard, both too early for wider applications, but too late for persons in need of curing a specific diagnosis. There is an additional social-psychological aspect to the cognitive process of being on time. It is the cognitive dissonance of what you expect from yourself or somebody else and the actual experience of not being on time which causes stress. Societal norms of being on time can contribute substantially as well to the overall mental load associated with time. Take it easy.
