some people only see things in "black and white" while others see things in color, or as i like to call them, "shady." i am definitely a monochrome kinda guy, and that brings numerous problems especially when you are involved in any kind of relationship with a 'shady' person. to "black and white" people, yes means yes and no means no. to "shady" people, yes means 'maybe, i'll try' and no means 'maybe.' this is evidenced most in terms of being punctual. for example, you set a date with someone, type 1 is the "black and white" person and type 2 is the "shady" person.

type 1: hey, let's meet up tomorrow.
type 2: sure, on the corner of 5th and main at 6 pm?
type1: you sure at 6?
type 2: yes, at 6.

the next day, type 1 is at the meeting place at 6, and finally 6:20 rolls around and type 2 shows up.

to type 1, 6 meant 6. to type 2, 6 meant AROUND 6. so what happens? type 1 ends up wasting time waiting for type 2, and probably a little annoyed. say they meet up several times, where type 2 is often late. will type 1 think type 2 is reliable? the answer is no. just because he can never be on time, type 2 will not be as easily trusted regardless of what it is.

if type 2 had said "i'll try to make it at 6 but i might be a little late" the situation could have been drastically different. the person could have still been reliable. however, they confirmed at 6, and still showed up at 620. to me, that's unreliable - especially if they do it multiple times.

so some might say that being punctual does not mean a person is not reliable. people who usually say that are usually the 'shady' ones themselves, i might add. i say that being punctual may not necessarily mean that person is not reliable, but from past experiences, it is a definite indicator for me and should be at least a warning sign to others. now mind you, everyone can be late from time to time, but constantly? only the unreliable are like that. from my experience, those who are not punctual are usually the ones that break appointments, dates, and even promises.

now when someone can't keep a promise, that is one thing that really irks me. i guess "its was how i was raised." a promise is a promise, no matter what scale it is. to other people, those who see things in color, there are different levels of promises and it's okay to break the unimportant ones. when i make a promise, i do my best to keep it and make it a priority. clashes would happen where i would say "but you promised!" and the other person would say "dude, it's only ___________ (insert trivial act here, i.e. going to walk in the park)... chill out!" now obviously, it may not be a big deal to go take a walk in the park/go shopping/feed my goldfish, but what if i was really looking forward to it? what if i made plans around it? what if i had gone through a lot to prepare for it? what if i turned down a hot date with kirsten dunst because i promised to give you a ride to the airport, and then you find your own ride? obviously, one party has the potential to get slapped around while the other feels no effects at all. to me, people who cannot keep promises are people who always put themselves first before anyone or anything else.


so after all this stream of consciousness, what the hell is my point? my points are:
1) i see things in black and white and have problems trusting people who are never on time.
2) if you don't think you can keep your word, then don't ever promise. it leads people on.