Punctuality is important to me, but not so important that I arrive ridiculously early to every place I need to be. I am rarely late, however, because I make sure I always know what time it is.
To ensure that I always have access to the current time, I have a number of watches, and a bunch of clocks around the house.
This morning I needed to get out the door by 3:30 AM (my departure time varies from morning to morning depending on the location of my first big rig run). When my alarm clock began to dance, I turned off the bells, glanced at the 2:30 AM digital numbers, and headed for the shower. When I got out of the shower, I took a look at my watch sitting on the edge of the bathroom sink to ensure I was still on schedule. That particular watch is usually three minutes fast, and I know this, so I adjusted the time in my head to reflect the true time, not the time on the watch. It didn't matter that the watch said the time to be different than what I knew it to be, the truth was what was important, despite the watch's claims of the time being otherwise.
After towel-drying my hair and running the brush through my hair, I headed back into the bedroom to retrieve my clothing. I glanced at the digital clock on my end-table. It is pretty close to the accurate time, so I made no adjustments in my head. I have always secretly believed the clock to be a minute slow, but I have never challenged my hypothesis, so I never assume that clock's time to be the Gospel-truth.
The watch I wear to work is different than the one I had lain on the bathroom sink and normally wear around the house. No matter how many times I set my work watch to the correct time, that watch always finds a way to work its way to five minutes fast. Why it does that, I don't know, but every once in a while, for the heck of it, I back it up to the correct time. Interestingly, once the banged up time piece achieves its journey to being five minutes fast, it settles in at that spot, and never goes on to becoming six minutes fast. It is almost like that particular watch is destined to be five minutes fast, and there is nothing I can do to it to change its mind. So, whenever I put on that watch, unless I have recently backed it up to the proper time, I adjust the time in my head back five minutes so that I may recognize what the actual true time is.
In the kitchen there is a clock on the stove, and it is never right. I never know if the kitchen clock is fast, slow, or in between. Everyone is always messing with it, and nobody ever adjusts it, except for me, especially after a power-outage. Sometimes I will go in there and it will be an hour off. I know it is not to be trusted, and I definitely don't know if it is fast or slow, or by how much it is off, most of the time. The truth is, I know that the clock is correct almost never. The time is rarely true, so I know not to trust it.
The clock in my office is fairly close to the true time, but I am usually not positive it is accurate. In fact, it may be a minute or so fast. I can never be sure because the wooden clock has no tic-marks for the minutes. So even if it says three after, I can't even be sure it says three after, because there are no minute lines to compare it to and be sure. So, I take an approximation, and figure it is probably about right, but I don't depend on it for the true time.
There are some clocks I can depend on in the house for true time. The clocks on the cable boxes are usually correct. The clock on my computer is almost always correct, as well. The time on my cell phone also usually reflects the true time. I depend on those items as my most accurate instruments of time. They are the time pieces that are always honest with me, giving me the exact time, the truth. Regardless of what the other clocks say, the devices set to the right time always show the true time.
It would not be wise for me to go around telling people, "Whatever time it is ought to be based on whatever time you think it is. If you think it's 2 o'clock, even though it's 1:30, for you it's 2 o'clock. Don't worry about it."
No, it's not okay. If you show up late to work, or can't keep a schedule, because the time is whatever you think it is, it is not going to work well for you. When it comes to time, there is an absolute. It's either 2 o'clock, or it's not. It is either 3:38 AM, or it's not.
People treat morality the same way. They have a whole bunch of different indicators of what morality ought to be, but deep down they know that those indicators are not accurate. They realize that these moral indicators and relative standards that are based on a humanistic worldview, or man's standards, are not correct. But, nonetheless, they convince themselves that these indicators strewn throughout the house of society are correct. Despite the fact that they know that a particular behavior is wrong all the time, or wrong if not used in moderation, they pull out a different clock and say, "Well this one says it is perfectly okay."
Humanity chooses the clock that says what they want it to say, not what the true time is.
As a believer in absolute God-given morality, I don't believe that I must legislate all aspects of morality. In some cases people should have the free will to choose the wrong thing. That is how we learn, sometimes. There are consequences for following the wrong clock, and being late to work as a result. It teaches us not to depend on that particular clock. The problem is, learning from the consequences of poor behavior, or immoral behavior, is not teaching people the truth anymore. They insist on following the wrong time on the wrong clock. Then, they lash out in anger at folks that hold up their watch, and tap their finger on the face of it, and say, "This is the correct time, my friend. I am sorry to say, you are following a bad watch with the wrong time on it."
Though I don't believe the laws should force people into all aspects of moral behavior, I don't believe someone should be chastised for being brave enough to point out that an immoral behavior is wrong, dangerous, and should not be acceptable.
Now, in today's society of pluralistic and relative moralities, for pointing out the correct time people are being accused of having a phobia of the wrong time. Or they are being accused of being unenlightened. The right time is the right time. If it is 2 o'clock, it is 2 o'clock, and no amount of argument, accusations, or anger is going to change it.
When it comes to that, I am absolutely sure of the truth.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
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