Excuse me for sounding a little Andy Rooney or whatever, but people don't keep their promises anymore. It's just too easy to send an email or text at the last minute and never have to look you in the eyes and spit out their crappy made-up excuse. People treat work meetings and dinner with a friend with the same lack of respect because everyone else does it, and it's easy to be fickle and flakey. There was once a time when, if you made plans with someone and didn't show up, there was no way to alert that person. You couldn't send a quick 140 character message 20 minutes before your rendez-vous at the movies, because they would never get it and end up waiting half an hour before giving up or calling the police. They would worry where you were. They would be concerned for your well-being.
Now, if you want to cancel, you don't even have to elaborate. You can just say that something came up last minute, and the other person can't question your motives, or even be upset. It's completely acceptable to text someone, knowing they are already on the subway to meet you, with "emergency at work! so srry, can't make it!!"
I understand we live in a society where people are constantly connected and therefor constantly bombarded with demands and requests from every corner. I know emergencies do happen, and I know I've done it too. But can we all maybe just try to respect one another's time a little better?
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