Indifference to keeping time is not peculiarly Dominican or Caribbean. It is a tendency in many cultures. We did not invent manyana. But the world seems to think there is something called West Indian time, which normally causes us to be there anywhere from half an hour to three hours late for anything. We can get away with not doing sufficient research, we can get away with not doing our best.
Time has value which can be measured in money terms.
Most importantly, time is one of life's most precious gifts, a resource which once used or misused cannot be reclaimed. There is nothing as lost as the minute just passed. This will be a year of many new resolutions. It should be a year of introspection, reflection and determination to change. The countdown to the new millenium should count for something, other than a spirit of festivity, which we already enjoy all the time.