According to recent research by American social psychologist Robert Levine (See his fascinating book A Geography of Time), Indonesia ranks as one of the most relaxed countries in the world with regard to time (second only to Mexico). Bali, indeed, is no exception.
Renowned the world over for its relaxed attitude to the clock, ‘Bali-time’ is ultra-flexible and tardiness is not seen as a ‘moral crime’, as it is in much of the Western clock-obsessed world. The phrase ‘rubber time’ is a literal translation of the Indonesian ‘jam karet’, meaning that things in life are supposed to happen in a very relaxed fashion. This is why, for the ‘time-is-money’ Westerner, the Balinese just seem to cruise along in their day-to-day lives.
This is not to say that Balinese are generally lazy – they just don’t place a huge emphasis on being governed by the clock. In fact, in Bali, it is considered rude for a person to put pressure on another to meet a time constraint. The Balinese are very social people and are usually keen for a bit of a chat, even in a situation where others may feel under pressure.
This is why you will find that Balinese are seldom punctual. The interesting thing is that people who are familiar with time and time devices, such as young people and business people, are invariably super-late; and older people who have never worn a watch often turn up way early for things.
Compared with the West, it is quite acceptable to be an hour late for an appointment, or to say to someone that you’ll come and visit them ‘besok’ (tomorrow), meaning any time in the not-too-distant future.
If you live in Bali, you’ll soon learn to slow down and accept that while things don’t happen as quickly as they do back home, they do happen – all in good time, that is…
