Chapter #3
Reliability
Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future,
making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this humanly possible. –Hannah Arendt
Overheard in a bus depot in Tacoma: “My stupid friend never showed up, so now I have to find a bus to get home.” Reliability is an essential, yet often overlooked building block for solid relationships. There is something exceptionally comforting about being with others who are solid and reliable. You say what you are willing to do and you do it. I can count on you. I say what I am willing to do and I do it. You can count on me. Yet we continue to tolerate the friend who is chronically late, excuse the supplier who repeatedly fails to deliver, or forgive the errant spouse who is late for dinner — once again. Lack of reliability can cause a minor inconvenience, ruin a perfectly good vacation or, in some cases, cause serious psychological damage.
