re: Is timeliness no longer valued at all?

I think it's more of a generational thing due to cell phones. For those of us who entered adulthood before cell phones and instant wireless communication, you made plans with people to meet at certain places and times, and if you were late or didn't show up, it was considered extremely rude and could permanently damage relationships. Now, with the ability to give someone a quick heads up that you can't make it to the event/activity, people have an out. They can make up any little excuse and text it to you. Prior, if you had agreed to be somewhere at a certain, you pretty much had to make a best effort or have a really good excuse to provide later.