I know what it feels like to wait for someone who said they’d come at a certain time. The hour arrives. Then passes. You sit there thinking — are they coming? When? The time feels wasted, and something quietly weighs on you. Such a small thing, really.
But Mokichi Okada said that this — something as simple as keeping to a set time — is where a person’s sincerity shows itself. When I read that, I thought: yes, exactly.
Since then, I’ve made a point of being on time, as much as I possibly can.
Think about the last time someone kept you waiting. You were ready. You were counting on them. And they didn’t show up on time. It sounds like a small thing. But a Japanese thinker named Mokichi Okada said it reveals something important — about who we really are.
The Simplest Test of Character
Okada believed there was an easy way to tell whether a person is truly sincere: watch whether they keep their promises. Not just big promises. Small ones too. And especially — time.
Why Being Late Is More Serious Than You Think
When you make an appointment and don’t keep it, Okada wrote, you are deceiving the other person. And deception, however small, is a form of dishonesty. He was particularly firm about time. When someone is waiting for you, they are putting their trust in you. They are sitting there — anxious, uncomfortable, unable to move on. That quiet suffering is real. There is an old Japanese saying: “Better to be kept waiting than to keep others waiting.” Okada pointed to this as a reflection of genuine care for others. If you cannot feel that — if the thought of someone waiting for you doesn’t move you — then something is missing. That something is sincerity.
Small Moments Reveal Who We Are
Okada’s message was simple: sincerity doesn’t show itself in grand gestures. It shows up in ordinary moments — in whether you show up when you said you would, in whether you respect other people’s time. A person can appear kind, generous, and thoughtful in big ways. But if they consistently break small promises, something essential is missing. True character, Okada believed, is built one kept promise at a time.
Who Was Mokichi Okada?
Mokichi Okada (1882–1955) was a Japanese thinker and writer who believed that how we treat others in daily life reflects our deepest values. His writings cover topics from farming and health to art and human relationships.
Read the Original
This is a short introduction. The full text — written by Okada in Japanese in 1950 — is available on meshiya.jp.
👉 誠の有るなし（meshiya.jp）
