在外人看来，美国人似乎受制于时钟。其他文化背景的人则更看重人际关系而非时间表。在这些社会中，人们不会设法去控制时间，而是去感受认识它。举例来说， 很多东方文化把时间视为一个周期。从季节的更替到每月月亮圆缺的变化，这些大自然的节奏形成了他们对事物的看法。人们学会去因应环境的变化，因此他们比美 国人更易“顺应潮流”，而美国人则喜欢将计划固定好不要更动。
To outsiders, Americans seem tied to the clock. People in other cultures value relationships more than schedules. In these societies, people don’t try to control time, but to experience it. Many Eastern cultures, for example, view time as a cycle. The rhythm of nature from the passing of the seasons to the monthly cycle of the moon shapes their view of events. People learn to respond to their environment. As a result, they find it easier to “go with the flow” than Americans, who like plans to be fixed and unchangeable.
(Source: wwenglish.com)