Time: North Torbia

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Time in North Torbia is treated significantly differently than other countries. Simply put, time in North Torbia is rigid and strict; much like the leadership of the country. One does not arrive late for anything, whether that be a business meeting or catching a bus. The shame and repercussions of tardiness are severe. North Torbia currently sits within its own Time Zone after it decided to return to its historical zone of GMT + 8.5 to commemorate the anniversary of their “liberation.” South Torbia currently sits at GMT +8.0.

Key Dates, Time Periods, or Events

To be published

Routine, Cyclical Key Dates

Traditional Wedding Season

The North Torbian wedding weason is primarily determined by three things: weather, agricultural cycles, and proximity to major holidays. Most couples prefer to get married in the cooler months of the year (November–February), but the presence of four national holidays during this time period limits use of the first two months. The majority of the populace are also engaged in agricultural pursuits, so wedding dates rarely fall during planting or harvest periods. As a result, weddings usually occur from late January through February, with locally-based gaps due to agriculture activities.

National and Religious Holidays

Being an officially atheist country, North Torbia does not celebrate any religious holidays. It does, however, celebrate key dates in the lives of its leader and his forefathers. Maximum participation is expected from all personnel on these occasions, with gifts expected for the leader from all. These gifts often cost many weeks’ wages and rarely make their way to the leader, instead being siphoned off by officials. 

Date	Holiday
1 Jan	New Years
2 Jan	People’s Day
3 Mar	Song Yang-Hwan Birthday
8 Mar	International Women’s Day
30 Apr	Song Chong-Su Birthday
1 May	May Day
7 Jul	Song Yang-Hwan Ascension (Death)
14 Sep	Liberation Day
22 Nov	Song Chong-Su Celebration Day (Coronation)
7 Dec	Song Ji-Hoon Birthday
23 Dec	Song Ji-Hoon Ascension (Death)
31 Dec	New Year’s Eve

Harvest Cycles

Agricultural cycles in North Torbia are primarily determined by regional climate and the crop in question. Some crops, such as pineapple, are grown and harvested year-round; others—e.g., rice, corn, and sugarcane—follow distinct cycles. There are usually two crops per year for rice and corn: one in the wet season, and one in the dry season. If a region’s wet season is long enough, farmers may be able to plant and harvest two successive crops during this season instead of just one. Sugarcane is harvested only once per year: during the cool part of the dry season. (For additional information on North Torbia’s agriculture and seasons, see the Physical Environment variable.)

Elections

Elections for the President and members of the Torbian People’s Assembly take place every five years, while local official elections occur on a four-year cycle.

Cultural Perception of Time

Prior to the rise of the Song family in North Torbia, most of its residents were Buddhist and had the same view of time as South Torbians. With the advent of North Torbian communism, the country’s new leaders took advantage of the monochronic elements (performing tasks in sequence) of the historical Torbian viewpoint and focused on them while suppressing Buddhism and the complementary cyclic view of time. Slogans such as “Time is like food: too little weakens a person; too much makes him lazy,” and “There are only 24 hours in a day; use them all for the glory of Song Yang-Hwan and North Torbia,” helped this social transformation, as did the brutality inflicted by the regime on nonconformists. The result is a very strict interpretation of time, to which North Torbians adhere to for fear of the consequences of doing otherwise.

North Torbians carefully plan their day and then follow their determined schedules precisely. Both tardiness and early arrival are shunned, to the point where one will see people standing outside a building waiting for the exact moment when it is acceptable to enter and begin the scheduled activity. All activities have a starting and an ending time, and both are strictly adhered to. Public transportation runs on time, and all businesses open and close at the stated hour. North Torbian meetings neither start early nor run late; they begin—and end—exactly on time. Agendas with time allotments are always provided in advance and are followed to the minute.

Tactical Exploitation of Time

North Torbian Perception of Time

The North Torbian emphasis on spending every wisely minute leads to a very careful but mediocre use of time. As no flexibility is allowed in scheduling, a middle-of-the-road approach is taken for determining the amount of time needed for a particular activity. If the actual time needed is below that, the activity is stretched to fill the allotted minutes; if more is needed, the activity is either compressed or truncated. Thus it is common for time that could have been used on the latter to be wasted on the former; to do otherwise would be to admit an error of judgement.

The North Torbian military is subject to the same rigid scheduling as the rest of the populace. Each activity is planned to the minute, whether it be food preparation for an army platoon’s meal or movement of a motorized infantry division over the Cordillera Central Mountains. This lack of flexibility regarding time has a corresponding effect on all military activities: any deviations call into question the judgement of the officer who did the planning. The consequences of this flow downhill, with each successive layer of personnel receiving a greater punishment. More than once, rank-and-file soldiers have been shot due to something as simple—and uncontrollable—as a flat tire on a vehicle during a military exercise. This only compounds each military member’s attempts to inflate timelines in order to—sometimes literally—buy themselves breathing room.

US Perception of Time

US military members, used to a certain amount of timeline flexibility, may have trouble adjusting to the extreme rigidness of the North Torbian view of time. US personnel should expect any scheduled interactions to follow the published agenda regardless of any actual progress, or lack thereof, during the event. This inflexibility regarding time is a significant weakness in the North Torbian military, as careful observation by outside forces can uncover timelines embedded in military maneuvers. Aware of this, North Torbian military leaders will often perform night maneuvers and add in “wait periods” as a deception method to throw off any parties that may be observing and taking note of their activities.

Summary

The North Torbian view of time is as strict as the country’s leaders. Rigid and inflexible, all activities follow a carefully-planned schedule. This extends to both public and private life and leads to a mediocre utilization of time. Military planning is no exception, creating a major weakness in the country’s defense. US personnel can use this to their advantage, but must be aware of North Torbian deception techniques designed to compensate for this issue.