Tardiness is often a compromise between our conflicting desires to be there and to not be there. So we come late as a compromise.
Common example: Davening. We want to daven. We feel obligated to daven. But we would often rather be doing something else. It is a burden. Compromise? Show up for Shachris 2 minutes before ברכו. Then we take the "express" to שמונה עשרה as opposed to when we come on time for davening and have to take the "local".
Years ago, a Talmid Chochom stayed with me at my parents apt. in the city. He was careful to go to shul something like 20 minutes before davening b/c davening was fast and he wanted to start early in order to daven w/ kavana.
בינו נא זאת.
