Sunday, November 2 at 2 a.m. once again we will be forced to turn our clocks
back to standard time. By most, the "fall back" of daylight saving time is the darling in this twice a year procedure, where the dreaded “spring forward”is always looming around the wintery corner to steal it's hour back.
What if we didn’t “fall “out of daylight saving time?
What would happen if we kept our clocks just how they are?
There are movements out there to do just that, end daylight saving time, or
staying on a
permanent daylight saving time like Arizona, Hawaii and the like. While supporters
argue for the intention of it’s validity and they bolster about its attributes,
ranging from saving energy via lighting to having more daylight for outdoor
activities.
The internet is inundated with articles illustrating the
history of DST and the logic behind its inception with Ben Franklin wanting to
save candles to its application in WWI and WWII attempting to conserve
resources. But we no longer need burn
candles for light and longer days shift energy consumption to people turning on
their air conditioning instead of a light.
While studies have shown several negative
effects on an individual’s cognitive and emotional wellbeing disrupting the
body clock and there is an increase in heart attacks and car crashes. We still
go through this ritual of resetting our clocks twice a year forcing our natural
state to align with this arbitrary standard of time keeping.
Farmers have always been staunch opponents of the daylight
saving time and oddly they are the group of people that most believe we adopted
the DST for, which is much the opposite.
So why do we still have daylight saving time? Who does it
benefit?
The economy! Of course!
With more daylight house you can shop more,
or golf more. It appears golf and barbecue weigh heavy, as well
as the Chamber of Commerce on behalf of small businesses lobby to keep daylight
saving time.
Here in Texas, HB 150 was an attempt to abolish DST and have a straight standard time, but failed to do so. There
was HB
363 which would set up a task force to conduct studies on the efficacy of
continuing with daylight savings time, and it has not come up for a vote as of
yet.
The debated conversation is definitely taking place with momentum growing in the movement to abolish daylight savings time all together.
Personally I think we should find a permanent standard time
and stick with it. Arizona and Hawaii already have a single time and never switch. Maybe we could find one that fits more of the
natural rhythm of the environment and our human needs, which have changed
drastically since daylight savings time was first implemented. We need a standard that is updated and congruent with the evolution of our lives today.
According to my fellow Colleagues blog, Toes on the Nose, Eye on the Prize, they write that Daylight Savings time isn't really saving anybody anything, for it's only still around for the ever important economy. As someone who doesn't really pay attention to it due to modern phones automatically adapting to time changes, this article got me thinking, and I realized that I experience a harder time sleeping during this time of the year, so I absolutely agree with their view. Thankfully due to electricity, and our accessibility to light, we shouldn't put our bodies through unhealthy and unnecessary changes.
ReplyDeleteIn their post, they write that other states, Arizona and Hawaii, have already abolished Daylight Savings Time, so why haven't we? I understand that it's hard to change something that has been apart of society for decades of years, but we, the United States citizens and Government, need to adapt to the times. Arizona and Hawaii have already realized and come to terms with this unneeded change due to modern advancements, and it's time everyone follows. In the post it states, "Farmers have always been staunch opponents of the daylight saving time and oddly they are the group of people that most believe we adopted the DST for." This is an interesting point because I could understand if the modern day farmers of the 21st century have adapted to this change, for it would be hard going backwards, but they haven't. In fact, they oppose it, and these farmers are growing and producing our food. In my opinion, I think we should do anything that would make these people's lives easier. Especially a mundane time change that many people don't even pay attention to nor do they know the reason for it.
All in all, I agree with my colleagues points and opinions. Daylight Savings Time is just another pre-historic custom that American's haven't tossed out yet. I'm sure that life will go one just as it has for centuries if we don't get that extra hour of sleep.