Daylight Saving Time . . . Sucks

Someone told me that Daylight Saving Time was a prank pulled by a bunch of farmers in 1918 to punish city dwellers for gloating about their indoor toilets.  Someone else told me it had something to do with train schedules in Europe.  Another person told me it was just plain stupid . . . and, I have to agree.  It is plain ol’ stupid.

I kind of think of myself as a logical and educated individual.  I understand that there are 24 hours in a day . . . that never changes . . . 24 hours is 24 hours.  But we are told that we are getting more day with daylight saving time . . . and yet, the reality of the situation is that we are not.  Nothing changes except this mind game we play with ourselves.  We just think that we are.

This perception of time . . . a time shift with the clock . . . actually messes up everyone.  It is an evil plot that we will all feel tomorrow morning.  We will shock our brains, bodies and souls by hauling ourselves out of bed an hour earlier than they are prepared for.  Every March we put ourselves through the same thing.  It is a Twilight Zone situation where the clocks say 6:00AM, but our bodies and mind know that it is really 5:00AM!  It is a cruel hoax!

I almost bought into the hoax once . . . but it didn’t quite make sense.  For example, I got a little concerned about babies born during Daylight Saving Time . . . what happens to them if they live a full life but die when it isn’t Daylight Saving Time?  Did they actually live an hour less than they originally thought?  Or what if they were born when there was no Daylight Saving Time and then died when it was Daylight Saving Time . . . did they live an hour longer than they really did?  Hey!  If we think that we are getting a longer day because we set our clocks ahead an hour before going to bed once a year, then how is my reasoning any different?  Did you ever think about that?

I have heard that the reason for this time change is because farmers and ranchers wanted more daylight in which to work.  I’d buy that but most of the farmers and ranchers I know and have known get to work before the sun rises whether there is a time change or not.  They realize that they have more work than there is daylight for no matter what the clock says.  They also tell me not to blame them for this government policy.

I was told that it was so that the children could go to school when the sun is out . . . so, why do we wait until springtime to make the change?  Why do we send kids to school all winter long when it is dark and then take them home after the sun sets?  The schools say don’t blame them.

All I know is that this is typically the most popular worship service of the year at most churches as everyone usually shows up just as the service is winding down.  Missed the main event, but made it for the coffee fellowship . . . how much better can religion get than that!  Happens every year, and research shows that it ranks up there with the Sermon on the Mount for popularity.

So . . . who do we blame?  I guess the government gets credit for this one.  For whatever reason the government made this choice oh so long ago, it was a choice that was forced upon all of us.  Well, I take that back . . . Hawaii and Arizona do not observe Daylight Saving Time.  Seems they have a little common sense where the rest of us blindly follow what our government tells us to do in order to have more daylight.  Changing the time on the clock does not create more daylight . . . it is an illusion . . . a crummy one at that!

I guess I shouldn’t complain . . . the wife says that I get up before the butt crack of dawn . . . and, I do.  I enjoy getting up before the day is inundated with the noise and activity of people.  I enjoy the quietness of that time of the day . . . it is the best time of the day.  I doubt if Daylight Saving Time messes me up too much . . . except I was born during Daylight Saving Time and I worry about dying during those months where we do not have Daylight Saving Time . . . I’d get screwed out of an hour of life . . . or, would I?  This time change really sucks!  And, imagine, it was just because some farmers were upset that they didn’t have indoor plumbing!