Published in the Westchester Guardian, March 2014
Dear reader, every year we lose an hour sleep from our valuable weekends and it’s miserable. Do you remember when we turned the clocks back for one hour that Saturday evening, November 2nd? It was a nice feeling knowing I would be getting an extra hour of sleep. Like finding $20 in your pocket. So why limit such an experience? Why not set the clocks back one hour every Saturday night. Think of the potential unleashed: the economic, social, and health benefits, (both physical and psychological) and don’t forget the religious and the spiritual gains as well. Of course we can’t do this for the entire year, just for 24 weeks, a complete cycle, in time for the delights of April Showers. Let’s begin by examining closely this annual event.
Finding the Right Words to Describe Changing the Time.
A point of contention is its title. Is what we do every year called daylight savings time or is it daylight saving time or maybe its daylight-saving time? The first has savings as an adjective and states we’re saving more than one daylight like having more than one savings. But what are you actually saving – daylight or time? Can you save time multiple times when you’re talking about one block of future time – an hour? And are you saving daylight only once when you initially move the clocks back once, but time and daylight keeps moving forward, so how can you save something that’s intangible, nonphysical but real and moving and can’t be touched, tasted or smelled. It’s there and you have no influence over it. Now, you’re not even sure what is time nor what time is it?
The second phrase has saving daylight, but you’re not really “saving” daylight, just moving it around a little. Also, is time being referred to as not as in hours but as in ‘the time to feed the cat’, an action word, therefore it is a moment that passes after you changed the clock or fed the cat, so for the next six months, daylight saving time is just the wrong words. It’s like saying every moment is an action – cat feeding time. So therefore, time is both a constant moment and a singular action moment like when Einstein stated that time (or light) is both a particle and a wave, two separate things functioning as one, where each piece can be more than one, therefore multiple particles and waves or only one wave or particle or particles behaving like a wave but yet really a wave? Or maybe it’s like the Trinity three in one – but separate, together, equal but different, but also united and individually distinct which after 2,000 years of human wisdom and knowledge, it’s still not any clearer except that more people are aware of the fact that we don’t know what we don’t know and we may need another 2,000 years to ask the right question with words that haven’t been invented yet. (Can words be invented-they’re intangible not physical. Like an idea, or knowledge are they invented?). Let’s just call it Daylight Time.
The last phrase, daylight-saving time is related to the weapon used in daylight known as a (day) light-saber.
The Economics of Daylight Time
Now it’s time to review the positive aspects of improving daylight time for our newly relabeled “Stretched out Saturdays”. (We have Hump Wednesdays and Dress Down Fridays, so why not?)
Productivity needs consumption and consumptions needs time. They are equals having a co-dependent relationship – again, like the Trinity. More time, more production. All three need the others to satisfy their goals. Time is a constraint, but the less you do the slower the time travels. But, the more free time a person has, the more likely they will spend money. Consumption increases, but it needs the production of consumer goods and the time to produce them and consumption needs time to consume. One feeds the other, creating jobs and putting currency into the market place giving all concerned the one thing we do not have enough of – time, which means money which we do control, but never seem to have enough of to purchase more to consume more as time moves faster.
Would it not be great to spend that extra hour hanging out, shopping with friends and family? Think of the economic boost to clubs, bars, movie theaters, restaurants as there’s more time for more people to spend. Clubs will be serving more, consumption increases while creating wealth (tips), followed by an increase in production and manufacturing of alcohol, soda, ice, green olives and liquor bottles. Someone has to make more labels and don’t forget those little plastic straws. Increase in production means more jobs and more revenue, more money to spend.
If you’re not a drinker, like me, bowling alleys and movies will be open later. Diners will be serving more people more pickles, meaning more consumption, more production. And don’t forget the bingo halls – another round/game of round robin. – again more tea, coffee and snacks sold – with the knowledge that one more game will be no problem with that one hour of extra sleep.(Also, expect an increase in births as more couples find more consistent alone time. Consumption brings production. Boosting the economy, again.)
I’m sure our religious leaders are tired of seeing members of their congregations dozing off in Church. (You really can see a lot from that pulpit, especially those heads bobbing up and down.) It means that more parishioners will be more refreshed. Choirs will sing better. The collection plates fuller. The pews fuller.
The Mechanics of Changing Back the Clocks
I finally found a way to adjust all the clocks in one swift move. You know it’s very annoying trying to adjust the microwave clock, the stove clock, the VCR clock, the cable box clock, the kitchen clock and the thermostat clock. Then there’s the cell phone clock, the car clock, the wrist clock (watch), the alarm clock and the radio clock. And maybe the lap top clock, the desktop clock, the I-pad clock and the kindle clock. That’s a lot of manuals to read. The only clock to adjust that doesn’t need a manual is my kitchen clock – but of course that’s the only clock that needs a ladder. That’s a lot of clocks, stress and loss of the sleep you wanted to get in the first place. My own method for this is simple – just shut off the main power switch for one hour and before you know it you’re ready for that much needed sleep.
#1097
Glenn Slaby Blog