As To Light

Sunday, November 17, 2024

The recent one-hour fall-back time change still confuses me. It’s about the light, stupid! There’s little daylight as I’m leaving my part-time job in the afternoons around four o’clock, and it’s dead-dark as I’m feeding my horses around five-thirty. Making matters worse, I sense it’s bedtime around seven o’clock.

None of that’s new; sudden light changes have happened again and again, year after year. I anticipate being equally confused about changing light months from now when we spring ahead. It’s a syndrome of “light angst” caused by manufactured conditions.

When did time-changing start?

It’s about daylight savings time (DST), turning back the clocks, first occurring in the U.S. in 1918, during World War I. The objective of extending daylight was to aid combat efforts. DST was repealed soon after that War, but revived during World War II and continued since.

Why do time changes continue?

Extending daylight into the evening theoretically reduces the need for artificial lighting and saves energy. Maximizing daylight hours was considered beneficial for productivity and military operations during wartime. Some arguments for extending daylight are how it assists with energy conservation, wartime efforts, economic benefits, and public safety.

Those favoring DST claim that extended daylight hours boost retail sales and outdoor recreational industries. Others claim that longer outdoor visibility reduces traffic accidents and crime rates.

In the continuing debate, what’s happening now?

DST is controversial, with ongoing debates about its benefits and drawbacks. Some (including me) argue that it disrupts sleep patterns and causes confusion. Some say those factors negatively impact health. Several American States have abolished DST, but most others continue to use it.

Aside from ongoing mega-talking, nothing indicates a reasonably soon ending to our semi-annual clock turnings.

Dear Friends: Anyway, earlier daylight lets me be outside now, feeding my horses. Diana