By Neal Wooten
I hate to use the word “hate” because I really hate that word, but I absolutely hate the entire premise of daylight savings time. Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea in 1784 to make the awake hours of warmer months last longer so people could conserve candles. Yes, candles. The last time I checked, we don’t use candles to light our homes anymore.
I was surprised years ago to learn that not everyone in the U.S. observes this ritual. But it’s even more amazing when you consider most of the rest of the world does not either. It’s basically just the U.S., Canada, and the western tip of Europe. There are many other countries who used to do it but gave it up a long time ago.
The lower chamber of Congress passed a law several years ago to end DST, but the Senate has refused to vote on it. I don’t understand. The majority of people want to end this practice, but our government won’t do it. Someone important is getting something out of it. I even read once it’s to make longer days in warm weather for golfing. Gosh, I hope that’s not the real reason.
Every year, when we “fall back,” the days get so short and keep getting shorter. Pretty soon, it will be getting dark at 4:30. Most people don’t even get off work that early. How depressing to get up and go to work in the dark and get off and come home in the dark.
I’m just glad my TV, phone, and computer adjust automatically. The clocks on the wall are easy to set. My little car has two buttons right under the clock that are marked with an “H” and an “M” so it’s easy to set the time on it as well. My truck must be set through the radio using the menu, and it takes a while to figure it out twice a year. So, I leave it alone, knowing it will be right again in six months.
As difficult as it is for me to get used to the time change, it is even worse for my dogs. I feed them every morning and every afternoon at 3:30. Then the problem is, 3:30 is now 2:30, which means they are getting fed an hour later. And believe me, dogs can tell time. When it gets to 2:40 now, which is ten minutes later than they’re used to being fed, all five of my dogs come and sit by my desk and stare at me.
Maybe one day humans will be smarter than dogs, but as we “fall back” yet again, we prove once more that we’re not.
