{"id":1883,"date":"2017-11-06T04:19:56","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T04:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=1883"},"modified":"2025-04-10T14:06:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:06:51","slug":"daylight-saving-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/daylight-saving-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Daylight Saving Time: A Modest Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Daylight_saving_time\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20171019ff\/20171105-800px-DST_Countries_Map-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps I should remember my station, and be respectfully silent before the weekend&#8217;s mighty display of power and glory.<\/p>\n<p>I am, after all, but one of those who live neither in the Northeast megalopolis nor the shining lands of San Francisco and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"daylight\"><\/a>Daylight Saving Time \u2014 Again \u2014 Still<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/humility-isnt-being-delusional\/#umbleness\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20160730-UriahHeep-Fred_Barnard07-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Enough of that &#8216;umble posturing.<\/p>\n<p>If you live in America, there&#8217;s a pretty good chance that you remembered to set your clock back an hour during the weekend. We&#8217;ve gone through this routine every year for \u2014 too long, I think.<\/p>\n<p>This is where I usually start talking about when this nonsense started, why we did it, and why it&#8217;s still a twice-yearly ritual.<\/p>\n<p>Oddly enough, it&#8217;s not a spiritual discipline. Not as far as I can tell.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe some folks yank their schedules around to attain enlightenment, achieve oneness with the universe, or inflict pain and suffering on themselves because they&#8217;re into that sort of thing.<\/p>\n<p>But that&#8217;s not the official reason here, and I&#8217;ve yet to meet someone who enjoys self-inflicted jet lag.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it&#8217;s a big world. And some folks are strange, even by my standards.<\/p>\n<p>If your life just simply won&#8217;t be complete unless you read what assorted government agencies say is going on, or read a Wikipedia page or two, here&#8217;s a short list:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>United States of America Federal Government\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nist.gov\/pml\/time-and-frequency-division\/popular-links\/daylight-saving-time-dst\">Daylight Saving Time Rules<\/a><br \/>\nTime and Frequency Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, NIST<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25332784\">Daylight savings time and myocardial infarction.<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nSandhu A, Seth M, Gurm HS; Open Heart (March 28, 2014) via PubMed, NCBI<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/energy.gov\/articles\/top-8-things-you-didn-t-know-about-daylight-saving-time\">Top 8 Things You Didn\u2019t Know About Daylight Saving Time<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nDepartment of Energy (March 6, 2014)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Daylight_saving_time\">Daylight saving time<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Myocardial_infarction\">Myocardial infarction<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Open Heart paper in PubMed&#8217;s online resource may be the most interesting of the lot.<\/p>\n<p>The odds are pretty good that you didn&#8217;t enjoy the benefits of a DST-induced acute myocardial infarction last spring.<\/p>\n<p>My guess is that we&#8217;re not absolutely, positively sure that the DST jump causes the increase in acute myocardial infarction.<\/p>\n<p>Pinning down the exact metabolic, neurological, and probably psychological and behavioral causes is another set of tasks. I suspect that there must be an iron-clad case before national leaders will consider changing this hallowed custom.<\/p>\n<p>Myocardial infarction is geek-speak for heart attack. Despite the scary name, quite a few folks merely experience pain, nausea, and the occasional loss of consciousness. Long-term consequences can be another matter.<\/p>\n<p>The heart often starts beating again, sometimes before parts of the brain die when the oxygen and nutrients supply runs out.<\/p>\n<p>Properly, or weirdly, considered, it&#8217;s an opportunity to skip work. Sometimes permanently.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"death\"><\/a>Death and Election Years<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/numbers-and-nero\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20161107-nq_c111231-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/death-in-las-vegas-and-life\/#human\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/782px-StillLifeWithASkull-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Philippe de Champaigne's 'Still-Life with a Skull', a vanitas painting. (c.\u20091671) left to right: life, death, and time.\" align=\"right\"><\/a>From that viewpoint, death is an even better outcome. No more Daylight Saving Time lunacy, no more election-time angst.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t see it that way, but I&#8217;ve learned to live in a sub-optimum society.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t like it, though, and think we could do better. I talk about that a lot.<\/p>\n<p>Some of humanity&#8217;s problems may take generations, centuries, to sort out.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m pretty sure that Daylight Saving time can be ended pretty fast. The trick will be figuring out what our leaders think they&#8217;re doing, and strongly suggest that they stop tormenting us with this particular nonsense.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, I read somewhere that having our sleeping schedules yanked around twice a year saves energy. That could be, and saving energy, no matter what the cost, is a belief ardently held in some circles.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe Daylight Saving Time is all that stands between us and global famine.<\/p>\n<p>It may be even worse. Perhaps ending DST will kill all the cute critters, and cause the seas to rise until Mount Rushmore&#8217;s George Washington sinks beneath the waves.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m guessing &#8220;not.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m pretty sure that the slight reduction in heart attack rates after the fall DST switch doesn&#8217;t really balance out spring&#8217;s increase.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/death-in-las-vegas-and-life\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/201508ff\/20151030-800px-Pieter_Claesz_002b-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Of course, I&#8217;m a mere layman.<\/p>\n<p>I think avoiding the spring increase in disability and death is a good idea.<\/p>\n<p>Even if it&#8217;s just half the year that we&#8217;re at higher risk. Maybe I&#8217;m missing some subtle point.<\/p>\n<p>But I don&#8217;t think so. Death is pretty unsubtle.<\/p>\n<p>On the &#8216;up&#8217; side, those of us who can&#8217;t afford those annual jaunts to Aspen or Cannes get to experience jet lag twice a year.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;d be a nifty campaign slogan, maybe. &#8220;Jet lag to the masses.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It even makes sense, almost.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"daylight2\"><\/a>Daylight Saving Time: How SADIST Could Make it Worse<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/raving-politics\/#outrage\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170908ff\/20161107-Edison-block-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Now, my modest proposal; something I first suggested in spring of 2007. I figure it&#8217;s time to run this up the flagpole again.<\/p>\n<p>With any luck, someone will think I&#8217;m serious \u2014 and suggest something that makes more sense. Like dropping DST.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, some other countries have their own versions. But I suspect &#8216;everyone&#8217;s doing it&#8217; isn&#8217;t a particularly good excuse.<\/p>\n<p>Enough preamble. Here it is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Three more ways that changing the clock (and, while we&#8217;re at it, the calendar) that could CHANGE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Set clocks back 12 hours during August.<\/strong> Keeping people quiet during the day could save enormous amounts of energy that would otherwise be wasted on air conditioning stores and offices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Set clocks back ten hours and forty minutes at noon on April 15.<\/strong> This 10:40 time shift would remind those who wait until the last minute to file tax returns by the date.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;d also give them more than a full business-day&#8217;s-worth of additional time to get their forms in.<\/p>\n<p>Ten hours and forty minutes is a large time shift, so clocks should be set forward one hour and twenty minutes at 2:00 a.m. \u2014 For eight days \u2014 April 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.<\/p>\n<p>The reason should be obvious: to minimize psychological stress.<\/p>\n<p>Although this stress-relieving measure might not save significant amounts of energy, the psychological effects could make a significant difference in quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Quality of life&#8221; is such a nifty-sounding phrase: you <strong>know<\/strong> it&#8217;s gotta be a good idea<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Finally, replace the evening of December 31 with Substance Abuse and Drug Interaction Study Time.<\/strong> The acronym should be easy to remember: <strong>SADIST.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"sadist\"><\/a>SADIST: If At First You don&#8217;t Succeed, Threaten<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/temperance-catholic-style\/#getting\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160505ff\/20160707-The_Drunkards_Progress_-_Color-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Instead of over-indulging during New Year&#8217;s Eve parties, citizens would be encouraged to learn about substance abuse, dangers of mixing prescription drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>This should reduce deaths in drunk-driving accidents, alleviate the need for expensive security measures in places like New York&#8217;s Times Square, and promote sober, healthy lifestyles among the general public.<\/p>\n<p>And if you don&#8217;t agree, SADIST activists could say that those who oppose them promote drunkenness, debauchery, and delinquency. Or say they&#8217;re drug pushers.<\/p>\n<p>Or terrorists bent on killing billions on New Year&#8217;s Eve.<\/p>\n<p>Never mind that there are fewer than eight billion folks living on the planet, most of us nowhere near New York City.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"politics\"><\/a>Politics: It Could be Better, But It&#8217;s Been Worse<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/taking-god-seriously\/#paine\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170721ff\/20170819-800px-La_fournee_des_Girondins_10-11-1793-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/using-vaccines-wisely\/#america\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170721ff\/20170718-355px-Unholy_three-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>I&#8217;ve gotten the impression that logic has very little to do with politics, and even less with real-world analogs to SADIST.<\/p>\n<p>Can&#8217;t say that I blame folks running the show for using raw emotion and discouraging logic.<\/p>\n<p>Encouraging the masses to start thinking might \u2014 \u2014 \u2014 actually, I think that&#8217;d be a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>It might disrupt &#8216;business as usual.&#8217; I think that could be a very good thing indeed.<\/p>\n<p>The status quo isn&#8217;t particularly peachy these days. I think a growing number of Americans are realizing that.<\/p>\n<p>Experience suggests that hard times aren&#8217;t nearly as bad for folks, in our hearts, as &#8216;good times&#8217; like the late 1940s and 1950s.<\/p>\n<p>I like being an American, mostly, but realize that this isn&#8217;t a perfect country.<\/p>\n<p>Wasn&#8217;t in my youth, either. What we&#8217;ve got now is, in some ways, an improvement.<\/p>\n<p>You see, I <strong>remember<\/strong> the &#8216;good old days.&#8217; And am glad they&#8217;re gone. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/taking-god-seriously\/#looking\">August 20, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Getting back to SADIST and irrational appeals, be honest: if you follow political news, you&#8217;ve run across something that&#8217;s pretty much as sensible as SADIST.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not just &#8216;those people.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve still got a few politically-inclined folks in my social media feeds, on several sides. Some of them get pretty vehement. To be polite.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s nothing new.<\/p>\n<p>But it&#8217;s no incentive for me to wade into that particular sewage lagoon.<\/p>\n<p>Then there&#8217;s the French Revolution&#8217;s calendar, and that&#8217;s another topic, for another day.<\/p>\n<p>More, mostly how I see life and death, health, pleasure and moderation, and getting a grip:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/anxiety-optional\/\">Anxiety Optional<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(October 8, 2017)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/raving-politics\/\">&#8220;Raving Politics&#8221;<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(September 17, 2017)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/using-vaccines-wisely\/\">Using Vaccines Wisely<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(July 21, 2017)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/alchemy-science-life-and-health\/\">Alchemy, Science, Life, and Health<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(October 16, 2016)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/temperance-catholic-style\/\">Temperance, Catholic Style<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(July 10, 2016)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Perhaps I should remember my station, and be respectfully silent before the weekend&#8217;s mighty display of power and glory. I am, after all, but one of those who live neither in the Northeast megalopolis nor the shining lands of San &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/daylight-saving-time\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[212],"tags":[16,82,7,8,34,11],"class_list":["post-1883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-a-citizen","tag-america","tag-death","tag-getting-a-grip","tag-health","tag-politics","tag-temperance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-un","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1883"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9059,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883\/revisions\/9059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}