A friend yesterday reminded me that today is the day we are all suppose to turn our clocks forward for daylight savings time. This saves nothing and just who are they kidding? In point of fact when GW Bush extended the period of DST it actually cost this country more money. And put us out of sync for a few weeks fore and aft with the rest of the world. And now Canada has been forced to join us.
But originally clocks and standardized time were important for only two things: To keep trains from hitting each other and let ships at sea know where they were. Up till then most towns set their own time ergo the clock tower on at least one major building in a town.
I work so off the clock as it were that this time shift every spring and fall causes no end of problems. I and the fur kids get up by a biorhythms or internal clocks. We do our thing all day and then go to sleep when we are tired. I don't receive television or radio signals so I don't have to set my watch (I think I own one somewhere) for certain programs I don't want to miss. So what would happen if I just didn't reset all my clocks today? Just stayed on regular time as it were.
What if we all did?
Okay, big brother has enough control of our lives that all our computers will have their clocks reset. My cellphone will get some type of order over the airwaves and alter its time. But the other clocks -- 1) those that I use mostly to time how long to bake a pie or how long it takes to complete a certain task or set of exercises -- and 2) those clocks that are slipped into our life like it or not - on the range and on the coffee maker and on the microwave and VCR and telephone message machine and our cars -- why reset those?
And that latter group (except the car) are the ones without battery backup. The ones that have to be reset every single time the power winks or they blink annoyingly at you or in the case of the telephone talk to you, "Please set date and time." The first set matter only in elapsed time so who cares about the hour? I remember when I had only a watch and an alarm clock. Once, and not that long ago, a man that owned a pocket watch was considered very important and wealthy. So much so that there was a thriving business made in watch chains and fobs to dangle from the vest whether you had a watch for it or not.
How many time telling devices in your household? Be honest with yourself. We are counting watches and cell phones and clocks and computers and microwaves. Oh, and let's not forget the cars. And which are truly important to you? Are we slaves to time or slaves to the masters of time?
Let's see, how many? Two computers, one VCR, clock radio, microwave, coffeemaker, 5 decorative clocks, cell phone, the car . . . that's 13 that I can think of. Oh yes, and my thermostat, so 14. However that one I never did change to regular time last fall, so it will be right now. Same with some of the decorative clocks. And the VCR. Tonight I'll change the alarm clock, microwave, coffeemaker, the kitchen clock, and the car. No point resetting the watch unless I also replace the dead battery.
ReplyDeleteWe are slaves to the clock when we work for others. We have no choice but to be on their schedule.
Who cares about time?.....its sole function is to stop everything happening at once...good luck with the clock resetting. Here in UKland we have this particular pleasure to come.
ReplyDeleteBritish Summer Time..started specifically so the children of the masses could work for the privileged few bringing in the harvest.