Why Time Changes Matter

Last updated on: November 9, 2015 at 12:01 am by Tom Swiss

Why Time Changes Matter 2015-11-09T00:01:55-04:00 Tom Swiss

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In most of the U.S. last weekend brought not just Samhain/Halloween, but the change from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time.

It seems like every time the change comes around there’s a flurry of posts decrying the practice. Someone will post how the stress of the time change has adverse health effects. But others will point to how keeping commutes to daylight hours reduces accidents. It does seem that since the introduction of widespread air conditioning, getting people home with more daylight and more day-heat doesn’t really save energy, but maybe if we get Americans to stop setting the thermostat to refrigerator levels in the summer that would change.

If I were King of the World — or at least the United States — I’d set the change back the way it was in 2005, so as to minimize the number of days during which the sunrise happens after 7am. (At least around my latitude. You’re on your own if live live further north!)

Daylight savings isn’t the only way in which our time keeping has discontinuities. There’s intricacies of leap years, the eleven days skipped in 1752 (and the fact that we can therefore legitimately commemorate George Washington’s and Benjamin Franklin’s birthdays on two different days), and the problems of the leap second.

All of these time changes, from leap seconds to leap years, are reminders that we have to synchronize our human actions to the natural world, that as much as our industrial technological society tries to stand apart from the chaotic cycles of days and seasons it cannot do so.

I see some of my fellow technologists try to set themselves apart from this. I see one commenter on tech on a tech news site say how they can start work at 9 or 10 or an hour after sunrise, it doesn’t matter. I see the xkcd web comic joke about following a 28 hour day

If you never leave the server room, perhaps you can do that. But the primary function of time since the dawn of civilization has been to allow human activity to synchronize with the position of the sun, from planting seasons to night watches.

Most human beings have lives that are affected by sunlight. At the very least commuting in light or dark matters. Construction, farming, and many other jobs are deeply affected by daylight conditions. And some of us with time-independant jobs still like to go and play in the big blue room while it’s blue.

So let us take each time change as an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the ways in which the rhythms of our lives are entrained with those of the planet.

You can keep up with “The Zen Pagan” by subscribing via RSS or e-mail.

If you do Facebook, you might choose to join a group on “Zen Paganism” I’ve set up there. And don’t forget to “like” Patheos Pagan and/or The Zen Pagan over there, too.

Seasonal Musings

Daylight Saving Time

seasons

Previous Post

November 7, 2015

Why Men's Mysteries Matter

Next Post

November 16, 2015 Horrible Events Have Causes

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2017 52 Makeup 2020 52 Makeup Always Roaming With A Hungry Heart Art Because I Could Not Stop For Death Caught On Video COVID-19 Culture Discordianism Ethics, Virtue, and Right Living History Magic(k), Ritual, and Mysticism My Blogging Life and Times Philosophy Podcast Poetry Random Wednesdays Religion & Politics Seasonal Musings Techno-Pagan Theology Uncategorized Warrior Path Zen

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 September 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 June 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Old Testament prophet confronted King Ahab about worshiping Baal?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Elijah Ezekiel Isaiah Jeremiah