Why oh why can we not let clocks alone????

Today's post has NOTHING to do with writing or being an author. It has everything to do with the stupid time change.

Daylight Savings Time. I loathe it because it is unnatural. Others love it because they think they have "extra" daylight at the end of the day. Quite honestly, you have the same amount of daylight and the time change has NOTHING to do with how much daylight you see in the evening. The sun does. It's simple science -- In the summer time, days are longer. In the winter time, days are shorter. It has to do with the seasons.  I've seen this meme below for years and have no idea how "true" it is, if this actually is something that was said, but it does make a good point. 

So, how did we get stuck with Daylight Savings Time? Simple. Europe did it in 1916. 

That's it.

That's why.

The reasoning for Europe doing it in 1916 was called World War I. They had to control the oil, fuel, and coal consumption by the civilians because it was needed to fuel the war effort instead. By 1916, World War I had been going on in Europe since the summer of 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Everything in Europe and the UK was run on coal and oil at the time. Only so much could be drilled. And only so much could be dished out. In the time of war, civilians did their part by reducing consumption of food, growing their own food, and gave up livestock and good for the war. They reduced so they could help "win" the war. So, it would make sense to alter work schedules so that factories, stores, schools -- basically life-- could do without consuming. 

This following tidbit was the first mention of the idea is found in the Amador County Newspapers Archives from the Amador Ledger , June 02, 1916.

In April of 1917, the US entered World War I, declaring war on Germany. Is it no surprise that by July, the Senate was contemplating same thing? It takes oil and coal to transport troops across the Atlantic to fight in the war, right? 

In April of 1917, rumors of the US following Europe's "Daylight Savings Scheme" must have already been in the talks before war was actually declared because on April 20th, 1917, this opinion appeared in the paper:

A few short weeks later, June 1917, this was in the paper...

On 20 July 1917, they published this small little tidbit to "prove" that DST was useful.

Which gave them the gumption to pass the bill on 27 June 1917.

This has nothing to do with the United State's DST plight, but it just goes to show as to how "easily" men want to control time. It was in the paper on March 08, 1918.

So back to Daylight Savings...22 March 1918, this appeared in the paper.

And a short few days later, it goes into effect like a bad rash...

But it wasn't celebrated. Nope. People still couldn't see the point in it. This is from May 1918. 

So, for all of you who sit there and celebrate having an "extra" hour of sunlight in the evening, you must all be night owls who do not get up with the rise of the sun in the morning. Daylight savings was done to control consumption to fight a war. It is useless these days, especially since our lives are run by electricity and technology. This is not 1917, although some people still try to scare everyone like it is. Farmers and ranchers don't work by the clock. They work by the sun and the weather. Is Daylight Savings Time really saving anything these days? 

This is brought to you because I like to know the answers to why I don't like something. DST automatically sets my body into a "Rush rush rush rush" mode until Standard Time's return because I am constantly trying to balance out my natural tune with mother nature into the man's perceived control over mother nature. If I didn't have to have dealings with the outside world, I wouldn't have a clock or a watch. I'd just go by the sun. I don't like wasting my time and energy doing something senseless, which is why I don't see the point in DST. It doesn't save anything any more and just throws everyone off balance and grumpy. It takes kids going to school in the light and puts them going to school in the dark again. I could go on but if you're a DST lover, nothing I can say will change your mind, and if you loathe it like I do, then we are already in agreement. 

So, there we go. Nothing to do with writing and everything to do with life. If I'm grumpy these next few weeks, it's purely because of DST and my loathing of it. 

If you prefer my other posting having to do with writing and an author's life instead of my rants, then check out my other posts. I also have thirteen books available 24/7/365 on Amazon.

There is always an adventure in an Em Brooks book -- Let's start today!!!