The pros & cons of Daylight Savings Time.
Is it just me or is the confusion caused by Daylight Savings Time (DST) universal? I wake up and I never know if I've woken up early or late. I'm not a young man. You'd think I’d have it figured out by now.
Ben Franklin is often cited as the Father of DST, but that seems to stem from the habit of 18th century Parisians to sleep in late. Old Ben joked moving the clock might get them out of bed earlier and save on candles.
In the 19th century, New Zealander George Hudson presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society, proposing a 2-hour shift no half measures in New Zealand.
However, it was the Canadians who first took the great forward. On July 1, 1908, Port Arthur, Ontario, turned the clocks forward by one hour to start the world's first DST period.
DST is climate crisis friendly, it saves energy, so maybe its ’time’ has come, but I like the creeping into darkness and creeping out again. I've got enough trouble with time as it is. I've often thought days are a problem too. I like Sundays. Why isn't every day a Sunday? It seems to me that might solve some problems too. In fairness, I'm not the guy you hire to make sure the trains run on time, so maybe I shouldn't be making these decisions.
Daylight Saving Time is now used in over 70 countries worldwide and affects over one billion people every year, so I'm not alone in my confusion. I'm an early riser. Or am I?