What started as a presumably beneficial attempt at solving an emerging energy crisis, has since become nothing short of a cyclical, infuriating, exhaustive merry-go-round of one big question: WHY ARE WE STILL PARTICIPATING IN DAYLIGHT SAVINGS?!
In 1918, the United States Government instituted a permanent Daylight Savings Time. This was meant to help efforts of energy conservation during the war, with an added benefit of American citizens being able to relish in one extra hour of sunlight during this period in between shifts. The new law, signed by President Woodrow Wilson, also established a standard time & allowed the government authority to establish 5 different time zones across the country.
The U.S. first abandoned Daylight Savings Time (originally known as “war time”) when the first World War ended, citing no financial need for this practice to continue. It was reinstated twice more on an emergency basis before becoming the permanent nuisance it is today; once more as a year-round practice during World War II, and again being extended from 1973-1975 during the oil embargo crisis.
The permanent residency of our worst amendment was set in 1966, known as the Uniform Time Act. States were all given the choice to participate or opt out, with Hawaii and Arizona choosing to stay sane and on a standardized time year-round. Our latest attempt at not only not eliminating this useless practice, was in 2005 when the United States Congress voted to shift the start and closing of this unnatural season to begin the second Sunday in March and ending the first Sunday in November.
The department of Energy has determined that implementing this practice saved the United States an average of 0.5% in total electricity used daily, amounting to 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours annually.
While some argue that this archaic practicing of shifting our available sunlight into a darker period during winter months has profound and negative effects on the human population (i.e. seasonal affective disorder, vitamin D deficiency, loss of that summer-glow bronze finish we know and love, etc.), some still argue that remaining on a permanent shift into MORE sunlight throughout the day (like we just shifted into this last weekend) will result in more loss of sleep for some and become a health crisis for many.
Listen, I am not a doctor, nor am I a scientist. What I do know to be certain is that - y’all - I’m tired. I’m tired of going to work when it’s dark and getting home when it’s dark, tired of the mental warfare of “losing” an hour of sleep every year (as if 1 hour is somehow comparable to the other 8,765 available hours isn’t enough to choose from- and yes, I know we “get the hour back”), tired of the back & forth decision making on whether or not we are going to continue this practice or vote it abolished, tired of wondering, tired of being tired for a guaranteed two weeks out of every year, and tired of thinking about it. Every. Year. Who’s with me?
