The first Sunday of November takes second place as the day I dread the most every year.
On this said Sunday, I was walking along the Charles River Esplanade and caught the sunset. I watched as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon, inch by inch. I observed as it altered in shape: a full circle, a half-circle, a mere fraction. Then, into nothing at all.
As the sky grew darker and the wind became stronger, an impending sense of doom washed over me. It was 4:36 p.m.
The United States first established standard time and daylight saving time on March 19, 1918, administering official time zones and a better use of daylight during different seasons. Clocks are moved one hour ahead in spring and one hour back in fall.
To me, gaining and losing an hour of sleep twice a year has become quite the annoyance. But according to an AP-Norc poll, 56% of Americans favor permanent daylight saving time, while 42% voted for permanent standard time.
My response to that 42%: This is not a matter of being a morning or night person — it’s a matter of practicality and how much of our population is awake.
Are more people awake at 4:30 p.m. than at 6:00 a.m.? Yes. In fact, the majority of the population is active in the afternoon compared to the early morning. While some people are awake at 6:00 a.m., many aren’t, especially college students.
Since daylight is limited during the winter, we cannot afford to waste our precious sunlight during hours when most people are asleep. It needs to be allocated to the time we are awake.
A DST sunrise at 7:30 a.m. is far more practical since that’s when more people start their day. In the long run, I believe we should focus on the outcome that truly benefits us: longer ends, not longer starts.
Contrary to popular belief, standard time — or winter time — reflects an outdated system built for wartime energy conservation needs that no longer exist. Standard time was not an idea that was thought of to purposely have shorter days. That would instead be daylight saving time, which was subsequently introduced in order to have longer days in the summer.
Standard time may have been practical in the past, but our daily lives no longer revolve around farming — they revolve around work schedules, commutes and clocks.
Our society follows a rigid 9-to-5 work schedule. People are cooped up inside all day, yet when they finally clock out, they are welcomed with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Commuting back home in utter darkness at only 4:30 p.m. is unethical. It is a crime against humanity to never see the light of day for four whole months.
Daylight saving time — or summer time — should be permanent.
Since we associate darkness with going to bed, our bodies unconsciously switch to “night mode,” even when the day is far from over. This instinctive reaction drains our energy and limits the few hours we have to enjoy our personal lives.
Darkness steals our time and cuts our days short. Not to mention, millions of households collectively turning the lights on an hour earlier wastes electricity and raises bills.
Children can’t play in the park after school, adults are less likely to socialize and everyone spends more time indoors. The results are visible: People gain weight, exercise less and drown in laziness and unproductiveness.
Another negative effect of DST is seasonal depression.
Winter is already as cold, windy and depressing as it is. How are we supposed to be productive, motivated or even happy when it’s dark at 4:30 p.m.? I know I’m certainly not.
The one thing that could solve this prevailing burden and uplift our spirits would be an added hour of daylight in the afternoon.
DST would give us some grace, some happiness, a sliver of vitamin D and, above all, more time. Time to do the things we need to do, such as grocery shopping, and things we enjoy, like simply taking a walk outside.
Afternoon hours are a crucial in-between time to fulfill daily tasks, pursue our hobbies and take a breather. It’s the time between work and home, the gym and dinner and friends and ourselves.
As someone whose birthday is Dec. 21 — winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year — an extra hour of daylight would truly do wonders. Permanent DST wouldn’t just give me a brighter birthday — it would give all of us a little more light, time and a reason to look forward to the days ahead.
Then, perhaps the day I dread the most every year would no longer be my birthday.
