Judging from
the title, it is obvious I want to say something about Benjamin Franklin, but
not just now. We will save it for later. On November 1, 2020, we return to
normal Standard Time. I cannot emphasize the word normal more. Many of us that
understand can’t wait to get an hour more of sleep thus ending the sleep
deprivation we have experienced since March when we went on DST. I cannot hardly
contain myself and cannot hardly wait. In the Spring when we return to abnormal
time (DST) there is an increase in auto mobile accidents. Sadly, in 2021 we
return to this vicious cycle and repeat the same dangers. For a supposedly
advanced society we tend to trip over the same stone over and over, and over
again (for many decades, now). I have a theory. Sleep deprivation must be a
main factor in the cause of accidents. Driving and operating vehicles when
drowsy is dangerous. This is a well-known fact. One thing I do know is that
when it is dark the brain produces melatonin. I assume everyone is intelligent
enough to figure out the rest. The solution is to abolish DST because it is not
natural. One would assume all naturalists would be onboard with this idea.
Anyhow, I have said many of these things over and over.
Now back to
Benjamin Franklin! Many DST apologists
give him the credit for the idea of DST, although this is not factual. In fact,
it is just the opposite. I will explain shortly. Indeed, Franklin was a
brilliant man. In his day and age, they drove around in a horse-and-buggy. DST
was probably not a bad idea for his time. Today, however, we have vehicles that
go from 0 to 60 mph in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, people tend to drive
around going 80 mph on the highways. When one mixes this with sleep deprivation, and
melatonin produced by the brain we have the equivalent of an accident about to
happen. Sleepiness can result in crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration can confirm the foregoing. Of course, the fact that they change
to normal Standard Time very close to the winter solstice when it is darker probably
makes many thinks that it is dark because of the change back to Standard Time.
Basically, the DST people seemingly have done sabotage on normal time for more
than a century. It is suspicious. The DST thing is really outdated for our
society, and one of the main reasons for this is safety. To avoid getting
sidetracked, we continue with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin did not invent DST.
In fact, Franklin argued for the opposite. He wanted Parisians to change their
sleep schedules and wake up with the sun. Any sane person knows this is the way
we have always done it going back to prehistory. I will conclude my argument by
sharing the following relevant excerpt from The Franklin Institute.
‘” Daylight saving time—the practice of moving the clock
forward one hour—has many critics. Losing an hour of sleep only to wake up to
darkness? No thanks. But is Benjamin Franklin to blame for this “invention”?
Daylight saving time is one thing that Franklin did not
invent. He merely suggested Parisians change their sleep schedules to save
money on candles and lamp oil.
The common misconception comes from a satirical essay he
wrote in the spring of 1784 that was published in the Journal de Paris. In the
essay, titled “An Economical Project,” he writes of the thrifty benefits of
daylight versus artificial light. He describes how—when woken by a loud noise
at 6 a.m.—he noticed that the sun had already risen.
“Your readers, who with me have never seen any sign of
sunshine before noon, and seldom regard the astronomical part of the almanac,
will be as much astonished as I was, when they hear of his rising so early; and
especially when I assure them, that he gives light as soon as he rises. I am
convinced of this. I am certain of my fact. One cannot be more certain of any
fact. I saw it with my own eyes.”
His conclusions? Rising with the sun would save the citizens
of Paris, where he was living at the time, a great deal of money: “An immense
sum! That the city of Paris might save every year, by the economy of using
sunshine instead of candles (The Franklin Institute).”’
Reference:
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