It Doesn't Need to Make Sense

Another daylight saving time has passed, and again, anyone that sleeps has their circadian rhythm disturbed. It's not a tremendous difference, but like jet lag, the disturbance causes problems. 

Safety is one problem. People with sleep disturbances can lose restful sleep. The lack of restful sleep can lead to sleepiness, lethargy, and the lapse of attention at critical times. This can lead to accidents, unintended mistakes, and a degradation of health. Some might say: "It's only one hour." but not everyone adapts to a sleep schedule change without any effects. Tell that to the person already working two shifts that lost an hour of precious sleep, and fell asleep at the wheel on the way home from work. I doubt they'll find your dismissal as a valid argument.

Lost production is another problem. During my career, the change would usually lead to someone not arriving on time, a change in work plans, and a loss of production. The loss was small, but it was still a loss. Consider the effects of an entire nation, and it adds up. 

Most of all, and the biggest problem, is that the time change makes no sense. It adds nothing to a day, and even if it gives more time in the evening to enjoy daylight activities, the best solution would be flexible work hours for those that want them, and everyone else can adapt to the finite amount of daylight each day. It doesn't save energy in a 24 hour society, and thinking so is foolish.

I discussed daylight saving time with my grandfather years ago. He was a blackout warden during the second world war, and would patrol in the evenings to insure light couldn't be seen by possible enemy bombers. It made sense, in a way, but the easiest solution would have been to have everyone start work earlier, and a flexible work schedule. When the madness reappeared in the sixties, the lack of logic appeared again like a tooth abscess. 

So, the madness continues, and the ponderous animal of bureaucracy plods along. The calendars have notations, software automatically adjusts, and we're left with something that proves that our society is mostly controlled by sheer stupidity.