Daylight Saving Time

Do you think time should stand still?

Do you think time should stand still?

Liana Brooks, Staff Writer

Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of advancing clocks during the summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. We have DST to make better use of daylight. In the spring you lose an hour of time and in the fall you gain an hour. This normally happens in the months of March and November. My own opinion of daylight saving is that it is necessary, because if we didn’t have it would feel weird, but I also dread the adjustment because it messes up my schedule/routine.

When I asked my peers about their views on DST, I received comments like:

“I don’t really mind it. I like it more in the spring because we get an extra hour.

“Its bull crap!”

“I don’t like the time zone thing. It messes everyone’s sleep up–especially kids’. If farmers need it or anyone who really needs it, they can go to bed at nine o’clock and get up at 4 o’clock. It doesn’t matter if it’s daylight or nighttime…it just doesn’t make sense. I go to sleep at 9 and get up at 4:30, sunshine, or darkness.”

If we got rid of daylight saving time, most of the nation would wake up to more sunshine. Certain states like Arizona and Hawaii don’t have DST. “Because of Arizona’s hot climate, DST is largely considered unnecessary,” according to timeanddate.com. The argument against extending the daylight hours into the evening is that people prefer to do their activities in the cooler evening temperatures.”

As you can tell, there are different opinions on daylight saving. It helps some people and annoys others. However, it has been around for decades, and I predict it is going to continue worldwide.