On Sunday, March 10, the United States, with the exception of Arizona, parts of Alaska and Hawaii, engages in the practice of daylight saving time (DST).
This biannual adjustment, occurring on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, leads to widespread disruption, affecting our mental and physical well-being. I went down a rabbit hole hoping to find a deeper understanding of time zones and their historical context, and shed light on a path forward.
A time zone, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “one of the 24 regions or divisions of the globe approximately coinciding with meridians at successive hours from the observatory at Greenwich, England.” This systematic approach to timekeeping, while functional in the past, seems increasingly misaligned with the needs of a globally connected and rapidly evolving society.
The origins of the current time zone system trace back to the International Meridian Conference in 1884, where it was agreed that the world would be divided into 24 time zones, each representing one hour’s difference from the next, centered around the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England.
This decision was pivotal in standardizing time across the globe, facilitating international travel and commerce. Before this, timekeeping was a local affair, with more than 300 time standards in the United States alone, leading to considerable confusion, especially for the burgeoning railroad and telegraph industries. The transition to a more unified time system was a huge step in organizational scheduling.
Yet, as the world has continued to evolve, so, too, has the complexity of our interactions and the demands on our time. The practice of Daylight Saving Time, originally conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 as a means to conserve candles, and later formalized in the United States by the Uniform Time Act of 1966, is now a contentious issue.
Its benefits, once considered significant, are now debated, with many questioning the impact on energy savings and human health. I was reminded at breakfast with Jim Pollard of a famous quote by an unknown Native American: ”Only a white man would believe you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.”
The proposal to simplify the contiguous United States into just two time zones is a bold reimagining of our timekeeping system. It draws inspiration from our history of adapting to the needs of commerce and communication, much like the consolidation of time standards in the late 19th century.
By reducing the current four time zones to two, and even possibly reducing the world’s time zones from 24 to 12, we can diminish the mental and logistical hurdles that complicate coast-to-coast and worldwide interaction, creating a more unified national identity, a more connected world, and simplifying business operations.
This consolidation would not only ease the burden of scheduling around the world, but also address the health and well-being issues associated with the current DST system.
Studies, including those by the Sleep Foundation, have highlighted the disruptive effects of the semiannual time change on human circadian rhythms, contributing to sleep disturbances, reduced productivity and even seasonal depression. A move toward a more consistent and natural alignment of our timekeeping with human biological rhythms could mitigate these adverse effects.
Reflecting on the historical evolution of time zones and the international efforts to standardize timekeeping illuminates the potential for further evolution today. The time zone revolution proposed here is not just about changing clocks; it’s about adapting our societal practices to reflect the realities of modern life and technology.
It is a step toward a system that prioritizes human well-being, economic efficiency and national unity. The world is a smaller place, and it is time for a revolution in the world clock. Let’s eliminate daylight savings time, change the division of time zones from 24 to 12 worldwide, and make the contiguous United States a two time zone nation.
Salisbury resident C.J. Fitzwater is a curious traveler, perpetually on the lookout for fresh frontiers. With each journey, he blends historical threads into his stories. Email him at: cfitzwater@ymail.com.