M I D S U M M E R_2 0 1 1 :: This is the time of year when I like to fertilize the morphogenetic field with an idea that could solve a few serious problems. Let's face it, the sun during summertime in the southern states is an assault. As we continue to vaporize our ozone layer, our atmospheric shield can't sufficiently defend us against solar flares. So life increasingly takes place in a bubble, an artificially-generated environment of air conditioning, which is our only protection from a climate that has literally become dangerous and inhospitable. Today was the 35th consecutive day of temperatures over 100 degreesF here in Texas and at 3am the temperature is still 93 degreesF. Without air conditioning, without enough electric power, we're burnt toast. The consequence of this reliance on air conditioning is that our power grid is struggling, faltering with brown-outs, barely able to support the desperate demand for energy to cool our homes and offices.

I know humans tend to wait until a crisis forces a change, but we need strategies right now that will lower the drain on the power grid and lighten the strain on human beings. Here's what I propose as a practical adaptation to global warming: let's avoid the triple-digit temps by switching day with night. We can call it Nighttime Savings Time. Hey, we're already used to changing the time twice a year for Daylight Savings TIme, so why not consider a variation on this theme so that we can maximize commerce, energy and our well being?

Here's an overview of how my idea could be implemented:
The routine business hours of 9 to 5 can be maintained, but they will be switched from am to pm: work hours will begin after the sun sets at 9pm and the 8-hour work day will end at 5am, in time for people to get home and go to bed before the sun rises high enough to get hot. During the furnace blast of the long day, we'd be tucked into heavily shrouded bedrooms with air conditioners on full chill. But because we'll just be sleeping rather than working, the thermometer won't have to be quite as low as during daylight work hours.

I realize that the world of commerce would have to make a few adjustments to Nighttime Savings Time. The strategy for businesses to stay open all night will involve minimal staffing. Self-checkout systems could be adopted by stores, which would need no more than a manager to deal with customers, a gopher to deal with stock and a bouncer for security purposes. Video security systems could be increased and outsourced to remote observation sites which would report suspicious activity directly to the bouncer at a specific location. Lighting could all be motion-activated. The strain on the electrical grid would be minimized because cooling systems wouldn't have to be cranked up as high at night. I'm no number cruncher but I think this could be economically persuasive.

People would complain at first about the impact on their biorhythms when they switch their sleeping patterns. For this reason, instead of a sudden shift like Daylight Savings Time, the first week's shift from daytime to nighttime hours could transition gradually. There would be a little time lag (like jet lag) the first week or so, but the benefits to one's overall energy would be worth the period of adaptation. People in Scandinavia and inside the Polar Circle have to adapt to normal life without daylight during the long periods known as Polar Nights – when there are 24 hours of darkness – so surely we could adapt productively to Nighttime Savings Time.

Attempting to conduct life as normal while under the oppression of temps over 100 degrees for extended periods is impractical for our particular biology. In the summer, the suggested temperature for an office building is 74.3 to 77.9 F. Compare that to our normal body temperature of 98.7 F and it should be obvious that our blood is by nature rather hot and requires an environment that is more than 20 degrees cooler in order to function comfortably and normally. Attempting to function normally in temperatures 100 degrees and higher is stoic but unreasonable. If you've ever had a fever, you'll remember how hard it is to function – and this is the effect on us when daytime temps are over 98.7 F. An overheated brain just can't think as clearly and quickly as normal. Thought processing slows down, becomes less precise and the body-mind response is affected. This makes driving a lot more dangerous, car wrecks more numerous and normal levels of productivity impossible. This isn't just a discomfort, it's also a hazard to human life – when the blood reaches 104 degrees, humans are prone to heat stroke, which can be fatal. This is definitely a handicap on our health, our work force and our sense of well being.

Confining our activities to the cooler temps of night and reducing our exposure to the hottest times of day would help keep our body's core temperature lower and our minds clearer. Tolerance levels and patience would be enhanced too, since we'd be under far less strain than when we are trying to conduct our lives efficiently despite the blast furnace of daytime's extreme heat.

Granted, this is a drastic idea, but so was Daylight Savings Time, which we now quite readily accept as normal. The increasing effect of global warming on our lives is going to require creative adaptation eventually. Summer nights are a huge relief compared to summer days here in the south, so let's consider maximizing their benefits with Nighttime Savings Time.

One of the probable serendipitous side effects will be an increase in dancing. Due to the extended nighttime activity periods on the weekends, there will surely be a huge popularization of dance as recreation and art form. In fact, I am writing this at a tango café on a Monday night at 11pm while surrounded by dancers. No doubt, more people would become interested in astronomy and star-gazing too, which would inevitably increase our collective sensitivity towards the fragility of our planet and – hopefully – would lead to treating it with a little more loving care.

As global warming makes summers hotter, we will need to adapt by escaping the sun's brutality.
I propose that we surrender to the stars, worship the moon, dance with night owls! Seize the night!