The Beginning of Ramadan and the End of New Time

Many years ago, daylight savings time was introduced to economize agriculture in the United States. The simple “spring forward” and “fall back” concept has accounted for an incalculable increase in productivity without extra strain on resources. Centuries later we recognize daylight savings time is useful to cut down on energy use. All around, most people in the world agree that daylight savings time is a useful tool to trick ourselves into improving our situations.

Morocco also uses daylight savings time. Next year Morocco will be celebrating the 2nd year they have used it! To be clear, it is a country’s own decision what time to use. Morocco sits geographically on the Greenwich Mean, and could synchronize life with London, but whatever, we’ll just use Reykyavik time, thanks.

So after centuries of holding out, Morocco finally broke down and embraced the “new trend” of daylight savings. They chalked up the change to a “soaring energy bill.”

Daylight, savings, and time are all things hated by Moroccans. Daylight is shunned and people prefer to sleep inside and wait out the dark to make their rounds. Savings is senseless and anytime someone comes across money in my part of the country, it is quickly spent on practical things like fireworks, electronics, fake Diesel jeans, and hair gel. Time, finally is hated in terms of its specificity. If you set up a meeting with a Moroccan and ask them “what time?“, often the answer will be, “well, you know, afternoon or whatever.” And then when the specific time is asked they get offended, like, “what do you think I cant keep an appointment?!” So Rabat decides Morocco has daylight savings time this year to save some money. Most people in the world have no problem agreeing on a single time for events, here nothing can be that simple. With the institution of daylight savings time, there has been created two races, two classes, two castes, if you will; those who follow “new time”, and those who don’t. There is no “old time,” just “not new time.”

The people who don’t follow new time are farmers, workers, housewives, rural people, etc. For these people, what the fuck is time? The New Time Followers run transportation, own time-sensitive business, and have a stake in what time it is. Unfortunately these groups of people have to do business together, meet, talk, trade, cooperate.

In a country of fantastic pre-existing uncertainty about time and its meaning, the institution of daylight savings time has brought an extra uncertainty. Now a time can mean anything. 2 PM can mean 2PM New Time or not new. Furthermore some people are in disagreement on which way the time changed when the time changed. Did we add or subtract an hour? If we added an hour, than is 2PM now 3PM? So are we going to meet at 4PM? If we run on old time for our last meeting, do we have to run on new time for the next one? What time is it?

So we go through most of the summer in this way, and people get used to what time you’re on. It ends up working, I guess.

Ramadan comes this month and New Time ends. We go from time not being certain to truly not existing in any meaningful way at all. Breakfast? 2 hours before sunrise. Work day? Whenever you aren’t sleeping in the day, and aren’t too pissed off from your lack of nutrition. Dinner? Anywhere from sunset to breakfast, but sometimes breakfast and dinner are the same thing.
The only thing worth keeping track of is how close Ramadan to being finished. As it stands now, 21 days.