ĢƵ

close

According to Hofmann: The time that land forgot

4 min read
article image -

Time is the one currency that everyone has, but just can’t afford. ThatĢƵ my one deep thought of the week. After that, the rest is all shallow.

Speaking of time, the Norwegian island of Sommaroy had started a petition to rid the island of keeping time, leaving the residents in blissful ignorance of when itĢƵ suppertime much like retirees after moving to Florida.

The reason for the petition could be the fact that time is already screwed up on the island because from May 18 to July 26, the sun is always out.

ItĢƵ much like that movie “Insomnia,” where thereĢƵ a murder in an Alaskan town during a period of perpetual sun, and Al Pacino plays a war veteran whoĢƵ blind and takes this young man on a journey of self discovery…wait…maybe thatĢƵ “Dog Day Afternoon.”

Anyway, the 350 residents of the town of Sommaroy have started a campaign to rid themselves of time keeping because if someone wants to stay out at midnight and fly a kite or achieve 24-hour tanning, they don’t need a clock telling them they have to sleep instead.

In their petition, which is now under consideration by NorwayĢƵ Parliament Funkadelic, they point out that time is meaningless to them, adding that life would be so much easier if the notion of time, a.k.a. The DevilĢƵ Heartbeat, wasn’t preventing them from physically doing outdoor activities, going to sleep when they’re tired or preventing them from using sundials.

Okay, that last one is a legitimate gripe, but while I understand having the sun out for an extended period of time can mess up your internal clock, I think you need to adhere to some kind of timekeeping system to at least keep you checked into reality.

I really wanted to interview the Sommaroy people over the phone about the whole issue, but in our e-mail correspondences, we could never properly schedule the phone call.

SOMMAROY RESIDENT: I’d love to do a phone interview. You can call me now.

ME: Sorry, I didn’t get your e-mail until now. Can I give you a call now?

SOMMAROY RESIDENT: Later would be better.

ME: No problem. What time later?

SOMMAROY RESIDENT: I don’t know…this may have been a bad idea.

Another factor is the islandĢƵ main income is from tourism, which they believe would see a dramatic increase with the novelty of not keeping time.

In fact, when visitors cross a bridge into Sommaroy, they will see a railing covered in wristwatches, delivering a clear message: If you wear a watch in Sommaroy, we will execute you and put your watch on display as a warning to all other time slaves.

Maybe itĢƵ just me, and most people would agree that it is just me, but this sounds like a dystopian sci-fi movie in the making.

In the near future, like four months from now, the law is passed and time is no more in Sommaroy, and the citizens try to adjust to life after being deprived of time.

Of course, one brave girl and her dog have access to an ancient artifact known as a Casio digital wristwatch hidden under the floorboards of her bedroom.

She gains comfort from that forbidden fruit when she brings it out and smiles when she knows itĢƵ 3:22 a.m.

However, her devious ex-boyfriend is aware of her secret and has alerted island authorities to hunt her down in a literal race against time.

Okay, through that perspective, I admit it may be an interesting thing to watch (not the wrist kind) and see what happens.

Of course, on the flip side, the island will also have to go through perpetual night and will have to deal with whatever that brings, which includes Vitamin D deficiencies, several months of new/old dad jokes like “What time is it? Nighttime!” and the vampire invasion like that one movie where vampires feast on an Alaskan town going through 30 days of night…maybe thatĢƵ “Scent of a Woman?”

I warned you that the thought process would get shallow.

According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. He hosts the “Locally Yours” radio show on WMBS 590 AM every Friday. His book, ”Stupid Brain,” is available on Amazon.com.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.