early to bed - a quickie

ben franklin says (at least he published it in his paper) "early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

why is there a stigma to getting things done when it's dark outside?

you're still doing the work. in some jobs (e.g. the lab) you can't tell what time of day it is anyway. so really what difference does it make if you do things from 7 am-3:30 pm or 11 pm-7 am?

is it because night is more dangerous? could be. if you think about caveman times, animals that are adapted to see at night could possibly hunt you down easier when you can't see them. even today, people are surprised when crimes happen "in broad daylight".

we are afraid of the night. it's just odd to think about. the night has a mystique about it. in fact, i have en vogue's "queen of the night" stuck in my head as we speak.

also, think about this. in areas far north and south of the equator, depending on the season, it can be night for 20 hours a day or more and likewise day for 20 hours or more. lack of light gives people depression, as anyone who has read an ibsen play will already know. interestingly the disorder, "seasonal affective depression" is abbreviated SAD. "hey, what's wrong with you?" "... i've got SAD...:("

anyway, just doing some ruminating as i sit in the lab at 1:35 am.