February 16, 2018
Dear Everyone:
Today is the first day of the
Year of the Dog
in the Chinese
calendar.
Of course, the Chinese calendar is not the only calendar in use these
days. The world abounds with
them. The
Jewish calendar.
The
Islamic calendar. In
fact, the so-called Chinese calendar is only one of many.
Lunar calendars,
which follow the phases of the moon.
Solar
calendars, which last a whole year.
Seasonal calendars, like the
pre-Roman
Celtic calendar
which had two sessions, Summer and Winter.
Various combinations thereof.
And who can forget the
Mesoamerican calendar, which “predicted” the
End of the World
in 2012? Lots of us
remember it, because the world didn’t end.
Maybe something got lost in translation.
So why is the
Gregorian calendar, also known as the Christian calendar, and more
recently, the “Common
Era” calendar, the one used by the most people in the world?
That’s easy.
Because it’s the one that works best for Big Business.
Remember: It was the
railroad companies that
first
introduced the Time Zones that we all use, because it was helpful to
them. It follows the Golden
Rule: The one who has the
gold makes the rules.
Calendars, of various types, have certainly been around since the
Bronze Age.
Just look at one of the most
famous manmade configuration of stones in the world:
Stonehenge.
Ditto the
pyramids
of Ancient Egypt.
So how did the idea of a calendar get started?
You’re a Caveman.
And you’re planning to go out and kill a
mastodon.
Does it matter what time of year it is?
Of course. You don’t
go hunting mastodons in the middle of winter.
That would be silly.
So having an annual calendar of some kind would be helpful.
But knowing which day of which week of which month isn’t really
all that important, is it?
Therefore, a yearly calendar of some kind may have first been developed
by a man a really, really long time ago.
QED.
You’re a Caveman. And you’re
getting ready to plant some crops.
Does it matter what time of the year it is?
Of course. You want
to start planting after the snows melt, but not too late in the year, or
the crops won’t ripen before the next winter.
So having an annual calendar of some kind would be helpful.
But knowing which day of which week of which month isn’t really
all that important, is it?
Therefore, a yearly calendar of some kind may have first been developed
by a man. QED.
You’re a Caveman. And you’re
pregnant.
How do you
know? You know by which
day of which week of which month it is, of course.
Therefore, a weekly, monthly yearly calendar must have first been
developed by a woman. QED.
“The only reason for time is so everything doesn’t happen at once.”
This quote is attributed to the physicist,
Albert Einstein;
but that is challenged by a number of people, including one who points
out that a similar remark is used by a character in a novel published in
the 1920s, about the time that Einstein was being awarded the
Nobel
Prize. Also, he was not
famous for his sense of humor.
I have numerous calendars around my home.
Some are “gifts” from various charities.
Some remind you of important events, such as holidays.
Some include phases of the moon.
Some display a full month at a time.
One is a weekly calendar that gives you space to write in
important reminders like doctors’ appointments.
It even shows what day of the year it is, along with how many
days are left in the year, which can be helpful at times.
Only 313 shopping days left until
Christmas!
Love, as always,
Pete
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