“Be home for dinner at 6:00 pm!”
“Ok, five more minutes!”
Could you imagine not having to worry about time? Seriously. And this is not something from a sci-fi movie. What if time didn’t exist? No clocks or watches to keep you on schedule. No bedtime. Well, this is what life is like on a tiny island just north of Norway. Time doesn’t really matter. The days are a bit different on the island of Sommaroy. (Which translates to “Summer Island”) This island is so far north that from May to July the sun will not set at all. Basically, summertime lasts for a full 69 days. So the residents at this island want to do away with time and become the world’s first “Time free Zone”
During the winter, the 300 inhabitants of this island will go months without seeing any sunlight. It’s total darkness. So when summertime rolls around, you will see folks at all hours of the day enjoying the sunlight. Kids playing ball at what would be 2 am for us. Time doesn’t matter. Because when the sun is shining, the local take advantage and enjoy it. A clock has no relevance to daily activities.
So recently, the locals have set up a meeting with the Norwegian government with a petition in hand to be declared the world’s first time-free zone. If the government approves this island operating in a time-free zone, this could mean more flexibility with school and work hours. Tourists who visit this island are greeted by a bridge that is covered with watches. This signifies that once you cross this bridge you are leaving time behind.
The idea of not using clocks to govern daily life seems fun. So instead of lunch-TIME, you just eat when you are hungry. And instead of bed-TIME, you sleep when you are tired. I just wonder how does it work for businesses. How long does the grocery stay open? Is it always open? And what about restaurants? And long is a shift at work? When do you leave? Maybe once you show symptoms of burn-out, then your relief takes over.
You can read more: CNN – Norway Island Time-Free Zone