Anyone who comes to visit the Norwegian island of Sommarøy should leave their sense of time at the door. Some people do it literally. There is an interesting tradition on the island. Those arriving here leave their watches on the large bridge connected to the neighboring, larger island of Ser-Kvalay. So people let know that they completely forget about time. Because here, on an island located in the western part of Troms County, north of the Arctic Circle, time in the traditional sense means little.
Why give up time?
During the winter months, the Sun never rises here, and during the summer 69 days it never sets. This is a real corner of extremes, and the inhabitants of this place offer to introduce another one into their lives. Local residents have come up with a proposal to completely abandon the concept of time on the island.
A little more than 300 people live here. Accordingly, all important local issues are considered in the old fashioned way, at a general meeting of residents. And it was on one of them that the villagers organized the Time-Free Zone company. They even created a petition initiated by 56-year-old local resident Kjell Ove Hvedding.
From Norwegian "Sommarøy" means "summer island". And for at least part of the year, namely from May 18 to June 26, it lives up to this name. The islanders, having survived the long polar night, try to make the most of the summer, not paying attention to the time itself. Very often here you can see children playing at two o'clock in the morning, teenagers go swimming, and adults paint houses or mow lawns.
Hwedding collected about 100 signatures in support of his petition - a third of the island's total population - and sent a proposal to a local member of parliament last week. The details of the proposal are still vague, so some people have misunderstood it. For example, some believe that this is more of a symbolic step, others cynically declare that such ideas are more likely an advertising step to attract tourists.
By the way, it is tourism that may turn out to be the stumbling block that will negate this idea of the world's first "free time zone". The bottom line is that Sommarei is an unusually popular holiday destination and there are incredibly many tourists here in the summer. Travelers are attracted by the white beaches surrounded by beautiful fjords. Photographers, painters, cinematographers, and writers come here not only from Norway, but also from all over the world. In addition to the extraordinary beauty of the majestic northern nature, there is also no midge, which causes a lot of problems for those who live in the Far North.
Summer in Sommarei is unusually busy. In principle, the village lives off the tourists. Therefore, when considering the petition that residents filed with the authorities, officials expressed concern about how the abolition of the usual hourly regime will affect the local economy.
Moving away from the traditional notion of time, Hvedding says, will make people more impulsive and reduce the stress they experience from tight timelines. However, he agrees that it will not be possible to completely abandon the watch. Ultimately, people need to go to work, school, make appointments with friends and colleagues, neighbors. This point will require serious study.
There is indeed a rationale for the idea of the inhabitants of the island of Sommarøy. Living by the clock in the Far North is extremely difficult. Try to maintain a generally accepted schedule during the polar night or when the sun does not set at all. Biorhythms go astray, become different. And the forced adherence to a temporary regimen inevitably leads to a loss of vitality, an increase in stress levels, and the risk of developing depression.
Biorhythms and their effect on our body
However, abandoning the concept of time will not change the picture. You can't argue against evolution, scientists say.
Most of our body's functions and activities (sleeping, staying awake, eating, taking a bath, and so on) follow a 24-hour cycle. Every cell and every organ of our body follows this rhythm. What's more, even in the absence of light during the day, our cells seem to know what to do to keep themselves in good working order. If you deliberately go against this natural rhythm, then there is a great chance of adverse consequences, in the form of heart problems, digestive disorders, an increased risk of cancer and psychological problems.
In the past, people who spent weeks and even months in caves and bunkers also lost their sense of time, but their bodies still tried to maintain the same 24-hour cycle, which suggests that our internal clocks are working outside our conscious understanding of time. …
Whether we like it or not, we are very closely related to time. And this will remain so even despite the possible success of the idea of the inhabitants of the island of Sommarøy. Therefore, even leaving your watch on the bridge, you will still take it with you wherever you go.
Nikolay Khizhnyak