Calendar

Calendars and calendar systems have been recorded anciently on wood, stone, bone, clay, papyrus and metal and in modern times, on every other conceivable material so that the calendar is an ubiquitous objects; on one's wall or desk or in one's pocket or built into one's wristwatch. The calendar is a form of presenting time in action-oriented intervals which are given appropriate characteristics such as days of sowing, days of reaping, etc. As Solomon put it: 'To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven'. The calendar marks the interval of human gestation, the return of Spring, Summer holidays, Carnival, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries. It tells when workmust begin and must finish. It is the ultimate taskmaster, and eventually, the releaser from all tasks. Yet since the calendar can be the vehicle into which a culture projects its knowledge and way of life it is interesting that the Western calendar is an anachionism by some several thousand years since it embodies the mythology and religion, as well as the superstition of bygone ages. A metric calendar beginning with a 100 second minute and a 100 minute hour and progressing to a ten or twenty hour day and a five or ten day week has been conceived, (with appropriate 'week-ends' and holidays) but has not been developed to industrial standards.