“Let us reform our time.” Beppe Grillo gives this title to his proposal published on the blog, which has nothing metaphorical but concerns precisely the calendar, on the day when everyone is preparing to hang the 2024 one. With the current Gregorian «we are, therefore, anchored in an anachronistic regime , born in a pre-scientific, theocratic society, with a feudal economy, which does not make our lives any easier. Our semesters have the same length only in leap years, the year is never divided equally into quarters, the months are irregular and neither the year nor the months can be regularly divided into weeks.” «Calendars, like clocks – he argues, among other things – they are human inventions, so why not invent better ones? In 1849, Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, mathematician and writer, presented a simple but innovative calendar, based on a 364-day year that included one or two “empty” days. ” which Abbé Mastrofini, an Italian Roman priest, had invented 15 years ago. Before. Each of the 13 months had 28 days and exactly four weeks. The names of the months were after famous personalities of the time, but the idea was not convincing.”
«And so, at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1902, the project was taken over by the Englishman Moses B. Cotsworth who eliminated the famous names, simplifying the project. The new thirteenth month of the Cotsworth calendar or ‘international fixed calendar’ was called ‘Sun’. A 365-day calendar, made up of 13 months, each with 28 days, and an extra day added as a holiday at the end of the year. The idea of a fixed calendar – recalls the founder of the 5 Star Movement – was received with enthusiasm by the American Congress . In 1928, businessman George Eastman established its use at his Eastman Kodak Company, where it was used until 1989.”
In conclusion: «Many organizations and academics have evaluated the benefits that a 13-month calendar would bring. It would eliminate the confusion caused by months with varying numbers of days, making time management, budgeting and planning easier for individuals, businesses and organizations. With each month consisting of four 7-day weeks, it would be easier to plan and coordinate local, national and global activities. Leap years would be easily handled by adding a single extra day at the end of the year, rather than the current system where an extra day is added in February. Businesses would benefit from financial reporting, payroll processing and inventory management.” «Finally there would be a harmonization of holidays. The extra day added as a holiday at the end of the year would bring a universal day of celebration, against all types of religious discrimination and promoting global unity. The United Nations, organizations, activists and intellectuals have always supported the idea of a 13-month calendar, clashing with ideologies anchored in the past. With the speed at which technology is moving towards the future, perhaps the time has come to dust off our calendar a little”, are Grillo’s remaining words.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
