AC has made comfort zones more restricted; seeking comfort increases vulnerability to discomfort. While AC is seen as progress, it may lead to a fear of the outdoors and weaken physical and social resilience, akin to how shoes, sunscreen, and medicine impact our health. Emphasizing the importance of expanding comfort zones instead.
Is Our Comfort Zone Shrinking? 100 years ago before the invention of AC, did people live in a constant state of discomfort? Fri, 02 Aug 2024 21:10:06 GMT https://healthandfreedom.substack.com/p/is-our-comfort-zone-shrinking 100 years ago before the invention of AC, did people live in a constant state of discomfort?
Or is that our comfort zones have shrunk?
You’d think the former based on people’s modern day reaction to heat.
Let’s define comfort zone.
Comfort Zone: the zone in which you feel comfortable.
It varies between people.
Ex. Person A might feel the same level of comfort while in temperature ranging from 40-90 degrees vs Person B who only feels that comfort at the 69 degree mark.
It is the same level of comfort yet wildly varying ranges.
Who would you rather be?
Person B is extremely vulnerable to heat fluctuation. If it is one degree more or less than 69 degrees then they are uncomfortable.
On the other hand, Person A is almost always in a state of comfort no matter what temperature it is.
The Paradox of Comfort The more comfort you seek, the more vulnerable to discomfort you become.
As we age, we tend to seek comfort.
So, with time, we tend to become more vulnerable to discomfort.
This seems to be true both at an individual level and societal level.
The AC unit is often credited as a major invention and success story of capitalism as most households now have one.
But is it an advancement?
I see things a bit differently.
The AC unit is one example of a pursuit of comfort that has made us more vulnerable to discomfort.
Today people are afraid of the sun and spend the vast majority of their times indoors.
Think about it.
In general, when do you feel more comfortable? When you are inside an air conditioned home or when you are outside?
Do you spend more time indoors or outdoors?
This is unfortunate because even if you live in the biggest house in the world, it is nothing compared to the grandness of the outdoors.
The fresh air, sunlight, and moisture of the outdoors is much better for our health too.
So is this discomfort of the outdoors driven by “innovation” of the AC unit actually as great as we make it out to be?
It might be a technological advancement but is it devolving the human being?
Other examples of this include:
Shoes weakening feet strength
Sunscreen weakening skin strength
Medicine weakening immune system strength
Social media weakening social skills (human connection)
And many more
I prefer to expand my comfort zone. What about you?
With Truth & Love,
Shaughnessy