Are We Underusing Nature?
It seems like the prediction of El Niño, and its effect of a very hot summer this year—hotter than in the past 170 years or so—is real. It is extremely hot these days, and not just the feeling alone. The temperature readings I have on my home thermometer are confirming hotter-than-usual days.
If nothing else, the temperature reading of 39°C at night, inside my “green” room, says it all.
I keep my IKEA light-blocking curtains mostly closed all day, so there is minimal hot air entering the room during the day. I even have two of my window shutters on the east closed at all times during summer. My green-painted room is on the southeast corner of the house and upstairs, so the roof and walls on that side are exposed to the sun all day.
That said, the room already has a false ceiling to not allow inside roof heat. Yet, the room is sizzling hot these days, including the mornings when I am here.
Now here is the twist that prompted me to think over this deeply and write this blog in parallel. Unlike most other days, I went outside today to hang dry my clothes immediately, without waiting until all my chores were done or until I leave the room.
To my pleasant surprise, at about 8 a.m., there was a cool breeze, and it was much more pleasant there despite the hot sun.
Yes, we all know that land cools during the night, and that was the reason. But that’s not what I was going to say.
If staying outside is so much more comfortable and pleasant than inside our homes—on which we have spent multiple crores of rupees—are we on the wrong track?
A home has to be something that provides shelter and protects from external harsh elements. It can’t be something that takes away pleasant things that nature offers for free.
In the natural nature of impermanence, did we build to prioritize permanence over comfort?
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