The human organism inherits so delicate an adjustment to climate that, in spite of man's boasted ability to live anywhere, the strain of the frozen North eliminates the more nervous and active types of mind.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Curiously enough man's body and his mind appear to differ in their climatic adaptations.
The Arctic is a place that historically, during all preceding human history, has largely been an icy realm with an impact on ocean currents. That, in turn, influences the temperature of the planet. The Arctic is now vulnerable because of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, with a rate of melting that is stunning.
The world cannot live without the Arctic; it affects every living thing on Earth and acts as a virtual thermostat, reflecting sunlight and cooling the planet.
I hear from my Inuit and Yupik relatives up north that everything has changed. It's so hot; there is not enough winter. Animals are confused. Ice is melting.
Nature is cold, wet, hard and unforgiving.
Cold is a state of mind.
Of course, Minneapolis, we think, 'Oh well, it's cold there, lethally cold.' But the reality is you adapt to weather... Humans are consummately adaptable creatures.
All we need, really, is a change from a near frigid to a tropical attitude of mind.
Man, in his animal capacity, is qualified to subsist in every climate.
You know, once something freezes, it's solid. That's the key to the arctic - they didn't fear the cold, they made use of it.