We are aware that air-conditioning is one of the major causes of global warming. It emits greenhouse gases that create holes in the ozone layer, which is there to protect us from the UV rays of the sun.
This part is okay, as we have already heard about it a thousand times. Not that the knowledge makes much of a difference though.
Some people crave for air conditioning just as much as a fish craves for water. To meet such cravings, industries have gone to the extent of creating advanced air-conditioning systems for our homes, offices, vehicles, public places, and the list goes on. But there’s no denying that we are drugged with this artificial coolness. It seems as if the humans have come up with their alternative air, only cooler.
However, if someone tells you that that the air-conditioning system is actually messing with your head, the first thought in your mind probably will be, “This person is crazy.” We tend to ignore such facts the same way as we ignore messages from our ex-lovers.
Only this time, the message (not from an ex) is loud and clear.
Many experts have confirmed that people are so reliant on this air-conditioning technology that they even fail to enjoy the natural breeze. They stay indoors in summer, reluctant to go out. And what has ever been achieved from staying enclosed in large boxes?
Exactly! You heard that right. Boxes!
That is what all those glass rooms that we inhabit all day look like from the outside. We keep the doors and windows locked, cutting ourselves off from nature, to enjoy a fine-tuned breeze from a machine. But that is not all. Scroll on!
It messes with your natural heat tolerance
Our bodies are capable of tolerating extremes of temperature to some extent. Beyond that level, we may feel uncomfortable and fall sick. But the increasing dependence on air-conditioning is destroying that natural heat tolerance.
Don’t you feel hotter when you step out of the air-conditioned rooms? You may not feel the same intensity of heat if you were outside all this while. You long to get back, and that’s where the problem lies. You are drugged, and air-conditioning is the new drug in the market. The sooner you realise it, the better.
It cuts you off from the reality
While you are comfortably seated in those glass boxes, enjoying the artificial ‘air’, you are unaware of what is going on in the world, whether spring has returned, or it is raining heavily outside. The sounds of a thunderstorm, the white, melting snow, songs of birds, the noise of busy streets, and everything else is dissolved in the slow humming sound of the ‘cooling machine’. Day by day, you turn into a workaholic zombie with no link to nature whatsoever.
In other words, the AC is stripping you off your humanity, as you are too scared to go out and brace the heat.
It increases stress levels
Have you ever imagined how people feel when they see an explosion? Well, if you want to experience it, try keeping the AC on all day for an entire month. You will get the same reaction on seeing your energy bills.
How stupid, right? Who wants to keep the AC on for the whole day?
Well, you will, when you grow a habit of it. Every addiction starts slow but takes up the pace along the way. Let us take the example of smoking. You may begin with one cigarette per day but end up being a chain smoker.
Now, such huge bills will obviously increase stress levels. You will get more anxious, lose your sleep and become an insomniac. The more you worry, the higher is the stress level. Ultimately, your mental health may degrade to such an extent that you may have to opt for therapy. More expenses and more waste of time! Just because you can’t get rid of a simple habit which, you think, will give you peace and comfort, but it only ends up jeopardising the overall quality of life.
It makes you a slave of technology
We all are slaves to our bad habits. And we have so many of them these days that sometimes, they seem to control us and not vice-versa. Let us consider Smartphones as an example. We are so engrossed in typing and browsing the whole day that we even ignore the ones sitting right in front of us.
If the Smartphones were living creatures, they would be getting a high ego boost.
We don’t seem to see anything through our eyes. Everything we see or perceive these days is through the lens of our Smartphone camera. If this is not being a slave, then what is?
It is the same thing for the air-conditioning system. The cooling effect has trapped our minds in a fantastical ecstasy, which is preventing us from enjoying the natural climate, its seasonal variations. On a physical level, it is affecting our immunity to a huge extent. And mentally, it is affecting our cognitive abilities, clarity, memory, productivity, and more.
A few words of wisdom
An urge to bring a balance and enjoy the technological benefits in a controlled manner is what can save us all at this moment. No one is asking you to stay away from scientific advancements. But, you need to remember that you are the boss of technology and not the other way round. Otherwise, you never know, those sci-fi movies, where the AI takes over our planet, may eventually come true.