Nocturnal

While waiting the bus under the hot sunshine,
this cactus provide a little shade,
despite the threatening thorns.

I am currently on holiday in Italy, experiencing a climate that is remarkably hot. For someone like myself who lives in the UK, this level of heat is highly uncomfortable; the moment you step out of the shower, you find yourself sweating, and upon stepping outside, you can immediately feel your skin burning in the sunshine. 

Faced with this intense heat, I find myself wondering how the people around the Mediterranean will adapt and evolve as the climate grows even hotter. Will they eventually develop different physical features to better suit a warmer environment, or will they adapt by shifting their societal behaviours? In part, this behavioural shift is already occurring. Local businesses routinely close at 13:00 for a midday nap, only to reopen later at 17:00. During my student days in Germany, I remember people making jokes about those in Southern Europe "sleeping during the day," with some even suggesting they were lazy. Now, however, I realise this is not a matter of laziness at all, but rather a necessary adaptation strategy to adjust their lifestyle to the climate.

This connection between climate and human behaviour became particularly clear to me during the heatwaves in London a few months ago. I noticed that motorists on the road began acting differently, sounding their horns much more frequently than usual and driving in a manner that seemed almost "mad." One of the things I normally appreciate about living in London is how patient the drivers are, but the hot weather obviously influenced their mood. This suggests that the "aggressive" driving behaviour we frequently associate with warmer countries may simply be an effect of the climate itself. It is a valuable lesson: we should not look down on people in hotter climates or judge them as uncivilised.

But going back to the concept of climate adaptation, if these rising temperatures continue, I wonder if we will one day see humans transition into nocturnal beings, perhaps starting around the Mediterranean and other equatorial regions. Ultimately, whatever the future holds, either humanity will successfully adapt to the changing climate, or we will never even reach that stage because AI-powered super-humans have already wiped us from the face of the earth.

The infinity

Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Easter Break 2019

I have been visiting Sardinia, Italy, for a few years now, but this was my first trip to Costa Smeralda. My family and I spent a week there during the Easter break in 2019, exploring the fascinating landscape and marveling at the ghostly villas of the rich and famous—abandoned except for the summer months.

While going through the photos from the trip, I was particularly struck by one I took at Porto Cervo. Every time I looked at it, I felt an urge to walk down that path to infinity.

It made me reflect on an unfulfilled dream, or perhaps on a wasted youth, or maybe on unproductive time. It made me cry, and I ran away. It made me pray for salvation: Sardinia is not the end. And Nias was definitely not the start. Indeed, it sounds like a prayer.

Note: 1) The photo has not been edited to keep the location mark; 2) Proof read later.