Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 21 degrees, warm, overcast and with rain.
A lazy day inside at home because of the rain. We knew it was going to rain, but we did not think it would rain all day and be cold for Carioca standards.
In England, it is naturally cold most of the time. In Rio, it should only be a little cold in the winter months. What makes the feeling of cold more pronounced in Rio is that homes lack central heating, unlike in England and much of Europe.
Not even in some parts of the South of Brazil, which can get very cold, similar to England and the north of Europe, is there central heating. Until now, very few residences in the South of Brazil have any form of heating, so people have to wear coats and layers inside their own homes, which I think is crazy.
England can be bitterly cold in spring and autumn, as well as in the winter months, obviously, but at least there is central heating to resolve the problem.
In Rio, I do not mind the cold because, again, it is not that cold. If you compare it with England, now, at this exact moment, when it is summer in England and winter in Brazil, 9 times out of 10, England is colder than Rio, which, again, in some ways, is a little crazy.
I do not mind living in the cold in Rio. I know it is temporary. I know it is only for a short time, and it will return to much warmer temperatures, eventually reaching oven-like heat in the summer.
What interests me is how weather and temperature shape how we live and behave. Living in a warmer climate, people are happier, freer, more sociable and probably healthier, with fewer problems related to the cold.
When living in a colder climate, people are less happy, I would say even more impatient and even more aggressive, more trapped and isolated within their homes, less sociable because they cannot get out, so much and noticeably iller because the harsher, colder weather beats and batters the body and punishes the people who dare to go out in it every day.
Thinking about it, you are punished when you go out and when you stay in because, when you cannot go out, the weather limits your activity.
But what I have also noted, and which has been statistically proven, is that warmer regions are traditionally poorer and less wealthy. Obviously, there are exceptions, but this tendency is evident across many areas and countries worldwide.
The north of Italy is much wealthier than the south, which is warmer. Africa is a relatively warm continent, with the Sahara Desert and its surrounding countries to the north, whereas the south of Africa is wealthier and relatively cooler.
Historically, the South, which is much colder than the North, is much wealthier, while the North isconsidered one of the poorest regions of Brazil.
What I have noticed in the past and still notice now is that many of my school friends from childhood and adolescence look older and have health issues, whereas I do not have these issues to date.
I would also say this is clear when I met my brother, who is 3 years younger than me, but I would consider, and people also consider, that he looks older than me.
Everything in life is a compromise. Living in Rio is good to a certain point, but we are, in general, poorer. We do not have the financial, economic, or political stability and infrastructure of England and Europe.
Even with money, we are still poorer than in European terms. People have more money and are more financially comfortable in Europe, but not necessarily happier or with a better quality of life.
There are always compromises in life; you have to choose the best one for you!!!
In bed by 11 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
