About Human Hibernation

Post 706:

Hibernation is an extraordinary phenomenon, one of those nature things that we take for granted because it’s a nature thing and, well, that’s nature for you. I’ll link to an article about the physiological and genetic aspects of hibernation, but it got me thinking about some other rest-related things I’d like to expand on.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/science/hibernation-bears-winter-health.html

Bears have something figured out. It makes sense to skip winter. Winter sucks. It’s not the cold or the fact that it’s hard to tell who’s attractive. It’s a gestalt of desolation and bleak sauce.

Or maybe you like winter. The point is, bears have a look at something they don’t like, and they simply opt out. I understand some of the science behind this, but why are bears and the other species that hibernate so lucky? Is it a special sort of evolved laziness? Maybe God just said, “You guys and gals get a season off. Find yourself a nice cave and shut it down.”

I wonder what we could get done with a whole season to recharge? I like to think that skipping the hard parts of life would make me a better and more productive person, but I’m not sure. There’s all those lessons one learns from trials and tribulations that you’d miss out on. That would be a shame.

I guess.

Here’s what I think. We can’t be bears, and that sucks. They’re furry and cuddly and also menacing and vicious, and they sort of look like they’re up to no good when you see them in the wild. That said, we can give ourselves a break here and there. The bad and the brittle can’t be avoided at every turn, but you can turn it off when it gets too much. Take a bear day. Even a bear hour. No? I don’t have time, either. Maybe I’ll sneak in a bear minute.

Cheers and see you after.