Here at the Western World, we´re sitting around getting depressed because of the long nights and the cold. Whilom, we burn the midnight oil and use up the planet´s resources trying to cheer ourselves up and keep ourselves warm. Mitsutaka Uchikoshi is an example to us all, entering a state of hibernation in which he survived for two weeks with a body temperature of twenty-two Centigrade. There´s also a lemur which hibernates for seven months: the option is open to us primates without medical support, though he did end up needing a lot of hospital treatment. Not surprising, since he was exposed on a mountain side at the time.
So, this is what i propose. Instead of weathering the winter the way we do now, we hibernate, partly to avoid SAD, but mostly to stop using the planet´s resources. We should also do something similar in hotter places to avoid overuse of resources in the tropics - basically an all-day siesta. Result: more food to go around, less depression, lower energy use, no negatives at all really. I´m not suggesting total hibernation, just stocking up around October time, going to bed for several days at a time and just generally not doing much all winter, or in other parts of the world, all summer, thereby saving the world.
Incidentally, this is after researching the facility to enable us to do this, which clearly exists somewhere in our make-up. I dunno, something herbal.-- nineteenthly, Dec 12 2008 treated for severe hypothermia, multiple organ failure and blood loss http://news.bbc.co....pacific/6197339.stmMitsutaka Uchikoshi [normzone, Dec 12 2008] Tha don´t know tha´s born http://uk.youtube.c...D52E5CC0EC&index=10Economic growth? Ha! [nineteenthly, Dec 13 2008] All mammals can hibernate. http://www.livescie...21_hibernation.html [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 13 2008] I was thinking the same idea when the pellet stove quit for the 3rd time this month. --Karl-- n81641, Dec 12 2008 I could get behind this. So, I suspect, could everyone else who's sick and tired of going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. Just taking off December and January would be a tremendous improvement. [+]-- gisho, Dec 12 2008 Just got to get my monthly bills to take the winter off too...-- n81641, Dec 12 2008 Well, this is the thing, [n81641], it would cut them. Not a lot of utility bills if everyone´s asleep in a cold dark house. Obviously it doesn´t help with the mortgage and so forth. Maybe a winter holiday from them too?-- nineteenthly, Dec 13 2008 Hibernating would destroy the economy. Got to keep moving. Got to keep spending money. That's the American way!-- ldischler, Dec 13 2008 This is baked to death in SciFi. I think the latest I read was Heinlein. People would sleep thru everything and time shift thru eternity.
Heck if this could work, I'd sell my house, buy a time share and live off the interest.
I read somewhere that sulfer-dioxide had some hibernating effects, though the stink may remove some of your sense of smell.-- MisterQED, Dec 13 2008 I understand that hibernation´s been done a lot in SF, but not for this reason. I could also go off into the Yorkshiremen sketch at this point, but i´ll just link to it instead.-- nineteenthly, Dec 13 2008 Hah!
Luxury. I remember a three kilometer walk to school in a minus fourty blizzard once when I was in grade seven I think it was. After a while it felt like walking on a beautiful spring day and the next thing you know, I'm laying down and scrunching myself up a nice snow pillow to take a little nap. Quite pleasant actually. My brother saved my life that day by dragging me the rest of the way by my hair.
True story.
Oh, and [link].-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 13 2008 random, halfbakery