Is it the weather that has changed? Or is it me?

This summer has been particularly hot. Even though I have air conditioning at home, and I can escape the heat in public transportation or stores, it still feels unbearably hot. When I think back to my childhood, when our whole family would endure the summer with just one fan, struggling to sleep through the tropical nights, people would spread out mats outside and sleep under the stars. We would think those days were harder to bear, but I feel like it's hotter now.

Yet, when I see teens playing soccer outside despite the scorching heat, I wonder if it's really the weather that's changed, or if it's just me who's become more sensitive to discomfort. With air conditioning and other conveniences that make it easy to cool down, maybe I've just lost the resilience to endure even a little warmth.

 

When I recall my time in the military in my 20s, drinking saltwater during training, it isn’t the heat itself but perhaps my attitude toward it that is different. Maybe it's not the climate that has changed so much, but rather my own mindset and perspective.

 

We talk about global warming and air pollution, but nature might still be holding onto the same form it had decades ago when I was young. The one who has changed is me—my attitude, my thinking.

 

Nature, which has endured for millions and billions of years, continues to do what it has always done.

 

It’s only humans who raise their voices, worry, and struggle over small changes that nature doesn’t even notice.