Why we’re only as smart as our ancestors

By Rachit Kansal:

Thousands of years ago, our great-great-great-great grand-daddies were shivering. After all, where could they go? There were over a thousand things waiting right outside their doorstep at night. Whether those be wolves, bears or biting wind and sleet. These shivering grand-daddies of ours were miserable. How much protection could their smelly animal hides really give them from the cold? One particularly cold night, one of our slightly smarter and slightly crazier grand-daddies exclaimed in shock. He had just felt something really hot and painful while rubbing some rocks together. All his brothers gathered around and he tried again.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Like most of our legends, this one about fire is probably inaccurate. Regardless, the story does illustrate an important point.

We humans have always and will always pursue comfort. It is a basic human need, just like the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water (or diet coke) we drink.

A couple of millennia later, we’re in a similar dilemma. Yes, we may not be in danger from bloodthirsty wolves anymore. But we are in danger from something far, far worse. Annoying family members.

Okay, maybe it’s not really their fault. Put more than one person under the same roof, and you will end up with some people feeling hotter than they want, others feeling colder than they want and then there are those douchebags who feel perfectly comfortable.

But the problem is still unsolved. Thousands of years have given us reliable heating and cooling inside our homes, protecting us from the elements outside. But we are still not comfortable. We are still not. We have super computers in our pockets, satellites able to pinpoint a rat within three meters and the ability to perpetually send selfies to people halfway across the world. But we are still not comfortable.

Every person in our homes deserves to be totally comfortable. Every person deserves a home that listens to, adapts to and works with them.

It’s time we figure out zoning. It’s time we get comfortable.