Dr Wright said the study supported the idea that the equator was home to the lion’s share of the world’s species because organisms there respond to the warm conditions by speeding up their metabolism and reproducing faster.
– Ian Sample, guardian.co.uk
Where there is more energy there is, in general, more life.
– Colin Tudge, The Tree
Life unfolds at a faster rate the closer you get to the equator. There is more biodiversity in the tropics than anywhere else in the world. Warmth begets life.
But do warmer climates enhance creativity?
Hemingway famously made a home in Key West. The Rolling Stones frequented Jamaica to write and record throughout the 70’s. Hunter S. Thompson jumped at the chance to write for a newspaper in Puerto Rico. Was it the pleasant weather and relaxed vibe that drew these writers to the Waist of the World, or does the ever-present Sun in these locales encourage creative pursuits? (And, if so, the Truth may not be so Inconvenient after all…)
There may be little connection at all, but I find it interesting that biology accelerates precisely in the areas of the world we consider to be “paradise.” Life and the propagating of species is the very definition of “creating” and “creativity.” It’s curious that we refer to things as “bright” ideas, and categorize colors in art as “warm” and “cold.” An artist with a string of hit singles is “hot” and we put good ideas on the “back burner” when we want to work on them at a later date.
Our language may be trying to tell us something about ourselves. Also, I may be trying to justify a trip to the Caribbean…
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