top of page
a2.png
Image by Martin Wettstein

SHARE THE COLD: What Penguins Teach us about Survival—and What We Owe Each Other Now.

​

by Karli Elizabeth, PHD(C)

Karli Elizabeth is a PhD student mom, health and wellbeing scientist and founder of The Well-Being Scientist, who believes that true well-being isn’t just an individual pursuit, but a collective one. 

This article was originally published on Substack as part of The Well-Being Scientist, and is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author.
 

​

Photo: Martin Wettstein

​

​

​

"Penguins don’t thrive alone.​ They live because they share the cold. ​​ There’s no hierarchy in who deserves warmth. No one is left at the edge forever. There is a quiet, mutual understanding: everyone’s survival depends on shared discomfort."
 

​

In the brutal winters of Antarctica, emperor penguins huddle in tight circles, taking turns at the outermost edge where the cold bites hardest. Every few minutes, they shuffle—rotating positions—so no penguin bears the burden of exposure for too long.
 

Scientists call this “thermal cooperation.”
 

I call it a lesson in collective care.

​

This practice isn’t symbolic. It’s survival.

​

Penguins don’t thrive alone.

​

They live because they share the cold.

​​

There’s no hierarchy in who deserves warmth. No one is left at the edge forever. There is a quiet, mutual understanding: everyone’s survival depends on shared discomfort.

 

Racialized, immigrant, and undocumented communities have long known how to survive harsh systems.

​

When formal support is withheld, we create our own warmth:
 

  • Underground networks

  • Mutual aid and peer support systems

  • Late-night WhatsApp threads & reddit chats 

 

We’ve made sanctuaries out of what we had:

​

  • Families hiding others in their homes

  • A church, a mosque, a neighbour’s backyard turned into safety

  • One immigrant family guiding the next through forms, housing, and survival
     

These acts of protection are rarely spotlighted.
 

But they are everywhere.
 

We’ve been huddling. Rotating who gets to rest. Sharing the cold.

 

And so here's the question I need to ask—gently but honestly:
 

To those of you who haven’t yet shared the discomfort…
 

What would it look like for you to take your turn at the edge?
 

  1. Can you offer warmth without waiting to be asked?

  2. Can you make space for others, not just in moments of crisis, but every day?

 

Here’s where that might begin:
 

  • Call your local representative about detention centers

  • Support sanctuary spaces and undocumented/newcomer-led organizations

  • Share your platform—without centering yourself

  • Take on risk—professionally, socially, financially—so others don’t always have to

 

Sharing the cold doesn’t always mean freezing.
 

Sometimes it simply means risking discomfort so someone else can feel safe.

​

​

Helpful Resources for Undocumented Folks in Canada

Immigrant Stories & Know your Rights with ICE

​

​

bottom of page