I have always been someone who is touchy feely. I do hug people I love / like a lot as a greeting & if there is something wrong in their lives or just to show my feelings. I know I also touch people in conversation on the arms or legs if we are sitting. (That can send out the wrong signals if the other person is a man. I do it automatically & do try to remember to apologise to clear up any misunderstanding!) Other people don't necessarily feel the same though & one has to respect that they don't like very close personal contact. I have friends who who prefer a certain distance.
I'm not so keen on hugging & kissing people I don't know that well. It all seems so shallow & meaningless. Also there is the issue of how many kisses - 1,2 or 3. I have had the problem of missing the cheek & ending up on the mouth! How embarrassing is that.
That is why I'm really pleased that the Ebola epidemic does finally seem to be coming under control thanks to the brave work of so many people. How does one watch someone one loves die in a terrible way without being able to give them the comfort of human warmth through touch? It must be almost impossible to resist the urge, especially when the victims are babies or young children or the aged.
I really hope we have internalised the lessons of this outbreak & politicians & governments will put proper protocols in place now. The drugs companies do finally seem to have fast tracked research for this hitherto Cinderella of an infection. Hopefully the resultant drugs will be within the capability of emerging nations to purchase.
The world is imbalanced on all sorts of levels. The poor are too often the victims. Whole families have been wiped out by this. Everyone directly concerned is scarred for life. We are capable of doing better & we should. Now.
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