basic necessity

We all have different things that make us feel loved and appreciated. For some it's hearing the words, for others its getting rewards. For some still its doing things for  them, and spending lots of time with them, and for some its physical touch. I'm very much a mix of the quality time and physical touch. As such I'm slow to call people friends.  Research has shown how important the power of physical touch is.

Here's some things you might have heard about before: 

"In the thirteenth century, King Frederick II conducted an experiment with fifty infants to determine what language they would speak if never permitted to hear the spoken word. So he assigned foster mothers to bathe and suckle the children but forbade them to fondle pet, or talk to their charges. The experiment failed because all fifty infants died. We learned hundreds of years later that babies who aren’t touched and cuddled often fail to thrive.

The world has recently been exposed to yet another example of neglected and abused children. Mary Carlson, a researcher from Harvard Medical School, observed an overcrowded Romanian orphanage, where row upon row of babies lay neglected in their cribs. The staff was hopelessly overworked, so the babies were rarely touched even at mealtime. What struck Carlson was the silence in the nursery. There was no crying, no babbling, not even a whimper. Upon physical examinations given at age two, Carlson found that the babies had unusually high amounts of a stress hormone in the blood called cortisol, which is known to damage the brain. Growth was stunted, and the children acted half their age" from this article

I've heard about these examples in countless classes throughout undergrad and graduate school but it amazes me that our culture is so "personal space" oriented. Don't get me wrong I don't like to be touched by people I don't know. But while physical touch in a sinful way is more prevelent, it seems that physical touch in a simple hug seems to be more rare.

I grew up in a church where everyone hugged everyone. You didn't have to know eachother you were part of the church family. Now it was a southern baptist church... so that makes a difference. But I notice the church I attend now I don't see people around me hugging a lot. Is that wrong or bad? No. It's just interesting to me that our culture has shifted (or maybe its just where I live now).

Regardless, there is something amazing about the power of a hug.  Now I personally don't hug other men outside of my fiance. I do this out of respect to him, and there are a few exceptions like my cousins, my uncle, and a few other people but I just  know its something that we waiting on and I don't think that I should just give that so freely to everyone. Hugging is special. and I believe that there is something personal about a hug.

There are lots of examples in the bible where Jesus used touch to heal people. While we might not be able to restore sight or the ability to walk I'd argue that we can still heal people on some level with a good hug.

Alright. I have a graduate paper to work on :) Hope if you are someone who is very distant that you will think about how to be warm and inviting to people. I'm not saying hug everyone but sometimes even just being friendly in how you speak to them can be helpful. As for family and close friends: cherish the time you have to hug them, because you never know when it will be your last. We aren't promised tomorrow and life is short so hug the people you love as often as you can.