DO NOT TOUCH

HARISH MONGA

The moment you read these three words – Do not touch -, there is always an urge to touch and see what happens or how I feel.  Mostly, these words are displayed at the museum where very rare things are displayed to avoid deterioration.

Why do people think it’s okay to touch someone without their permission? Yes, the moment you feel the things attractive or feel affection towards for someone, you feel to touch or hug him-her.

Humans are wired to be touched. From birth until the day we die, our need for physical contact remains.

Being touch starved — also known as skin hunger or touches deprivation — occurs when a person experiences little to no touch from other living things.

Indeed. The condition seems to be more common in countries that are becoming increasingly touched averse.

Research has found that missing out on regular human touch can have some serious and long-lasting effects. For example, a study measured to what degree people welcomed touch in five countries. Finland and France were found to be at the top, while the United Kingdom was at the bottom.

We have seen, during the COVID-19 pandemic, that many people are losing out on workplace handshakes, friendly hugs, or pats on the back, which can result in feelings of touch starvation.

For some, the pandemic has also brought a decline in sensual touching, such as holding hands, back-scratching, and foot rubbing, too.

Why cultures vary in their acceptance of touch, no one is sure. It may be due to the rise in technology use, fear of touching being viewed as inappropriate or cultural factors.

Back in the “olden days” aka my youth, there was an awareness of how to behave politely towards other people, and this code of conduct was called “social etiquette”. Children were taught the basic rules of etiquette, which included rules regarding who is allowed to touch whom, where, how, and under what circumstances. Anyhow, touching anything without permission is against social ethics.  It is better to discuss and put wiser yourself by asking about your curiosity on seeing something peculiar. Then, have a feeling of touching only by asking.

But don’t ignore the effort of a person who tries to keep in touch.  It’s not all the time someone cares; there might be something special or emergent even.  Well young educated and sensible towards their lifestyle especially the females, say, despite the fact we love each other but don’t touch until we are settled.

Mobile which is the most wanted and latest electronic gadget, always 24×7 on, in one’s hand, except kept by the bedside before sleeping. In a lighter way, someone even has made the home screen of words – Don’t touch my phone. Even another one is funnier, put it as Phone is locked, kiss me to unlock.  One can learn also from the wounds, from a medical point of view – to heal a wound, you need to stop touching it.

What about, in times of war, don’t touch the guns; stay as a human! Always refuse to be a killer! Will it be possible?  No, not at all.  We have seen this in the recent Russia-Ukraine War.

Frankly speaking, sometimes we look but don’t see, listen but don’t hear touch but don’t feel. There could be many more factors behind ‘Do Not Touch’ version. But if one sense fails, the others step in. It has happened in the case of visually impaired persons.   Even the parents were very conscious when during my visit to a foreign land when I was objected to touching the cheek of a lovely hardly 4 years old child.

 ‘Do Not Touch’ would probably be a really unsettling thing to read in braille by visually impaired persons.