Happy touch...

Just a quick thought from a discussion thing-a-majig I had to do for the little business class I'm in. Juvenile topic but it's something that doesn't get enough visibility. Are we really better off as a developed nation? Are we actually a developed nation? Quite honestly, I think we are about as far from being advanced as human beings as it can get. I mean, sure we have cool technology and we are connected and live comfortably for the most part. Aside from the perpetually homeless, nobody in the US lives directly on top of an active landfill like they do in some Haitian villages. Does that make us any happier? Does living in a 'developing' nation mean those people are less happy? I don't think so.

There are too many variables in this kind of argument to say there is one answer in any direction but overall I think we have a skewed view on what it means to be 'happy' in this world. I'm happy on my own little level but it isn't because I live in an upper quality apartment in an area with one of the highest costs of living in the US. I'm not happy simply because I have a light switch to turn on a light and a ceiling fan to sit and type on my obnoxiously expensive Apple computer. I'm not even happy because I'm currently sitting here dressed in clothes that I paid over a few hundred bucks for. I really don't know how to explain what I'm happy about. It's sure as hell not because of anything that capitalism and greed and envy has gotten me.

There was a point in time recently that I met a new person. She was in the presence of her boyfriend. She is a very friendly and open person, but in the moment of sharing goodbyes I noticed something extremely disturbing. She went to hug me but stopped. Odd? This action actually happened a few times. It was semi-apparent that a more 'PC' form of departing words and actions was appropriate. A simple handshake and a 'nice to meet you' was all that came out. So why not just give a heartfelt hug? It made my heart hurt a bit. Is this the society we have become? The feeling may or may not have been mutual but why have we become a species of humans that disregards human contact and interaction based on the risk of hurting the feelings of others? Has pride and ego really taken over us?

We've lost touch with touch. We've lost touch with what we really are as human beings. We are a soul, whether infinite or finite, that is having an experience in this physical realm. Why can't we accept and explore every bit of it? This person mentioned above was a beautiful woman with some excellent knockers, but that's not my motivation for seeing the desire to wrap an arm around a person and embrace them as another body-bound soul who yearns to experience the touch of another. Just because a person hugs another does not always mean there is a sexually driven cause for the matter. Or is it the fact that we as humans understand so little about each other that we segregate physical contact from our everyday interaction? Maybe some people have no idea what the power of real interaction up to and including sex can really do for a person or persons. How many people out there can truly say they've had soul tearing sex before? The kind where all you want to do is find a way deeper inside the other person? Has anyone experienced that from a simple hug or caress of the hand? Even a look in the eye? We are in no way a developed nation or society. Not even close.

We turn to mechanisms such as religion, taboo sex, cliches, personalities etc., to try and define our experience here on earth. I'm not saying we all need to start having open relationships and random sex, but we need to be open to the possibilities that allowing interaction, as uncomfortable as it may be at the time, may give you more than you've ever imagined. To the bitchy girl that snubs me when I say hi or give a nod, does she not realize that there are people out there like me that would take a mere ten seconds to give someone else my utmost attention and affection? Chances are she's being bitchy for reasons that she doesn't need to be. If I see despair or stress in someone's eyes, wouldn't it be nice to walk up, give a genuine hug and tell them that everything will be alright? For some people, it would be more than they've ever experienced from anyone else in their entire life. For many, we will never experience it because we are unfortunately in a world where we have to judge other's motivations. Aside from my idealistic thoughts on the matter, it's no wonder that the bitchy girl walking down the street doesn't want the experience of sharing her soul with a complete stranger. He/she may take it the wrong way, drag her into a back alley, rape her and leave her for dead. We are in a sad downward spiral that I don't believe we can get out of.

We are going down the wrong path to be happy. We are loving ourselves more and more and immersing ourselves in technology that keeps us clearly segregated from people that we may or may not benefit from being around. It's pretty sad when you can figure out the status of a friendship or acquaintance by the action or inaction of 'friending' on social media. It's actually pretty fuckin' stupid.