Hugs

There has been a lot said about when it will be safe to hug again! Soon is promised. I read of one person commenting: “that doesn’t include me.” This got me into thinking about social distance and how our closeness to each other runs [say] from intimacy to failures in emotional intelligence [and empathy]. But then I thought of how we respond to each other. Let me try a few examples:

• When we were young people would have thought us rude if we didn’t reply to letters – now emails and texts ‘loiter.’

• Given my 40 years working for the Methodist Church preaching and teaching: the response “that made us think,” didn’t always feel sufficient.

• TV and social media suggest we need mega-followers or the status of celebrities or the wages of footballers to be successful – and yet lives are fulfilled, nonetheless.

• And of course, there are our own efforts in writing and drawing.

Meeting other people and being in relationship with them is at the centre of our human journey, hugs or not!