There’s a popular phrase that says that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. While this may or may not be true, I would like to change it to: a hug a day keeps loneliness at bay.Depending on what part of the world you live in, hugs are or are no part of your daily life.
In the country I live in, hugs are sometimes given, but often people regard them with suspicion, as something that can hold an ulterior motive.
And yet, hugs are extremely important for social cohesion. Physical contact – not related to sex – is very important to society. If people had more physical contact, they would be more understanding to one another, there would be more peace.
It is therefore incomprehensible that there are societies where physical contact is either not tolerated in public (e.g. China) or banned altogether, such as Islamic countries where a man and woman are not even allowed to shake hands.
It is my conviction that the less a society allows physical contact, the more intolerable it is towards others. The same goes for people.
That being said, I do understand that some people may not like having their private space invaded. But I am not talking about hugging just anyone. I am talking about giving a hug to the people you love and care for or simply just like very much, not about hugging a complete stranger.
Why don’t you give it a try? Give a hug to someone your really like a lot and of whom you knows that (s)he likes you too. You may be surprised of how good that feels, not only to you but also to the person you hugged. Physically feeling that someone really likes you is without a doubt one of the best feelings in the world.
Don’t miss out on it!
Thomas and his blog 