|| Need of Human Touch ||

It has been proven over the years that human touch is the best healing medicine. It is also said that human touch is the best expression of love and compassion. During the pandemic, when every individual has faced panic situations, whether educated or not, in difficult times such as a pandemic or any natural calamity, every human on this world map has survived because of the touch called human touch. In this high-tech world, we have all forgotten the value of human touch. Until we reach extreme difficulty, we don't realize the need for human touch. Those people who live in a world of selfies will think of human touch only when they have no other option. In this fast-paced race, people feel inferior if they share, and this consciousness of being alone, not sharing with others, affects their mental health, sometimes leading to giving up on life. They prefer to try to think on their own but do not prefer to share those difficulties with anyone.

The basics of the sense of touch dictate that you can feel any part of your body because your skin contains numerous tiny nerve endings. These send messages to the brain regarding what you are touching. Even when holding things, we notice how they feel; it may be rough or smooth, sharp or soft, hot or cold. Our sense of touch conveys all these sensations. Furthermore, it is responsible for our ability to feel pain. Some parts of your skin can perceive sensations more keenly than others. Our fingers, toes, and lips are the most sensitive organs in this regard. Tiny hairs covering our skin also contribute to our ability to sense when we are feeling cold or experiencing fear. It's also said that signals traveling to and from other parts of our body, such as the eyes, mouth, ears, and skin, are entirely controlled by different areas of our brain.

Why am I delving into the basics of touch? It's because touch sensations are being replaced by technology—phones, iPads, and computers. Human touch is vanishing, so how will our brains function? Will they work like robots, lacking mental stability? Just imagine the situation. Recently, I had a conversation with a math teacher who teaches middle school kids. She mentioned that children are so accustomed to using phones, iPads, and studying on computers (thanks to the coronavirus) that when a child was given a math problem in a book, they didn't know how to hold the book, look into it, and solve the math problems. Do you see where we are heading? Our future children might lack knowledge of feelings and emotions, and when they are older, we will seek their attention and care. How can we expect that when we've only taught them to rely on scientific facilities?

 

Earlier, whether it was Lord Krishna or Lord Rama, if you read their stories, they had numerous followers and devotees, such as Shabari, many gwalas, and gopis. Instead of waiting for devotees to come to them, they personally went to meet their beloved devotees and bless them. Many of our ancestor kings and queens also used to change their attire and personally visit their kingdom's people or villagers to see if anyone was in pain. They reached out personally to offer help. Human interaction and a personal touch in dealing with day-to-day things were the key to their survival and happiness. Nowadays, we are turning to telemedicine for doctors' appointments, lacking the personal connection with patients. Many people are working from home, leading to no personal meetings, only short and quick Zoom calls. It's no wonder that our mental health issues are increasing.

Earlier, I organized a blissful fashion show for special kids, which included those who were visually impaired, mentally challenged, hearing impaired, and physically handicapped. Recently, we also organized a garba and dandiya event with special kids, where around 625 children participated from 20 special schools in Mumbai. Many of my family friends asked, 'What will you achieve by doing such projects? They will not be able to enjoy it the way we do.' I agree, but I feel these special kids face all the challenges from the time they are born. They have the courage to survive, and if human touch is added, they can work miracles. During the fashion show, we all walked with them, wearing smart clothes, and during the dandiya and garba event, we played with them. They felt included and a part of normal society.

 

I feel, and it's been proven, that kindness in words creates confidence, while kindness in thinking fosters profundity. The best kindness is achieved when there's a clear and honest human touch behind it. The day of doing garba with those kids was a profoundly soul-satisfying event for all of us volunteers who worked, enjoyed, and played garba with them. They never hesitated to play with us, not forming groups but enjoying every moment of it. Having the opportunity, which they had only heard about or seen on social media – a live concert – was a significant confidence booster for them. Every child was overjoyed to receive gifts and prizes. They were genuinely happy for each other; there was no competition, just pure enjoyment. Isn't this something we need to learn from them? They are the best examples of understanding the value of human connection. For them, every moment was a bonus.

 

However, something saddening happened during this event. We had a celebrity guest who insisted on being the only guest at the event. She brought her media for coverage, and the unfortunate part is that the media only focused on her arrival and celebration with the special kids. There was no recognition given to these special kids. Even though the special kids were not concerned or bothered by it, the scenario reflects a lack of value for human touch or feelings. It appears that we prioritize money, glamour, and showmanship over genuine human connection. We give more credit to entertainers than the value of lives in need. In light of this, how can we expect a reduction in mental health issues or the survival of our planet with a genuine human touch, when all we do is lament natural calamities hurting us?

Lord Krishna advises to love without condition, talk without intention, give without reason, and care without expectation; this embodies the spirit of true love. But do we possess the genuine human touch required for this? Our brains operate at their best and most efficiently when they experience real and honest human connections. Recently, someone mentioned the importance of spreading positivity in every possible place. However, I believe that understanding the essence of positivity starts with learning the basics of human touch. Once we comprehend this, positivity will naturally flow. I have personally experienced this phenomenon. What about all of you?