I miss having internet access at home. I tend to do my best writing at night. For some reason, when I'm lying awake in bed (when I'm supposed to be sleeping) that is when thoughts come my way....
Last night I was thinking about touch. There are different kinds of touch: passionate touch, romantic touch, affectionate touch, and just touch. To me, passionate touch should be kept within the bonds of marriage so there is no need to be discussing that here. Romantic touch is surely something I haven't had in a very long time: something between two people with romantic interests. There are certain kinds of touch that you would do in that situation that you wouldn't with just a friend. For example, I probably wouldn't stroke the cheek of a girlfriend. I might hold a girlfriend's hand, but the intent would be different. That would be more affectionate touch. Herein lies hugs, an arm around the shoulder, etc. And then there is just touch. A backrub, wrestling, a touch on the arm to get attention, etc. Sometimes those acts have the intent of affection behind them and they are usually done with people we are affectionate with, but sometimes they do not necessarily have the intent of affection behind them.
The reason I was thinking about it is because I think that as humans we crave touch. We crave all the different kinds of touch, really. I wonder if that is why sexual relations outside marriage has unfortunately become so acceptable, because homophobia keeps us from getting the other kinds of touch that our body really craves. When you consider someone with autism, they often also have sensory integration dysfunction. With these kinds of individuals, they really respond positively to deep pressure. It integrates them. And I wonder if there is something related with all human beings. We might not have a disorder that affects us so deeply, but I wonder if in some way that touch does the same kind of thing for us as it does for them.
Anyway. Just a thought.
