Connecting Point: To Touch or Not To Touch

Are we entering the later stages of what many have termed the COVID-19 pandemic? Maybe? Make no mistake this matter has been incredibly divisive all across the globe. I’ve had close friends die due to complications of this disease, others who have

rebounded slowly, and many others who have fared rather well. Let’s be honest, in reality, all our lives have been affected by this issue in one way or another.

My intention in bringing to light this hot button issue is not to further divide people or to silence any questions on either side of the

argument. I would be one to advocate for open dialogue on any matter. I’m concerned our society is adversely “silencing” good and helpful discourse, that which doesn’t devolve into condescending actions.

How valuable are human interaction and personal touch? Researchers have long studied the power of human touch, the findings are strikingly difficult to ignore. In the 1960s Romania had a large population of children living in orphanages, most of which had little to no human contact. Decades later as neurobiologist Mary Carlson and psychiatrist Felton Earl found these individuals to exhibit adverse behaviors including, “muteness, social withdrawal, and blank facial impressions.” Other studies concluded that infants with little human interaction experienced a high mortality rate.

Human interaction is vital! King Solomon gives us wisdom, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… a time to embrace and a time to refrain from

embracing,” (Ecclesiastes 3:1;5b). Has our society in recent years become unbalanced?

I’ve seen numerous cases where family members were forbidden to be by the side of their loved ones on their death bed, a time when love and affection are needed most. Other situations were an elderly parent in a care facility without contact other than the staff. Understandably many of these occurrences have been intended to slow the spread of illness. On the other hand, extensive separation and lack of human contact have negative repercussions, some of which include social anxieties and the development of various phobias, all on the rise.

There are indeed proper times for embracing; in fact, modern

neuroscience confirms the value of human touch by releasing

oxytocin, a hormone that promotes emotional bonding. Touch can calm down our nervous system, lowering heart rate and blood

pressure. Likewise, unwanted touch can negatively put harmful stress on our nervous system. God created our bodies to function in this manner.

How might we determine a proper balance of embracing others? One, be understanding of the differences of others and how they give and receive affection. Two, consent is the key to any form of touch.

When reading the Bible I’m stricken by Christ’s actions, in Mark chapter 1, he heals a man with leprosy. In that era such a disease was considered to be highly contagious, furthermore, anyone

affected was considered “unclean”. So Jesus defied cultural norms and Levitical law by touching and healing this man. Today medical science informs us that leprosy is less contagious, fear and custom can be motivating factors either positive or negative. Now I’m not suggesting that COVID-19 and leprosy are on an equal scale, they are not. What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t throw away the value of touch, let’s be balanced.