Singers Rick Springfield (1983) and Bruce Springsteen (1992) each wrote and sang great songs called “Human Touch”. Springfield sang, “We all need the human touch.” Springsteen sang, “I just want something to hold on to / And a little of that human touch.” These are sentiments that many, perhaps most, earthlings can relate to, at individual physiological and emotional levels.
Hawai’i leads the league in friendliness via the Aloha spirit, which often includes the human touch. We also top the Center for Disease Control’s annual state list in per-capita flu cases. We hug people we just saw yesterday; we pull/hug bruddahs when we shake hands; people honi, pressing noses and inhaling, as an exchange of ha– the breath of life- and mana– a spiritual mix of energy, humility, and respect. Human touch is an integral part of our very existence, and now it’s really been thrown for a loop.
We’re separating today not due to political arguments or disagreements about passion issues like the TMT or short-term rentals, not by class stature or by where you went to class. No, we keep our distance nowadays because of the novel coronavirus scourge- COVID-19. Fist or elbow bumps, head nods, small waves, bowing- that’s how we say hello and goodbye (or should) in 2020. A UH-Mānoa Hawaiʻinuiākea professor/kumu has proffered the concept of Kapu Ola Aloha (“a loving restriction that preserves life”). Beautiful. A novel concept for the novel coronavirus.
“Social distancing” is nowadays not only acceptable, but preferable. No human touch today means you really do care. Normal acceptance of being in close proximity to others is exactly what makes this virus so dangerous and why so many events, meetings, and public gatherings have been cancelled… for now.
When this novel coronavirus situation is finally under reasonable control, treatable, and perhaps preventable, let’s keep hygiene standards in the forefront relating to inter-personal and public contact. Let’s refrain from going to work when ill. Over 41,000 Americans died annually from 2014-2019 due to the flu- yes, every year- and that ailment has proven vaccinations readily available, plus treatments, unlike with COVID-19 today. We normally go about life with little thought to flu facts- and 41,000 Americans die annually (including over 500 people here). We can all cautiously respect individual space and valued customs without completely giving up the human touch, or the vital essence of the Aloha spirit.
Think about it…