Touch
is probably the most intimate sense besides taste. We have to physically close
to something to touch it. For a particular memory regarding touch is hard to
think of besides some unique texture. The touch that immediately comes to my
mind is a smooth rock since I always thought rocks that were naturally smooth
were interesting. There is not really much of a story there but I suppose it is
in my head somewhere because that was the first example of touch that I thought
of.
Although
there is a second touch that I know well. I have a scar on my left index finger
that has a unique texture to it that is distinct from the rest of my hand. The
different feeling of scar tissue made me think of Constance Classen’s opening
on pain. In The Deepest Sense: A Cultural History of Touch, Classen comments
how “by rebelling against God’s will, humans had exchanged a perfect world for a fallen one
and doomed themselves to a painful existence from which not even the rich and
powerful could ultimately escape” (Classen 48). Classen states that pain is
essentially our punishment for the original sin. Having pain define our
mortality makes sense since if something is painful, then it has a good chance
to kill us.
Thinking of how pain is
the mark of this world is an interesting thought for touch. We discussed about
the positives of touch during the guest lecture and how touch can rejuvenate
us. So, while touch is generally associated with healing, it is intriguing how
the pain associated with touch is also part of how we define our world. While
touch can heal us, touch is also what defines our mortality because how else do
we experience physical pain besides some form of touch. The dichotomy of touch
to be a healing and uplifting sense while also being what defines pain and
suffering is interesting since the others senses are not always so clearly
associated with both the best and worst of what we experience.
I would agree that pain and suffering gives our lives and the world around us definition. Suffering is one of the fundamental facts of life, and if we don't do it, we can't grow or appreciate the good.
ReplyDeleteSick avatar reference dude. Anyways, I think this is one of the most remarkable things about our senses. Because they are all we have, each one contains within it the whole spectrum of human experience, from the most sublime pleasures to the most excruciating pains.
ReplyDeleteI think one reason why pain interests us (beside because it hurts!) is because it reminds us that we can feel something. I think this is especially the case with love and loss - we often prefer pain to no feeling at all, and can even be alarmed at ourselves when we don't feel pain that we think we should.
ReplyDelete