Smells and Bells

During the first week of May, we started a new unit: Touch. First, we had a massage therapist employed by professor give a presentation about her line of work. We also read The Deepest Sense by Constance Classen, which gave a history of touch in the Middle Ages. The masseuse’s presentation covered how she first got into the field, as well as how different massage therapies work on a patient. A memorable part of the presentation was the raki energy exercise with Ann and her sore shoulder. Three people got up, placed hands on her back, and directed positive energy at her shoulders. When they were done, Ann said her shoulder felt better. How? I could write this off as a placebo effect, but touch, after all, is the deepest sense. Touch is emotionally interconnected to our well-being, studies show babies need touch to develop healthily. In a theoretical sense, the raki energy exercise seems plausible because touch facilities the connection between two bodies, transferring warmth and go...

Sunday morning I had a conversation with my friend and we casually talked about how our days were going. He almost immediately began by telling me of the horrible stench he faced upon walking into the hallway of his building. It was after a long weekend of neighbors and visitors drinking while lounging on the couches outside of his room. He described the smell as "putrid" and went on to describe it as a terrible combination of vomit and lacrosse equipment from the athletic team down the hall. As he went on to describe this unspeakable smell, his tone was of awe and bitterness. It seemed to have ruin his whole morning despite it having just begun. I was interested in whether it was the fact that it was his own place of living that was partially vandalized that gave him such an emotional reaction, or if the smell itself had resonated and evoked emotion on its own. Nonetheless, if the hallway was a mess but smelt pleasant, I'm sure he would only be mildly irritated. Bu...