Fire and Ice – The Value of a Touch

Emotions are like seeds and you can choose to feed them or to kill them.

All my life I’ve been a very emotional person. My emotions are a driving force that help to provide a voice in my writing.

In the past decade I have run into more circumstances than I expected, that put me in such an extremely emotionally stressful situations, that at times it had been absolutely unbearable. The past five years have proven to be some of the most difficult years I’ve ever experienced. During these turbulent times, I’ve chosen to be numb and bury my emotions.

However, emotions being what they are, cannot remain buried forever. They must reach, and grow to the surface eventually… Otherwise they can rot away at the very core of who and what we are.

They sometimes rise to the surface with the ferocity of liquid fire, boiling over and sometimes exploding on anyone within reach. Other times they crack off of the human soul like ice, causing a person to burst out crying when they least expect it and for no apparent reason at all. Or perhaps laugh at something that completely lacks humor.

What happens when the tides are too strong to be moved and diverted? Is there a limit to what we as humans can handle emotionally? I think that it’s only through our ability to express (artistically) and connect with one another that can allow us to hold back the tidal waves that bite at the seawall of our soul.

Even our artistic and creative expression can be disturbing, disjointed and empty. In these most dire of times, what can we do to ensure that we don’t fall into the abyss of cascading downward thought?

I believe there is only one real answer, and sadly one that not everyone finds, is love. It doesn’t have to be romantic love, it can be love from a friend, an acquaintance, or simply a touch from another person that cares. I remember as a child, my grandparents, teachers and friends… They always had no problem touching a shoulder, giving a hug or providing comfort when it was needed.

What has happened to our society that it is so wrong to be touched? We seem to have a hard time as a society finding a comfortable balance between ‘comfort’ and ‘discomfort’. Is it wrong for a person that you don’t know very well to put a hand on your shoulder or on your hand?