By Tommy Acosta
Sedona AZ (April 25, 2020) – Sedona was once known as the hugging capital of the world.
Everybody hugged in Sedona. We hugged each other. We hugged the trees. We hugged the red rocks. We hugged our pets. We hugged the vortexes. We even hugged cactus.
Now, it’s all over. No more hugs other than what we now call virtual hugs where we hug the air between us when we meet or say goodbye.
The fear became painfully apparent to me (as one who fears nothing but his ex-wife) when I met a friend in the parking lot of our local supermarket a few days ago.
She came at me for a hello hug and instead of going for it I recoiled. She picked up on my stop sign and backed up as well so we settled for a virtual one instead.
That’s when I realized I had joined the ranks of the fearful.
That was it. I was infected, not with the virus but fear of the virus.
I had fallen. I had lost. It was over. I was now, officially, one of them.
Then, a terrifying question rumbled up from my unconscious into the light of awareness.
Will we ever hug again? Can we ever hug again?
Has the fear imbedded itself into our minds and souls so deep that it will forever keep us apart; keep us from ever touching or getting too close to another human being you are not in a relationship with?
The answer, it seems, is yes.
The programming is complete. Whatever AI program or whoever is in charge of everything has created the perfect storm to separate us all from each other!
Can you imagine going on a first date with someone wearing a mask and when you get close enough to take it off the person is as ugly as sin?
I mean, how are couples going to kiss with their masks on? We can’t even hold hands for heaven’s sake. With so much fear who would want to exchange bodily fluids through a kiss? Never mind love making.
Zoom dating is the future. We may even end up having to have Zoom weddings and honeymoons.
We have all been separated from the social life we once led. We can’t even go to each other’s homes now to hang out because of the lockdown. We can’t go to church and our kids can’t go to school.
What do we have to wait for to get our lives back to a semblance of normality?
Will the President go on TV and tell everyone that it’s now OK to ditch the masks and hang out and maybe even start hugging again?
I don’t thinks that’s going to happen any time soon. Even with the permission of our leaders people will simply be too scared to hug or kiss or hold hands.
There will be no going back to the pre-virus days. The fear has been too deeply ingrained.
People might even be too scared to hug their parents, their siblings, their spouses and even their children.
Will people stop dating? Will our dwindling birth rate in this country plummet to near zero because people are afraid to get near each other?
Will there be any more sports events or concerts even after we get the OK from our herders?
The fact is we are broken. Like animals kept in a cage too long we will fear to move even when the gate is opened.
The fear is to deep for removal. Things will never be the same. This depression we are now experiencing is not just financial. It’s psychological as well.
So sad we have had our dignity and camaraderie thus taken from us.
Darn. I need a hug…
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6 Comments
YES WE CAN !!!
Yesterday, I shared a cigarette with a neighbour, gave her a thank-you hug.
When her boyfriend turned up I gave him a congratulatory hug for a recent achievement. Then we sat down together to work out an exercise plan we can do together as we both need to lose a few pounds.
Later I went to a supermarket and bumped into someone I hadn’t seen for ages. Naturally, big hugs! We did our shopping together and when we left the building found her car was parked near mind and so met her husband and children – more hugs!
And guess what? Ya never gonna believe this! When I arrived home, there was a friend waiting for me with some plants. So thanks for the plants! Grateful hugs and then some gardening. Enjoyed that, brilliant sunshiney day.
Next thing ya know, my fruit an’ veg box was delivered. Nope, didn’t hug the delivery driver, but did spend a couple of hours juicing with the Champion Juicer.
Shared the juice with neigbour as a thank-you for sharing cigarette – that meant more hugs!
Was a real huggy day for me!
I’ll give you a hug!
I knew it was all over a few weeks ago when I saw one of my son’s friends in Walmart and we shook hands and then both were shocked at what we had unthinkingly done. It’s a real empty feeling to think of good times and consider that they will never happen the same way again.
No, no! Don’t give fear the upper hand! That’s the plan… We are social creatures, as well as thinking and co-creating creatures. See, sense and feel our world returning to a new sanity with Nature instead of fighting with Her. Go to ground. Lie on the earth. Sense the air and birdsong. Don’t give up! Remember your training all these years. Big hug.
OH Tommy you are so amazing.. took the thoughts right out of my head…. Hugs to you soon… Ms Liberty
Reasonable caution does not equal fear.
Friends want friends to stay well. But the Novel Corona virus is replicating invisibly in nice people, too. Who knows which ones?