Haptics (part 2): The trio of friends
The sound of our laughter echoed our ‘togetherness’. Even on our saddest days we could laugh our pains away, feeling lighter and happier. Our friendship bloomed at our workplace. We were management professors, wearing a serious demeanour in the class and merry and jolly later.
We shared everything, from our forbidden secrets to our silliest dreams.
Ten years of companionship and then, the worst happened, we separated. 2019, Shallu permanently settled in Canada, and 2021, I left the college while Neetu still teaches there.
Despite all the chats and hours of video calls, there was a void slowly creeping in. Even the tiniest obstacle now felt like a mighty mountain.
In 2025, we met after six longest years.
It wasn’t ‘words’ this time, nor the sound of our laughter! We rather quieted our restless minds with hugs, and filled our emptiness by soaking in each other’s energies.
We felt that our bond is deeper. I never knew holding hands and embracing friends in sheer silence could mean so much!
Our unconditional love has surpassed time and distance.
Touch (Haptics) is much more powerful than we think it is.
Don’t believe me, Read On…..
Touch speaks beyond words
Judee K. Burgoon opined that touch conveys intimacy, affection, and adds emotional depth to what you truly want to convey.
Need emotional healing?
An affectionate touch can help!
Research by Tiffany Field concluded that affectionate touch eases stress and creates a feeling of comfort and security. Perhaps that’s what the three of us friends felt when we met.
A heartfelt touch can convey your emotions accurately
Matthew J. Hertenstein et al. suggested that touch alone is a holistic communication channel capable of conveying complex emotions.
Words fail here!
In silence, we speak more and listen more !
Keep in mind Paul Watzlawick’s first axiom of communication,”one cannot not communicate.” We can talk through silence.
Touch is a universal language, never learned but instinctively felt by all. Humans, birds, animals and even plants have a basic need for affection.
Touch says it all.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
