Con(tact)

My name is Chiara, I live in Bressanone and I was born with arms that end about 10 cm below the elbow. Despite this, I have chosen to talk to you about touch. Why did I choose this topic? I will try to explain briefly.

The lack of hands does not imply the absence of touch.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and detects various types of stimuli.

Touch, mediated by the skin, is essential for interacting with the environment, perceiving the shape and texture of objects, heat, cold and pain.

Many people who do not know me well are amazed at how I can write, type on a computer, and hold a glass of water without spilling it, but they do not realise that I use touch just as they do.

We all use touch, from the moment we are born, in a mechanical and habitual way, and for this reason we do not stop to think about how important it is.

Children learn about the world through touch, their hands, lips, face, etc.

They put everything they find in their mouths, not to eat it, but to explore it, to learn about its texture, softness, etc... As adults, we use touch in other ways. For example, when we greet each other, we shake hands, pat each other on the shoulder or back, hold hands, give a pat on the cheek or tickle each other, and if a child or person is sad, we can comfort them with a caress, a kiss or a hug.

This has become natural for us; when we do it, we don't think about it, we just use our sense of touch.

However, recently, there was a moment when all of us, or almost all of us, realised the importance of touch: it happened while Covid was raging.

We were forbidden to stand close to one another, to hug, to shake hands, to caress one another. The restrictions imposed by Covid led us to invent a new type of greeting: elbow to elbow. For us human beings, touch is important: we interact through it, it helps us in verbal communication, and it has important repercussions on our emotional and sentimental sphere.

Touch is essential, for example, for people who are visually impaired or blind.

To walk, they use a cane to feel the ground and avoid obstacles they encounter along the way.

To recognise an object, they need to pick it up, turn it over in their fingers, touch it, and feel its softness, hardness, or warmth. Only then can they identify it.

Through touch, thanks to Braille, they are able to read a book on their own. Nowadays, it is easier because there are audiobooks, which make reading easier for them. Thanks to touch, blind and visually impaired people can now learn about and appreciate works of art in museums where they can touch them and, through their size, shape and other characteristics, perceive their beauty, which they were previously unable to appreciate.

In these modern times, we are using technology more and more.

We touch the keys on our phones, ATMs and computers. We chat on social media or with friends; in short, we use our sense of touch.

From what I have said, the importance of touch is clear, and in spoken language, to allude to kindness and grace in social relationships, we say, not surprisingly, “have tact”! Let us welcome this beautiful suggestion...

Finally, I recommend hugging a tree to experience a wonderful feeling of gratitude, harmony and energy released by a simple gesture.