Thursday, February 10, 2011

looking from the hand to love...

We know that the most important things in our lives are inexplicable. We are not necessarily rational beings, despite our protestations and delusions that we are. We weigh pros and cons, make lists of them, and then are swept away by a simple touch. Industries invest millions to try to figure things out. Love is one of those things that defies reason on the most personal level.  Research has shown that we often make our best decisions when we act impulsively, in contrast to whatever the prevailing wisdom might be.

I have been invited to speak for 10 minutes at our local UU church on the subject of love, having to do with Valentines Day.  I am one voice of several. Love is a messy subject that concerns us all, and so what do the hands grasp of love that our intellects perhaps do not? I invite my readers to share in the formulation and refinement of my thoughts for this brief presentation. Think about your hands and the relationships with others in your lives. An obvious suggestion is holding hands. What does that simple thing tell us about love? Help me out if you like. If not, proceed. Carry on. Make, fix, create. We may be rowing against the tide for now, only to be best prepared.

Today in my wood shop I'll be continuing to work on my final cabinets for the book. The key cabinet is shown in the photo above complete with a working door knob.
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3 comments:

  1. Chris Sagnella11:26 AM

    Doug-

    Speaking with our hands. We use our hands to communicate while we speak. Everyone does this. Very rarely do we have a conversation with somebody where we are not using our hands to help convey the meaning of our thoughts and words. Can love and emotion in our hearts be expressed with the help of our hands during conversation? I think so, but then again, I am a romantic realist. Wish I were in the audience at the church.

    -Chris

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  2. Doug Stowe11:41 AM

    Susan Goldin-Meadow's research on gesture, indicates that the hands speak more truthfully than words alone. Thanks for the suggestion for my talk. I'll publish it here first, so you will not have to be attending. It will be brief.

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  3. Anonymous4:51 AM

    Doug:

    I come from a culture where people touch, and they hug each other. It's a part of love, of contact, just as making something with our hands for someone is an expression of it.

    Mario

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