What the world needs now is more cuddles. The art of intimacy is gone. What do you crave??? ( Let's keep it clean OKAY!!!!)
I think it's that emotional intimacy, being close to someone without fear of rejection. Cuddling is a physical expression of that to me.
Im not sure its gone completely, but I have definitely felt a culture shift in my lifetime. With the meteoric rise of social life online we are all accustom to and expect short surface level conversations. Most are not comfortable expressing themselves and similarly dont have the needed outlet with those close to them to explore how they feel about themselves deep down. I think for generations now the knowledge and understanding of basic human intimacy has been slowly becoming more missing from our childhoods, and often the missing ideals are passed down to the next. For so many Emotional trust and intimacy has become something we watch on media or dream about what it really feels like. when in the real world and trying to practice with the limited knowlegde and understanding we have it feels like no one truly understands how we feel because as individuals we are lacking the tools to access and express our own feeliings or needs.
I believe the physical platonic sharing that we practice during cuddling, can bypass all of these emotional gaps and safety walls, creating a true feeling of connection if we allow it. My fear is though that it is so temporary that if we do not practice acknowledging the feeling and expressing it in our daily lives afterwards the cuddles become a crutch or antiseptic to numb the hurt that we ignore.
@BluboySnugs encapsulated perfectly!
Thanks @downy101 Dont get me wrong though. I believe there has been change for the better and there is hope for a more balanced future. Communities like this are proof of that!
From my limited experiences, When i was a child it was still expected that men do not express emotional fears or needs at all. Lord forbid we actually cry. We were not even allowed to express ourselves in how we appeared without being labeled as counter culture ( hippie, preppy, grungy, metrosexual… etc ) These days outward self expression is expected so much that many young men have lost touch with a true grounded peace, if they have ever experienced it at all . My generation saw the hypcracy and limiting outlook damaging our emotional well being and decided to “opt out” We dug into our engrained self reliance and said “whatever” Young men and women these days have almost gone full tilt and express their wants so loudly they forget to look inward and ask “why do i really feel I need that?”
But the pendulum has swung from complete ignorance to pure honest apathy to genuine expression of hurting.. my hope is with all we have learned and developed thru the decades, the next culture swing will allow for a combination of inner self-reliance and open expression of feelings.. may be taking a little from what we have all learn and walking a new path.
“With our powers combined ….! “ 🤣
Open question though; How do you practice being open for and showing others social and emotional intimacy? I’m asking for a friend 😉 lol Even the small daily reminders to be the person we hope others can be for us, is a powerful tool to self growth.
I think being open about how you feel is always important. Having dialogue to understand each other is also critical. I speak to people. I'm a very verbal and empathetic person, So my day is full of reminding people as well as their reciprocating the energy.
@Velvetcomforter What does that look like when you are speaking to people daily with empathy? Are you always asking how people are with genuine interest maybe? How would you remind someone that you just met briefly ( like a coworker ) within the day that you are available for them and enjoy sharing ?