Makes you want to find this person and hug them - hard!Bear-Hug MeI read about how you touched them and they were healed.Or even if someone just touched your cloak they were forever changed.You let a broken women bathe your feet in her tears,And you washed your best friend’s feet.I am just wondering though did you just ever hug people?I mean I know that it is a silly question and all I am sure you would have why wouldn’t you?But its one of those things that was never mentioned that got me thinking about it...And how whenever there was a touch from you sins were forgiven and sickness fellI think I’m caught up in my sins.Last time I checked all my body parts were properly working, nothing special here...I am just a kid with a heavy heart these passing sunrises and sunsetsI don’t think our encounter would have ended up in the gospels or anything...Because all I really need is a hugThat is ok for me to imagine right?That’s not going to be conflicting with any sort of theology is it?Ok good, then hug me...But not one of these side ways one arm around the neck type hugsOr the ghetto right hand clasp fists elbows to chest pit pat on the back backOr you put your right arm over my right arm and I put my left arm over your left arm and we make this weird sort of diagonal thingNah none of those...BEAR HUG ME MAN!Take your old school carpenter arms and throw them over my upper body leaving my arms dangling underneath yours somewhere and I can barely move them because your squeezing so hard...But don’t pick me up and make my back pop because I hate it when people do that.And hold me, hold me here in your arms until I start to cry because
I WANT TO CRYBut I just can’t seem to do it on my ownI have been teary eyed once recently but not even enough for a drip down my cheekTheres just hurt in my soul that needs to be purged so hold me in this hold pose until the pain is flowing from my eyes and nose...
Strange follow up---The thing is - Arabs don't really hug....woman kiss on each cheek as they hold the arms of the other woman. Men take the other man's hand and pull them to them to hit shoulders or kiss on the cheek if they are close friends. And of course a man would not even think of touching a woman unless they are their mother or sister and even then there's not that much contact anyway. I think they need more hugging in the middle east. Maybe that's the way to win any war.
8 comments:
"Arabs don't really hug."
You know this, how?
We are very involved in the Arab community in our city and have lots of very close friends. I've been to all their homes, weddings, religious gatherings, funerals etc. It's been very interesting to get to be so involved in their culture.
Really, just like in the West, there is no "one" Arab culture.
I've given huggy-boos (and been huggy-booed back) by friends from Arab countries.
Every culture has different modes of greeting and while I think people from Arab countries tend to be more discriminating than North Americans about who (and when) they hug, it's a bit of a sweeping statement to claim that no Arab really hugs - *especially* when you then go on to imply that a lack of touchy-feeliness on behalf of the Arab nations is one of the root reasons for continuing conflict in the middle east.
I'm not sure how much your Arab friends would appreciate that sentiment.
First of all Kippa,
lighten up - the stopping the war thing with hugs was tongue in cheek...
Secondly, My friends are from Iraq, Jordan, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia - it's about as Arab as you get...most have only been here a short while and we have all talked about the differences in cultures and how men and women hug eachother here (BIG no no), how much women touch each other and men from there seem to be more affectionate and kiss each other's faces. But most of their culture do not HUG like we do....Your friends may be a little more Americanized - the children of these people are a different story all together.
No, I wouldn't call my friends particularly Americanized. Educated, perhaps, but in their own countries. They hail from the Lebanon, Morroco, Iran, Sudan, Egypt and Jordan. I lived and worked in Egypt for five years, so had the opportunity to get to know a lot of people from North Africa and various Middle Eastern countries.
I guess we just know different folks.
Petunia
I like your blog whether or not Arabs hug.
Kippa, maybe
I'm glad to hear it really. I thought it was a little strange. I hug the younger girls, thought I was starting something good for their culture ;)---everybody can use hugs.
Since I can say without a doubt about Arabs, I was a Desert Storm Vet. The men in Saudi Arabia did not associate with women including female soldiers let alone hug them. Rules might be different here in the United States for the Muslim people. The only purpose American women served for the men in an Arab country was to have sex with/without the consent of American women. I know of several female soldiers that carried knives (myself included) when we left our compound. It was for protection. I remember being on guard duty when three vehicles carrying Arab men who wanted to "buy" me from an officer in the U.S. Army. We literally had to lock and load our weapons that day. We were ready to fire upon them if they didn't back off. Arab men are into holding hands and hugging each other. Not necessarily a "gay" thing. Its just how they do things. Women are not allowed to do things with men over there. American male soldiers were kept separate from the Arab women. The women had a ton of questions for American women. Just my experience of course.
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