Touch

"We pay no attention to our internal working unless something goes wrong, when we might feel hunger pangs, or headaches, or thirst. Still, scientist do not agree on exactly what pain is. Pg. 107

Point of Pain

When I was reading the point of pain section, this quote hit me in an ironic way. The fact that we do not know exactly what pain is, and even so, much of are life is dictated on avoiding pain. Many life choices people make are made to avoid pain, and sometimes bring pain to others. Pain is also a constant underlining feeling that many people have and have to deal with. The illustration above is of someone getting acupuncture, not only is it a play on words of 'the point of pain', but it is also an example of how we put ourselves in temporary pain to have a long time goal. In the case of acupuncture it is temporary pain for long term pain relief.  

"We remember the feel of a loved one's hand, how his body curves, the texture of his hair. Touch allows us to find our way in the world  of darkness or in other circumstances where we can't use our other senses." Pg. 94

The Skin has Eyes

The fact that we can see and know what things are without having to actually see them is something I never thought about in extreme detail. Other senses are only used when we are conscious of them. When we smell or taste or are listening to something we know that we are doing that. We can consciously close are eyes and not see something. We are always touching something. The floor with are feet, and our clothes.. We feel the wind in our hair, scratch our arm, and fiddle with a loose string on our shirt. When we loose our sense of touch we lose our sense of realism and self.