Do you kiss your lover? I bet you do, but can you imagine
that there was a time where kisses were not OK?
I'm not talking about Victorian times, but something else.
That seems hard to imagine, but even something as basic as a kiss was “invented”
(or discovered) at some point in the past. No one really knows how or when, but
at some point, two people (perhaps homo sapiens, perhaps Neanderthal) touched
their lips to each other, and liked it enough to do it again…and again. They
were probably very eager to share this new experience with friends and family,
and just like anything new, others likely felt it was deviant, horrible and
disgusting. "That's where you put food!" they said. "It's got
all the saliva and leftover food. Ewwwww!!!!"
As is usually the case, the people living in the area split
up to two camps. The kissers, who were probably the young folk, and the
mainstreamers, who didn’t want anything to do with these kids and their crazy
ways. They probably thought it was so perverted that they banned it either
completely, or at least in public. Then, as time went on, more and more people
tried it out and felt it was a fun and harmless activity, and soon enough, it
became prevalent, and the conservatives of the period lost out.
If you think even more back, this was probably the case for
hugging before that, with some folks advocating that touching each other was
only meant for times of extreme cold, or for supporting the sick and wounded. “This
isn’t god’s will” they must have uttered in shock. “It’s unnatural and smelly!
Have you ever seen any animal hug another for absolutely no good reason?!?!?!”,
they probably cried in angst. But just like with kissing, they too had to
eventually admit that snuggling is fun and harmless whether you have to do it,
or just want to.
Today, the conservatives of our generation are still struggling
to dismiss and ban new things. Transgenders, non-binary individuals, BDSM,
Polyamory are all treated as a threat or deviation, whether they are harmful or
not. However, if history teaches us nothing else, then it certainly shows
clearly that change is inevitable, and no force can stop it. The most
conservatives can achieve is some delay, but eventually, the new and exciting
ways to be loving, romantic and sexual will prevail, and someday become as
normal as binary marriage and the missionary position. If you or your loved
ones are one of those suffering from hatred, discrimination or exclusion, cheer
up. Our day is not far!
