B"H
rooted in prowess o f wolves, but one must beware. These very
forces may be supplanted with care giving.
What we have here is a river that branches into two heads;
bodily warmth is the fetal occupation of a soul in the cuddling
relationship of its secure environs. That instinct acco mpanies
the live being as far as the eye can see, and beyond. Old age
involves threats to one's physical and mental stability and also
the culture and language of the personality . We are confused as
to what is expected of us and what considered pro per. Now this
image co mes into focus every time grandpa tells the bedtime
story, with a fondling here, and cuddle there, with the childre n
to who m it is socially permissible to make bodily contact
anytime for whatever reason. The realm of what should be
considered permissible is limited; the well-being of child under
grandpa's responsibility depends on an educative perspective
pertaining to the long-term effect of affectionate bodily contact.
I need not expand on the level of trust invested in the
ma mmalian species where mothers care for the every need o f
their offspring until maturity. This system of maternal care has
many divisions; helping neighbors, contributions and
investment of time by fa mily memb ers, paid help, educationa l
networks, labor laws, hygie nic standards, and contractua l
relationships. Let's picture in our mind's eye where the old me n
fit into the lives of children we know or meet on a regular basis.
Eventually we'll conclude that the father of the species elements
has personal interest in the betterment of his kind, offspring,
and progeny. He helps in organizing the environment so it's
protective and productive, to assure that life will go on. Old me n
who feel this way, probably have kept active hormones cool a s
a way to assume a place in history. A working system of conduc t
that is known to prevail over the evil inclination and resultant
sexual abuses; restraint of lustful projection of the imaginatio n
into erotic variables, and minimalizing bodily contact betwee n
human male beings and the opposite sex.
As indicated from aspects of nature and clearly evidenced in
the behavior of children we are subject to the abys mal insecurity
that no child has never not known. Whereas the gesticulations
that grandpa used for ro mance (kissing, sleep in the same bed )
are his retinue for expressing affection, and whereas parents
fondle and kiss their children and grandpa is a parent, he ma y
enjoy these manneris ms until the child perceives an invisible
252