The Seeing Hand

Pretend to be Stephen Fry reading this one....

I don't hear it named very often, but the most remarkable about a human being is not the size of their brain, their relentless twittering, or their (largely) hairless thighs.

It is our dexterity.

Our front paws. Eight fingers and two thumbs --if you do own a complete set-- placed at the end of two long and intricately hinged tentacles.

I wouldn't be surprised if one day some smart person discovers the hands were the main reason for all the other parts. Legs and feet, bringing the hands where they need to be. The head in service of finer navigation. The whole body is practically a set of walking hands.

Originally, there were five. Of course, all the good stuff comes in fives. The lower hands have regressed to feet. The upper hand sacrificed fingeryness to ears, nose and eyes. Another five. Because stuffing food up our noses resulted in too much sneezing, so we decided to split that middle finger into tongue and nasal bone.

Hands.

Lots of fun stuff can be done with those nailed members. In harmonic cooperation, or without a clue of what the other is up to. Making sweet love with eyes closed or punching the sucker blindly. Hands do grace and rough. Hands speak and listen. Hands can reach out and block, open and close, tickle and torture, hold and heal, examine and execute. Hands undo knots, pick fruit, strings, and noses. But above all, hands know.

Hands are wise, they know how to handle, are in touch, they see, even without the help of eyes.

We underestimate what hands are capable of. We use them to manipulate a mouse, pull the trigger, push the button, squeeze the nipple, hold or grasp, open doors, poke holes, swipe, scratch and wash the other. But when and how do we still give them the lead? What finer skills are part of your daily practice? Skills that make use of their complex abilities. Manipulating the world must be done with the only pair of hands that you can own for real, or it soon becomes traitorous action.

A seeing hand fends off evil.

My hand pretending to be some exotic bird….

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