Healing Hands
The human hand has never been more important. Hands allow us to experience the world, with the sense of tactility being the most prominent in our fingers. We communicate with our hands, through gesture. And now by swiping glass on our phones. We share hands with other primates, but we differ in that we use our hands to create tools, and with tools we can complete all kinds of tasks from gardening, cooking, making pottery, drawing, playing music, etc. The hand also refers to making and creating as human expression; and planting and growing a biodiverse future.
Today we have a renewed appreciation for the hand. With digital life and Artificial Intelligence and robots coming into our everyday lives, we need to maintain our humanity via the very things that make us human, i.e. maintain the essence of the hand.
This is the driver behind the maker movement, where artisans connect to the human spirit through more earthy materials like ceramics, wood, stone, and metals. With the desire to preserve the hand and all that it represents, we are seeing many makers creating handmade tools – everything from spoons, knives, brushes, and implements for making art, as well as for essential human activities like grooming and self-care.
Today we need our hands more than ever. We need to keep creating, keep making things, keep planting. Hands can build, and hands can heal. They are a symbol of strength, protection, and stability. They balance our bodies and keep us steady.
Most importantly, they represent action, to move forward each day with purpose and intent. Take care of your hands, and they will take care of you and your loved ones.
