08/02/2021
*INTIMACY AND THE FOUR ASPECTS OF A PERSON*
Intimacy is not just physical, nor is it just emotional. Intimacy is
multidimensional. It intricately combines all four specific aspects of the human person: the *physical*; the *emotional*; the *intellectual*; and the *spiritual*. It is therefore important to understand intimacy as it affects and is affected by each of the four aspects of the human person.
*1.Physical Intimacy*
Physical intimacy is easy. It begins with a handshake, a smile, or a kiss on
the cheek. But physical intimacy can also be easily manipulated. Good
politicians know this as well as anyone; they spend their lives shaking hands and kissing babies, because they know that even the slightest of physical intimacies creates a feeling of closeness and belonging. It is noticeable that those who are
particularly good at engaging people during a brief encounter always use both hands in the greeting. They may shake your hand with one hand, but they will also touch you gently on the arm or the shoulder with the other. Doing so creates that extra sensation of closeness, even oneness. If such a small gesture can create a feeling of oneness, how extraordinary the oneness must be when two people
engage in s*xual in*******se.
This explains the bond created between a man and woman through the act of lo******ng. It also explains the pain people feel after separating from a person with whom they have been s*xually active. The two have become one, and then have been torn apart. Even years later, people still experience the pain and
disorientation of the separation. In a very real way through the s*xual act, two
become one, and uniting is significantly easier than separating. Many have the
sensation of disorientation after a s*xual relationship has come to an end, but
they are oblivious to the cause of this disorientation. Multiple s*xual partners
can increase this disorientation. With each s*xual encounter, we leave a piece of
ourselves with the other person and this creates the sense of being pulled in
different directions, torn in two pieces, which in turn produces disorientation.
So while I think it is important to stress that s*x does not equal intimacy, it is
also important to point out that the power of our s*xuality is much more than
physical. In fact, while the second half of the twentieth century would claim to
have fully investigated our s*xuality, I would propose that we have not even
begun to understand the multidimensional impact that s*x has on the human
person. Our s*xuality is a powerful instrument in our quest to become the-best-
version-of-ourselves; we can use it, as we can so many things in this world, to
further that cause or to hinder it. Life is choices.
It is also important to note that all of our relationships have a physical
aspect. Even in a relationship that is completely confined to the telephone or to
cyberspace, you are still experiencing the other person through your senses
(speaking and listening or sitting, typing, and reading).
Some may claim that there is no physical dimension to their relationship
with God, but again, while this relationship is predominantly spiritual, it has a physical aspect. Some people kneel to pray; others sit in a meditation position;
some raise their hands; others walk while they perform their spiritual routines
and rituals; and some prostrate themselves for prayer. Our physical bodies are
the vehicles through which we experience everything in this life.
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