The Proximity Concept

“The physical proximity of people has a positive impact on their acceptance and liking of each other; and it keeps a relation live; unless there’s a particular force acting such that they repel each other”
Blame it on the “out of sight out of mind” syndrome or “decreased communication” or any other such stuff, the fact remains that people who are far away need loads of efforts to stay connected, and the fact that these efforts are put in are proof that they wish to be closer.

There’s something about being physically close (and I don’t mean “touching”). That’s how we get good or bad vibes. We never get vibes about somebody who’s far away.

One good explanation is about communication. People who are closer and meet often, happen to discuss a lot of issues concerning their lives and receive feedback, appreciation, guidance from their counterparts; that’s how the relation keeps getting refreshed. People who stay far communicate only via phone calls and written messages. These forms of communication only cater to the brain, and not to the senses, they lack the combination of visual, auditory and other signals that accompany a real face to face conversation. And no one can deny the difference of a handshake, a pat on the back, a tap on the head…. A naughty poke of the finger, a warm hug, a peck on the cheek etc etc. What long-distance communication also lacks is display of body-language (although sight includes “body-language”, but it does need special mention). We as humans relate and respond to body language consciously as well as un-consciously.

The question that arises is that our relations with our parents and siblings are ever-alive and stand the test of distance, in contrast to this theory. But then, probably, these are relations that have been cemented over so many years, importantly the formative years. But if we still scrutinize them further we do find that after a certain point, even these relations thrive on the proximity. That’s why we keep going back to our ancestral homes, to our parents and siblings; to keep in touch, to keep strengthening the bond through physical proximity.

And similarly, People living abroad who meet their kith n kin after long years do not feel the kind of warmth they expect and the relations seem to have gone weak.

People getting involved in their immediate physical surroundings, routines local friends and relations tend to feel closer to them because of the proximity concept.

Enough for my thinking machine…. Rest is for each of us to decipher!