"Open your eyes to the world around you, and you'll discover something you hadn't noticed before and that experience will change you."
-Yasuhiro Ishimoto
The central idea for Manos emerged during a therapy session with a client, who was an emergency room surgeon before emigrating from Europe to the United States. In one of our sessions, she quietly asked, "What is most important in being a medical provider?" As I paused to consider a response, she enthusiastically responded, "Human touch ... our hands." She described seeing patients, many of whom were war victims in severe distress, and how the gentle touch of her hands on their shoulders eased their pain. Considering her extensive practice in medical sciences, it was enlightening to learn how much she valued the seemingly small act of human touch. But perhaps she was right; many of my clients have unknowingly guided me with their invisible touch.
Initially, my interest in hands grew from working on the trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, observing how efficiently hand signals could transmit complex transactions. Also, witnessing the diversity of characters on the floor, from high school dropouts to Harvard graduates, each with their own distinct voice as they called out orders, while wearing colorfully decorated trading coats. However, the possibility of making a costly mistake such as buying instead of selling persuaded me that my hands could be put to different use.
Today, it is the healing qualities of human hands that resonate with me. I am reminded of a story that my mother shared with me about her childhood. Growing up in New York, she was cared for by Miss Margaret MacLeod, a nanny from Scotland. They often took walks together in Central Park. One afternoon while waiting at a traffic light to turn to walk, Margaret felt what seemed to be someone tapping her shoulder. To her surprise, when she turned around no one was there. Seconds later a car barreled through the street, violating their right of way. My mother reflected that if Margaret had not felt and responded to that "human touch", they both could have been struck.
As the late photographer Yasuhiro Ishimoto once said, "Open your eyes to the world around you and you'll discover something you hadn't noticed before." Perhaps that something is human touch.
Warm regards & safe travels!
hart
