ABSTRACT
The competition at the top of society fosters similar behavior down the ladder and is accepted as normal, with “lifestyle” replacing intimacy, the gross revenues of a performance replacing artistic merit, and the manifestation of luxury overwhelming intimacy. “Intimacy” isn’t solely or even mainly about sexual relationships, it’s about “closeness” and “familiarity.” We’re often dealing with people who have more power and control than we do because they’ve embraced intimacy. When we allow ourselves to be identified with certain exclusionary social groups, advertently or inadvertently, we are actually reducing intimacy. Therefore, we need to open up our community, including our vulnerability and search for intimacy, to a wider range of people and experiences. The luxury and modernization and greater comfort all help us avoid, not achieve, intimacy and connection. Moreover, we can’t ignore intimacy, we can’t run from it.
