Ppl

There’s a famous song which goes “People… People who need people… Are the luckiest people… in the world.” I can’t remember what it’s called. But I wonder if its hypothesis is correct.

 

I’m not sure if “People who need people” are indeed lucky – speaking from the point of view of a staunch bachelor, anyway. Surely, needing other people is a hazardous and perilous situation.

 

Other people can be strange, curious, and unreliable. Is it lucky to need such a wandering force of nature? What happens if they’re busy? Suddenly, those “luckiest people in the world” are people who need something they don’t have. Is that a good thing? I’m not sure I can say – clearly the whole thing is outside my realm of experience.

 

Incidentally, while researching this important piece of writing, I found the following text on Wikipedia regarding the historical treatment of bachelors:

 

“At Sparta, citizens who remained unmarried after a certain age suffered various penalties. They were not allowed to witness the gymnastic exercises of the maidens; and during winter they were compelled to march naked round the market-place, singing a song composed against themselves and expressing the justice of their punishment.”

 

I can report that naked songwriting does not feature significantly in society’s treatment of today’s singletons, although the prohibition against perving on the gymnastic maidens still holds good today, and in fact hardly seems unreasonable.

 

But back to the people principle. There does indeed seem to be something about people that the luckiest people appear to need. I guess phenomenons like CuddleParty.com show that maybe today, people need people more than ever before.

 

What is it that those luckiest people seek from other people? Is it purely something that can be detected with the senses? Shape, texture, warmth? What do other people bring that you can’t bring to yourself? Warmth can be had from a hot water bottle. And the feel of your own body is almost certainly going to be much the same as anyone else’s.

 

And yet…

 

Maybe it is the unpredictability that makes it different. Perhaps the difference is the difference. After all, you can’t tickle yourself – it just doesn’t work. Why is it different when someone else does it – even when you’re expecting it? It just is.

 

I was about to say “I notice there isn’t a TickleParty.com”, but actually there is, and it’s one of those rude sites on the internet which has pictures of ladies showing their bottoms. I’m fairly sure that bachelors are not allowed to look at such things, so I will not do so.

 

So are people who need people really the luckiest people in the world? I’m not sure. I guess I can see the advantages, especially if you like being tickled. It all seemed so innocent when we were younger…