Touching

In Britain today, you have to have a Criminal Records Bureau check before you volunteer to work with anyone described as vulnerable — children, anyone over 65, and many others.

Hospital staff are often told not to put an arm round patients to comfort them lest it be viewed as assault.

Child sexual abuse is such a frightening subject that we have outlawed taking photographs of children at nursery school without parental consent.

And adults are terrified that their motives will be suspected if they talk to a child or, even worse, touch one

Teachers have been told never to touch the children in their care

Admittedly the British are fairly up tight when it comes to touching

However the incidence of touching under any circumstances just got harder

Touching is a normal friendly human action under many circumstances

In many cultures thankfully it is still widely practiced

Unfortunately in Britain things are spinning into absurdity

Firstly, there is a real fear of being sued, although the actual number of cases is not so huge and yes it is climbing

Secondly there is a fear of what others might think and in Britain this is very powerful fear

Thirdly it is a society going mad

When you remove those things that make humans human

When you fill your media with terror, shock, horror, and doom stories

Can you wonder that pressure is building?

Pressure for a saner world where human behaviour is valued

Time to rid ourselves of all these rules

Not just in Britain but everywhere where things are getting stupid

One rule will suffice

If your actions or behaviour harm another human you will be in the shit. Period