1. Emily Ruterbusch
October 10, 2013
Roast Pig
McGill
Fear is a Luxury
Human nature cannot be explained. We can investigate and pry through the
dirt left in front of us from human communications. Through the utter chaos that we
call life, we can find verbal and non-verbal communications. To communicate is to
breathe. We speak through body language and gestures all the way down to our
words themselves whether testing our windpipes of the motion of our hands
through technology or pen and paper. Now, humans have dark sides that we refuse
to accept, unless we are psycho killers roaming around town. We, with our
unsettling dark sides, can relate to the unseen spirits that roam the earth around us
waiting for peace.
Proxemics Theory of Communication entails the nonverbal cues of space
between bodies. The physical space between the bodies of communicators
determines the kind of relationship each of the communicators have with the other.
From the personal space all the way to public space, Edward T. Hall managed to
separate these things into two separate categories: space and territory.
The idea that the relation to space and territory are connected by such
simple communication methods can be mind-boggling. Now what about the idea
that something we cannot see with our eyes could be standing right in front you and
never know. Our eyes are only able to see spectrums of visible light. This is

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obviously why we cannot see radio waves and x-rays and other such scientific
factors. But with the help of technology we are able to do so. I state this because not
everything we believe is real can be seen with our own two eyes. We need to have
the imagination that things we cannot see are standing right in front of us.
There are cultures all over the world that believe in spirits living among us.
And maybe this is so, with Edward Hall’s Theory of Proxemics, we are able to find
that the territory we lay claim to defines the personal space that we are able to take
up. According The Hidden Dimension, Hall described proxemics as “the interrelated
observations and theories of a man’s use of personal space as a specialized
elaboration of culture”. (Berger pg. 7) So given this stance, we all have something
inside us that we cannot explain through science. Our bodies are functioning
through a series of organs and materials that keep us alive. We have a type of
electricity that keeps us going on a daily basis, but when our bodies quit we lose this
spark. We lose the very essence of who we are and become an empty shell. Our
intimate space with ourselves has been retracted to mere public space, like it was all
just a dream.
Hall also stated that most of our special interpretation is outside our
awareness. Which also entails that we need to physically see the happening in order
to believe it. Most people cannot fathom thinking outside the box of their socially
interactive lives. We know about special recognition and communications but rarely
acknowledge it as such. We think that standing in a line with people behind and
front of you is considered interrupting our personal space, but if it’s a crowed room
with little space, what do you do?

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Just like them manifestation of a dead human being, personal space can be
violated without even thinking. But how can it be taken into account if you cannot
see anything in the space to take up? Just like if a tree falls down in the forest and no
one is around, did it make a sound? In every culture and religion there is a day that
is dedicated to honoring those who have passed on. One commonly talked about
holiday is Day of the Dead, honoring the Spanish values. This day is spent honoring
those that have passed with the things that they liked most in life, believing that the
spirits are there with them and can enjoy them one day out of the year. People use
this day to encourage the souls to visit and communicate through prayer.
Spirit comes from the Latin word spiritus meaning ‘breath’. A soul or spirit is
believed to the life essence of us after our physical form gives in to nature. Just like
breath, we cannot see it but it is still there allowing us to survive.
This leads to the idea of a proxemicist and how they work. The importance of
a proxemicist is to know all about the physiology of the human eye. The eye is
considered one of the five senses for a reason. Eyes perceive emotions,
communication and most of all distance. The only way we can really know
proxemics is to learn about the aspect of judging distance and what it is like to
perceive it ourselves and by others (Edward Hall pg. 84).
Edward Hall observed distance as four different categories, intimate,
personal, social and public. The boundaries for distance depend on sensory shifts
when interacting with others.
Berger helps to define these classifications of distance like this:

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Intimate as 0 to 18 inches, considering like couples with the idea of playfulness and
lovemaking. Being in forced situations like elevators is not considered to be intimate
situations. This also relates to the idea of chemical reactions within our bodies. It is
thought of in terms of body heat, smell and touch. These are also things that we
cannot see but are perceived through nonverbal communication. (Pg. 62)
Personal as 18 inches to 4 feet, beginning with the outer edge of our territorial
boundary and leading into actual focus. This range shows the loss of having personal
contact with another and gaining more of a perspective and focus on other things.
Still within distance of touch this still shows the closeness of a relationship. (Pg. 62)
Social as 4 to 10 feet, this range is based on sight and hearing. Our eyes are able to
pick up more of the surroundings and choose whether or not to engage in
conversations. (Pg. 63)
Public as 10 feet or more, from these distances we as human beings are unable to
pick up on the cues of communicating with others. The eyes can take in everything
that they can from a glance and judge whether or not to approach others and if
communication will be possible. (Pg. 63)
These dimensions of judging distance relate to human beings and animals
alike. Though the unseen are judging space as well. Spirits judge the idea of space
just like any thing else that we can see. Proximity of interaction is based on the
communication process and the range of perceiving what there is to know. If we
base everything that we know on what we see then, how can we really understand
the ideas of anything else? Just like a spirit that can only be seen through an Infrared
light, how are we able to perceive such things as emotions?

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One statement that my father has always said to me is this: “just because we
can’t explain something, doesn’t mean that it isn’t there or isn’t real”. One thing that
science tells us is that energy was neither created nor destroyed. But what is the
purest form of energy? Is it possible for a spirit to be the purest form of energy
though we cannot see them, just because we cannot explain it?
Energy is directly related to mass. Mass being a coherent, typically large body
of matter with no definite shape. Mass makes up matter. Matter being a physical
substance, distinct from mind and spirit, which occupies space and resting mass. So
with that being said, matter is energy. So what does this mean? Because energy is
directly related to mass which takes up everything around us including areas of
space and time and matter is just a physical substance, which occupies space, then
they are interrelated. Something that can be both physical and not physical can still
be acknowledged because energy isn’t specifically defined.
One thing that we as human beings don’t pay attention to is the idea of
energy in every day life. Us as humans give off energy just as easily as spirits. For
example: If you come home every day at the same time and throw your coat on the
couch, and have been doing this for years, even after you leave the place you have
been throwing your coat, the energy will still be there. This explains the sounds that
are found in old houses, these are called residual hauntings or a playback of past
events.
In the universe we have what we call dark matter. It is said that dark matter
is a type of matter to account for a large part of total mass in the universe. Dark
matter neither emits or absorbs light and still cannot exactly be defined with space

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still having so much to be explored. Space is filled with energy and with the correct
wavelength, could possibly be seen. Just like using Infrared light to attempt to see
spirits on the other side, if it is beyond the realm of science, many people ignore it
rather than try to understand something that they believe isn’t there.
All of these ideas tie into the other ideas that we forget intertwine with our
bodily senses. Not only do we need to understand the idea of space and territory but
also we need to understand haptics (touch), kinesics (body movement), vocalics
(paralanguage) and chronemics (time). To understand energy which entails all
aspects of the physical and spiritual form.
Haptics helps us to understand the need for touch. One thing that we don’t
recognize when it comes to the sense of touch is the emotion behind it. It is more
‘real’ than the other ways that we explore the world around us. Our skin is linked to
millions of nerve endings that send messages to the brain when it is being touched.
Everyone has a craving for touch, no matter what kind it is. It’s like an itch that you
can’t scratch. We need to have touch as an interaction for personal contact with
others. According to Seung-A Annie Jin and The Impact of 3D Virtual Haptics in
Marketing, “The sense of touch can have a persuasive influence on a consumer.” Our
skin is the largest sensory organ, helping us to better understand the world around
us. Jin also stated that “Touch is an efficient channel for social communication”.
Just like haptics, Kinesics helps us to learn more about the world that we live
in. Body movement is all around us from facial expressions to gestures. Each
nonverbal expression describes the kind of people we are and how we experience
the world. Just like proxemics, the study of body movement also deals with territory

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and the environment around us. Ray Birdwhistell talks about this in Background to
Kinesics, “Once freed from assumptions concerning universal symbolism, we are
prepared to examine body shifts in other than a armchair-speculative, a normative,
or a “Believe-It-or-Not” perspective.” (Pg. 353) Birdwhistell made his way exploring
the concept of body movement through filming people in daily life. By filming people
in different social situations and examining their nonverbal communication he was
able to point out things that people wouldn’t normally take into account. He focused
on the ideas or posture, gesture, stance, and movement. He talked about body
movement as being on purpose in any situation, that it has meaning. He compared
this idea to using grammar in language. Grammar has meaning, it is placed into
language for a reason.
This relates to paralanguage or vocalics, this is mostly talked about with the
ideas of pitch and volume and the idea of conveying emotion. This refers to the
nonverbal elements of speech. One example that Joseph DeVito explained in Silence
and Paralanguage in Communication, was the emphasis on certain words to express
different emotions.
1. Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
2. Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
3. Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
4. Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
5. Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
On page 155 of Silence and Paralanguage in Communication, this example is shown
with stress on different words. Each sentence asks a completely different question.

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Paralanguage refers to the way something is said rather than the information itself.
Being the kind of human beings that we are, we constantly judge others’ based on
cues in speech and nonverbal communication. DeVito makes a valid point of the
voices being symptomatic of the personality of different types of people, in which
this would give out certain vocal qualities. So the listeners tend to make judgments
based upon the ways of the speaker presents with voice. Based on a number of
studies, the listener is in agreement with the speaker and the personality even
when their judgments are in error based on stereotypes. The stereotypes that
listeners have come to think of depend on their personalities when they have the
chance to speak. Listeners have stereotyped the idea that the personality of the
speaker and the vocal characteristics have to be related, just like stereotyping a
person of high status with having high credibility rating. Sometimes this may
belong but not everyone should be a stereotype that needs to be judged.
Based on the timing of stereotypes and listening to speakers, timing is
everything, or so they say. Chronemics is more important than everyone thinks. Us
as human beings are constantly being bombarded with the ideas of time. Having to
be to work on time, or getting out of work at a time later than expected. Having to
take the kids to soccer practice. Or just trying to make time to get in a little sleep
during the week. Chronemics is the most important because it links us to all the
other forms of nonverbal communication.
Alfred Korzybski produced major papers on time-binding. He described one
of the most profound brain changes that occurred in many early humans, over
many thousands of years. He talked about animals being the first of the time-

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binding but they are stuck in the redundant and repetitive reflexes of their nature.
They have a simple memory system compared to us as humans. We are described
as “the continuous, accumulative, forward leaping, and exponential function of the
human intellect from generation to generation” (Bruneau p.76)
Time depends on the every day lifestyles, daily agenda, speed of speech, how
long people will listen and movements. Every thing that we say, do and think if
defined by time itself with a constant battle with the clock. The idea of time
depends on the ideas of communication, both verbal and nonverbal.
Now, I bet that each of these aspects seem a little out of the loop from tying
into each other. Well, in order to understand we should first take a step back. If
timing is defining our very existence with each communication step we take then
what does everything else have to do with anything. Time is defining where we
have to go, when we have to be there, and what amount of time should it take. That
being said, how do we do this? When we get to where we are going in our acquired
timeframe, we are able to communicate verbally and nonverbally with the ideas we
are trying to make. We use paralanguage or vocalics to convey the necessary
emotion with the way that we get our point across. We change our pitch and
volume to the necessary needs and help others to understand what is really needed.
Along with expressing our emotions with emphasis on certain words, we are
constantly creating body movement. Our brains already do it on purpose so we
need to accept the fact that when we talk, we can also walk…and gesture and pose.
So then what about touching? We have a constant need to touch and be touched. It
is how we explore the world we live in. So we communicate with emphasis and

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body movement to get our point across but we use also use touching as a sign of
showing care and respect. We shake an employer’s hand when meeting or we give a
friend a hug when we haven’t seen them in a long time or give our significant other
a kiss of intimacy. All of this entails space. Space isn’t just stuck in one culture.
Space decides whether we are in a relationship with a significant other or just
meeting someone for the very first time. Listening and interacting with people is
50% actions, 40% tone of voice, and 10% actual words.
Now what does this have to do with spirits? Half the time people don’t even
believe in them. A spirit is made up of pure energy, which we all know now that
energy is all around us. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. We cannot see
energy but it doesn’t mean that it still isn’t there. Just like anything in science,
because it may not be specifically defined doesn’t mean that it can’t be
acknowledged. Energy can be seen as physical and not physical, but either way it
still takes up space. Space believes in the concept of seeing without really seeing.
Like dealing with intimate distance, the subtle conveying of emotions we cannot see
but know is still there.
Whether it is believed or not, spirits keep us alive while we are inside our
bodies. A spirit gives us our emotions and feelings and by doing so we are able to
come to terms with a personality that we create for the shell we are living in. A
spirit is what allows us to be able to communicate in the first place. If we have no
soul or spirit then we are a blank slate. So what is to say that once our body gives up
on the sheer electricity of science that is keeping us alive, that we don’t have
something part of us still living but not being able to be seen? Because we are only

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able to see in the spectrum of visible light we are only able to see a small amount.
By using infrared spectrums through a camera lens we are able to catch a glimpse
of something more. We are able to find ways to use communication with the things
that we aren’t able to see with our two eyes.
While taking the time to explore a haunted house where spirits bide their
time while looking for peace, we are able to explore the world of their
communication realm. We can acknowledge the idea that because they are made of
energy they take up space.
Fear is an emotion that we choose to let out because we cannot understand
anything beyond the realm of science. Beyond something that hasn’t been found
yet. Beyond something that we cannot see with our own two eyes. We can live in
the comfort of knowing that something that was once living, is still living and taking
up space and time. Therefore, fear is just a luxury.

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