Kissing in Public

In most Western societies, kissing is not just a form of intimacy but also a form of expressing love and affection. When I first stepped down to Brisbane, I was awestriken by how locals explicitly expressed their affection in public. Anywhere you can find dating couples, whether they are along the streets in Brisbane, in parks, shopping malls, restaurants or even in uni compounds, kissing is a norm.

I didn't come from a country that appreciate this way of expressing love to one another in public. At one time, even holding hands ( and especially with another person from a different ethnicity) were starred by the public. If I am not mistaken, dating couples would (or will) be fine if they were caught by the police holding hands. But it's a totally different story here in Brisbane. The sweetest moment I remembered was witnessing an old couple holding and caressing each others hands on a train ride.

I didn't come from a family who were open about showing affection explicitly either. When I was much younger (say during my toddler and kindy years?), hugs and kisses were openly expressed with parents, although not very much in public. But as I grow older, this form of expression slowly fades and till today, hugs (not kisses) only happens with my parents everytime I'm at the airport, leaving KL for Brisbane.

A news article last few days reported that the act of kissing publicly in New Delhi will face fines of 500 Rupees (AUD 15, about RM 40), if caught by authorities. I bet, similar rules are also implied in Malaysia and other more conservative countries. Having sex in public and gets fine is understandable, but kissing? That's absurd.

Not that I applaud the idea of kissing when the world is watching, nor do I discord the act of affection in public. I'm not talking about having dating couples going all over each other and have the world watch them reaching their orgasm. I'm talking about innocent expressions of love, whether is touching or kissing or holding hands or just saying "I love you" wherever they are, whether in public or not, just to show that how much they care and appreciate each other. That, I think is important and part of parcel of growing a healthy relationship.

I have learnt to accept dating couples kissing in public awhile ago and I appreciate this freedom of expression. They make me smile not just because of their openess in expressing their affection and appreciation to one another, but they also show the world that love still exist and is beautiful.

So, don't be surprise seeing me on the street one day showing my affection to my special someone. *chuckles*