Just as we are bracing ourselves for what the surgeon general called this generation’s “Pearl Harbor moment,” Dr. Anthony Fauci made a suggestion that could change the very nature of our culture for years to come.
In an interview on Tuesday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that it may be time for the longstanding tradition of shaking hands to come to an end, even after the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.
We’ve known for years the potential of our hands to convey germs into our bodies through the portals or our eyes, nose and ears. Still, the handshake has remained the gold standard in interpersonal greeting and parting. And for good reason: It has deep roots in Western culture. One can see handshakes depicted in ancient Greek and Assyrian art as a sign of trust or a gesture of farewell. Some suggest that extending an empty hand for a handshake proved that one was not holding a weapon.
But with coronavirus forcing people everywhere to reconsider unconscious habits, we are all scrambling for alternatives. Early last month, while traveling with my immunocompromised wife in Sicily as the epidemic raged in northern Italy, we became more and more concerned about the traditional Italian double-kisses and handshakes. One guide offered the back of his fist, another bumped elbows, and a third showed us how to tap feet.
It occurred to me that all of these gestures seemed unnecessarily awkward and clumsy when there is a perfectly elegant solution currently used by hundreds of millions of people in the world today: the bow.
At first glance, the practice of bowing may seem to most Americans to be distant and overly formal. But while the practice of bowing certainly involves more physical distance — which is to everyone’s benefit, especially where bacteria and viruses are concerned — I submit that a bow can actually be more expressive than a handshake.
When I’ve traveled in Japan, where the practice of bowing is ubiquitous and nuanced, I’ve been amazed by how many different messages and emotions can be conveyed by a bow. It is not simply a greeting or a farewell. It can be a sign of thanks, of respect, of appreciation, or of apology.
While a handshake is always just a handshake, bows have many subtle variations. Bows can range from a slight nod of the head to a deep, 30-degree bow from the waist. Bows can also be interactive; when one person bows, the other can respond by bowing a little lower or a little longer.
Japanese people bow not only upon meeting someone, but they again upon learning someone’s name or position, when asking a favor and upon parting.
To be honest, I wouldn’t expect Americans to adopt the very complex grammar of Japanese bowing. One culture rarely absorbs another culture’s practices wholesale. But I can imagine meeting someone, stopping for a breath to look him or her in the eye, and then tilting my head downward for a moment to express my pleasure at our interaction. It’s a mindful pause that acknowledges the significance of meeting or parting from someone.
It may seem radical to upend a practice that has been deeply rooted in our culture for thousands of years, but this is one of those watershed moments when history is made and habits are changed. This may just be the time for Americans to learn the art of the bow.
Hanson-Harding is a retired high school English teacher who has taught East Asian literature.
