Free Hugs Campaign

I've heard of this Free Hug project for years now and finally decided to post on it.

Juan Mann is a man who decided in 2004 to reach out and hug strangers to brighten up their days and lives. Eventually police and other officials actually ordered the Free Hug campaign banned.


Free Hugs

How it all started: In the words of Juan Mann

I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.

Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.

So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.

And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.

Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.

Why Did it get banned?

Public liability fear and red tape. But its all okay now! Make sure to check your local laws before embarking on your Hugathon!

***

So, what is it about an embrace? Energy. We know that infants are in dire need of touch and it appears that the desire for touch does not leave us as we age.

While it may seem strange and quite bold to offer a hug to a stranger, the greater concept seems to be that we are all in need of affection and kindness.

Perhaps for some a hug from a stranger may not seem comforting. Often we hug those who we more comfortable with. However, I do enjoy the idea of barriers and boundaries placed aside. If we were to do that, it would indicate just how connected we all are as a human family.

To learn more about the Free Hug campaign go to freehugscampaign.org
Also visit the Free Hug facebook here.