Free Hugs

[Captain Cosine]

Anyone here heard about the free hugs campaign? Here's a cool video if you don't know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Just give out free hugs :P I did this three times last school year, and I plan on doing it on the first day of school this year. Everyone needs a hug every now and then, and you never know how much one hug could brighten someone's day. :)

Do it! And don't be shy or anything, it will go fine. I'm perhaps one of the most introverted people you will ever meet in your life, I only let my personality out on the internet, I rarely handle face to face contact or conversations well, but I'm always glad when I give free hugs. My heart always pounds out of my chest but it's so worth it.

Maybe we could have a tpf free hugs day? :P

[Nature's heartbeat]

:) I like the idea, have heard about that campaign and definitely think there should be more hugging going on in the world. Haven't seen anyone do it this way around here though...The question is if I should...part of me feels scared of creepy peeps...maybe if some friends were with me...

Either way, here's another song on the same theme :): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXH_2KVT8uY

A tpf free hugs day sounds wonderful!!! :)

[Captain Cosine]

Yeah surrounding yourselves with friends would probably make it much easier. I only do it in my school so I don't exactly have to worry about creepy peeps lol. And I'm too lazy to carry a sign around so I just tape a piece of paper to my shirt that says free hugs lol.

[Nature's heartbeat]

I think I should bring the idea up with some of my friends who like me think that hugs are sympathetic and wonderful feel good thingies...:) and see if they'd be up for it...

Btw, I did find a youtube video with some people who had done the free hugs thingie in my hometown...:) and I even saw one with a girl in Greece who seemed to have been doing it alone (well, except for the person making the video...)

Edit: Just emailed some friends to ask if they would like to do something like this...:)

[danecobain]

Me and my friends were doing this at Glastonbury festival, we were all pretty drunk though - it went down well!

[Gardenhead]

I do not like the free hugs people. They irritate me.

[Nature's heartbeat]

I do not like the free hugs people. They irritate me.

Irritate, how come (feel free not to answer btw...)?

Btw, I received a reply from two friends...one of them said she didn't have the time and the other one that she might consider it if we were a group of people...so it doesn't look like it's going to happen over here...oh well...

[Gardenhead]

They irritate me because they're often just attention seeking twits. It's just an invasion of my personal space (if they're the kind that get in your face) by someone I have no connection with; like pushy door to door salesmen. It tends to piss me off, which I would assume to be the opposite effect to the one intended.

Besides that, I just don't see the appeal in hugging some loon with a sign who I don't know. There's no actual emotional reciprocity there. Bah, humbug.

*grumbles*

[mrbloom]

They irritate me because they're often just attention seeking twits. It's just an invasion of my personal space (if they're the kind that get in your face) by someone I have no connection with; like pushy door to door salesmen. It tends to piss me off, which I would assume to be the opposite effect to the one intended.

Besides that, I just don't see the appeal in hugging some loon with a sign who I don't know. There's no actual emotional reciprocity there. Bah, humbug.

*grumbles*

I agree with you one hundred percent. A hug signifies an emotional connection. If I have no emotional connection with a person, why would I want them to hug me?

[Captain Cosine]

Seems like a stupid thing to get annoyed about lol. There's only a lack of emotional connection if you refuse to feel anything. I put feeling into every hug I give when I do this. The person has done nothing to you so what good reason have you to get annoyed? "Violation of your personal space" seems like someone is afraid to open to strangers lol. What harm comes from the hug? How can you judge someone just because they want to give and receive hugs? We're humans, hugs help us, and it's scientifically proven that hugs are beneficial. People who offer the free hugs most of the time aren't threatening people so what have you to be afraid of? And they don't invade your personal space anyway... it's your choice whether or not to hug them...

[mrbloom]

First: It may be proven that hugs are beneficial, but that is only because of the emotional connection that they signify. With no connection, the hug is not beneficial.

In fact, it is a waste of my time. It's not a big deal, of course, but it's just an irksome little thing.

[Captain Cosine]

You can make a connection even if you don't know the person. Like I said, I put feeling into every hug. The other person may get nothing from it, but that's because they aren't trying to, where as I do and it works.

[mrbloom]

I'm not attacking you. I just think it's far less helpful - to me, at least - than someone engaging me in an interesting conversation and establishing an actual connection. I'm sure if I was feeling suicidal, a hug would be nice, but aside from that, it's usually going to be waste of my time.

[Nature's heartbeat]

I can understand that...about wanting an emotional connection to be there...not sure about the invading the personal space issue, cause it's not like people force themselves on you or you have to go hug someone just because they're there, or?

[Captain Cosine]

I'm not attacking you. I just think it's far less helpful - to me, at least - than someone engaging me in an interesting conversation and establishing an actual connection. I'm sure if I was feeling suicidal, a hug would be nice, but aside from that, it's usually going to be waste of my time.

Well I can't disagree, a conversation brings a better connection, but we don't exactly have time to talk to every single person you know? A hug is a quick connection that requires no words. At least that's how I see it.