Free Hugs
After
Spanish class let out today at 3PM, I decided to do my homework outside because
it was such a nice day. Obviously, many of my fellow UT peers agreed with me.
People littered the steps of the main building and the lawn of the south mall.
Some were playing Frisbee; some guys were playing instruments; others were
reading; some were taking an afternoon nap. One thing that caught my attention
was a group of about three students who were giving away “Free Hugs.” As I took
out my Spanish book and began reading about the conjugation of hacer, I noticed that some people brushed by these
hug-bearers without even recognizing their presence. Others simply smiled and
shook their head signifying their appreciation of the huggers’ efforts. A few
people embraced these free hugs and were obviously happy to partake in this
event.
This
Free Hugs campaign has spread the nation. I know I first saw the video on YouTube in September. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4;
http://www.freehugscampaign.org/)
Anyways, when I got back to my dorm and
started the reading for the class discussion on Ahimsa, I instantly related the
selflessness and compassion of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. to the
huggers. In my observation of the free hugging happening in front of the main
building, one hug in particular stuck to me. A petite college student with
medium-long blonde hair accepted a free hug from the tall, shaggy-haired man. I
am sure that the man only expected to give a short, one-second hug, but the
young woman hugged the man for about three minutes. To my surprise, the tall
man simply hugged back and embraced this woman’s needs. I found it peculiar
that two complete strangers were able to relate to each other and provide
support to each other simply through a hug. This concept of compassion and
sympathy is quite interesting.
Compassion
is defined as “the feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering
of distress of another” (Bump 126). I feel that what allowed these two
individuals to connect and embrace each other with a hug for those three
minutes was the same feeling that Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. both felt
for the human race. Gandhi led “protest march(es)” and “fasts for peace,” and Martin Luther King, Jr. was
a important figure in the equal rights movement (mkganndhi.org in Bump 119). The
idea behind the Free Hugs campaign, whether intentional or not, is rooted in
Ahimsa. This concept of a “universal love,” “pure love,” and a “positive,
cosmic love,” is quite inspirational and a wonderful way to live life
(sivanandadlshq.org in Bumo 114-115). If my
understanding is correct, the purpose of giving free hugs is to break the
barriers between people through touch (hugging). Often times, walking around at
UT, the campus feels so impersonal and empty—people constantly talking on their
cell phones and making plans with people in their social networks. Ahimsa, from
what I’ve read, urges people to do good and to serve
others. I feel that the ideas Jesus preached, besides the religion, was to
follow the Golden Rule. Ahimsa is more than a policy, but a way of life and a
virtue to have.
But what exactly is Ahimsa and how do we know if we are on the
path to practicing Ahimsa? I feel that having Ahimsa or practicing Ahimsa
requires a sympathetic imagination. According to Ruskin, “the imaginative
understanding of the natures of others, and the power of putting ourselves in 
their
place, is the faculty on which virtue depends” (Ruskin in the Samuel Johnson’s
Dictionary in Bump 129). One could say that both Gandhi and Martin Luther King,
Jr. lived their life according to Ahimsa because they were willing to sacrifice
themselves for the benefit of the human race. My peers have mentioned the idea
of selfishness. Ahimsa teaches to be selfless and shed our own desires unless
it threatens our own wellbeing. In my opinion, this concept of doing good and
being an overall good being is an ideal way to live. I seem to disagree with
John Locke that humans are born as a blank slate. I’d like to think that people
are born to do good. As a business major with a
passion for helping others and making a positive impact on the world, I feel
that society seems to corrupt people into selfish beings. However, we can
overcome this selfishness but constantly reminding ourselves to put ourselves
in others’ places—to be sympathetic.
Although
I didn’t know a term for it, I now know that I strive to life my life with
Ahimsa. I try to do good and help others. I feel that
being kind to others can make someone’s day just a little bit brighter. I am
sure the Free Hugs people had the intention to brighten someone’s day, and if
they only reached one person the whole afternoon who really needed a hug, then
I feel they did their job. Although I did not have the urge to give the huggers
a hug, I feel their actions have touched me deeply. Finally, I’d like to end
with the opening quote from the movie Crash, a movie that was particularly
successful because of the social issues it brought to the big screen: “It's the
sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people,
people bump into you. In