The Original ‘Free Hugs’ Guy Teaches You What to Do When Your Life Falls Apart
Tap into your humanity.
Looking at my girlfriend, while both plugged into the Matrix, wearing noise-canceling headphones, we use hand waving as a form of communication.
This is the reality Juan Mann from Sydney, Australia fought against. Juan waged war against social media company Myspace — love versus Tom from Myspace.
In 2004, Juan’s life fell apart. He watched his parents get divorced which devastated him. Then his fiancé broke off their engagement. It felt like love had exited through the trapdoor of his life.
“I spent months living alone in a remote part of Australia, avoiding human contact where possible,” he says. “My life had fallen apart and I had nothing left to lose.”
Upon returning from his holiday in isolation (a reality we all now know well), he arrived back on the busy streets of Sydney. At a social event he attended to reconnect with society, a stranger came up and hugged him. For a few seconds, he didn’t feel so bad anymore. Hugs can make you feel better he thought.
Juan headed out into the Sydney streets to give what he got so generously from a stranger. He stood in the street with a sign that read FREE HUGS. “I thought that if I could offer Free Hugs…
