What do free hugs, courage and rembering who you are have in common? Can you remember who you are by hugging people? Hui, thats easy. Or not?
In September 2019 I visited Dani from Couchsurfing in Stuttgart. The main reason why I came to Stuttgart was to visit the Concert of the Band Berge in the evening.
During the day Dani and me did many interesting things in the city. We did Free Hugs and also joined a walk of Fridays for Future.
It was really nice and we had great experiences. During the day we felt the Free Hugs mood. (Even I didn´t take drugs, I would say, it is like on drugs)
I just decided spontaniously: Tonight I will take my Free Hugs sign to the concert. Actually, Berge sings also in the song below: “Where are the dreamers and the wild ones and the free hugs givers? You are too quiet to me in this stormy times”
Before the Concert
In the afternoon we went to Dani´s flat and took a shower. After that we cooked something together.
More and more the fear grow up in me. I have already said that I will go with the sign, so soon I should do it. The Free Hugs mood was fading away. I didn´t want to do it anymore.
It is weird that we are so much afraid of doing good things that actually make people happy. How should we save the planet if we are afraid of doing the good things. In my opinion and I don´t know if I am correct, we are not so afraid the bad things. The emotion of anger helps us. Courage is not an emotion. And we need courage to face our fear to do good things infront of many people.
I was lucky that Dani was there. He remembered me who I am. That I am good to go. That the courage is actually there within me. Even if I did not see it in the moment. It is always there, hidden by something called comfort zone. What a pity.
Dani had to encourage me more than one time. I responed always with reasons why I am not able to do it.
In the end he was successful. I am very grateful for that. I did it. And it was one of the most beautiful decisions in my life.
The concert
I guess there were around 1000 people. I arrived half an hour before the concert started and I hold my sign high in the air. And wonder what. People came to me and hugged me.
I remember, one girl came to me and told me that some meters away is her friend who needs a hug and I went there and hugged her.
Isn´t that cool? I feel like the hugging doctor now when I write this. Not only that nothing bad happens, also people come to me and call me to go somewhere to give hugs to heal people from maybe some bad mood.
During the concert I did not hold up my sign as I did not want to block the view for the people behind me. When Berge was singing about free hugs givers, I raised it up for a few moments.
What then happend was so nice. A woman who was at the concert with her partner standing close to me, came up to me. She put the arm around my shoulder and hold up the sign togeher with me for the rest of the song. (My song – see below)
At the latest no I was on the free hugs drugs again.
When the concert was over, I waited for Marianne (the singer) and gave her a hug.
When I went out, people from left and right told me how great and brave my move with the free hugs sign was.
On the way back I had several conversations with people from the concert. Maybe a free hugs sign is also a kind of icebreaker.
I remember in the tram one woman I talked to, said to her friend, “You see, there are still good man out there”
Why is it so easy to be good?
Somehow I felt proud and I was thinking: “why is it so easy to be a good human out there?” And on the same time I am thinking: “Why do I struggle to have courage to do good?”
What is courage? A muscle? Something that I have in some situations and sometimes not? Something that is only made up by my mind? I guess courage is just feeling the fear and do it anyway.
I will be very happy if you share your opinion on this article or your own experience in the comments!
And of course it is very interesting if you share what touched you, what resonates in you or what is alive in you while you read this lines.