my tenth speech

Free Hugs, Anyone?

"I had been living in London when my world turned upside down. My whole family was killed in a car accident and my world came crashing down. I had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney airport, all I had left was a bag full of clothes and a world full of troubles.

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

But I was there all alone. There was no one to welcome me back. No place to call home. I became a tourist in my hometown. I felt so lonely I wanted to cry, but there was no tears. My tear ducts had dried up long ago. I yearned so much for someone to just give me a hug. I needed one so badly.

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

I stood there for a whole 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. People were too busy in their footsteps and too engrossed in their own lives to bother about me. Although our paths crossed, we remained as strangers. I stood there like a panel of glass. I was simply transparent to the passerbys. I waited and waited.

Finally, I felt a light tap on my shoulder after a seemingly long wait. I turned around to find a petite lady who told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter who died 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, put my arms around her and gave her a long tight hug. And when we parted, there was a smile on her face."

This is the true story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole mission in live was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives. In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal. So phenomenal that when the video clip was launched on Youtube.com, the hits reached 1 million in 6 days!

How many of you actually hug your parents? Or your siblings? Or your friends? Most of us do not. In Singapore, as in most Asian countries, it is not in our culture to show our affection by hugging. It is not in our culture to outwardly express love. But sometimes, all we need is just a hug on our bad hair days. According to research, babies who are hugged more grow up to become more confident and successful adults.

Do you know why when we keep donating to charity organizations such as Salvation Army, etc, children in the third world country still die? They die not because of hunger, but because nobody hug them.

I want to encourage you to give your loved ones a hug today. You will not know how much a hug can brighten someone's day. Sometimes, a hug is all someone needed. Give someone a hug today!

***

The very first comment from my evaluator, Barry Tan (AC-S, CL) was that my speech was so touching that he had to fight back the tears that were welling up in his eyes. As he ended his evaluation and awarded me the ribbon to congratulate me for completing my tenth project to get my title as Competent Communicator, he asked me for a hug and I graciously returned the warm embrace.

Many of the rest of the toastmasters came to me during the break to ask me for a hug and I gladly practiced what I have preached. Many of them came to thank me for the inspiring speech. I'm glad to be able to touch some lives today.

Indeed, life is about how we can touch someone's life and make a difference. I strive to do that in all my speeches. That's my mission as my toastmasters journey move on to another level.