It upsets me. There's no reason why it should, and my friends tell me that it was only to be expected, but I cannot seem to get that nagging disappointment out of me. It has upset me enough to write about it. Yes, I am talking about Anupama's 'Free Hugs' gesture. It might be crazy, but I never thought people had such a problem with being friendly to strangers.
'Spread cheer in the world', we used to be taught in my 5th grade value education class. I never took it seriously. But I never did expect that when one of my friends tried to do exactly that, she would be met with such resistance. People looked at her like she was drunk, like she had gone crazy, like she was a suicide bomber, and I'm sure some people thought she was just looking for attention. All supposedly perfectly understandable emotions, but not to me.
For me, a hug has always meant a lot of things. A warm hug from a friend when I'm upset means she or he cares. A hug from my dad means that he'll always support me. One from my boyfriend means he loves me. An awkward one from my brother means that he is fond enough of me, to let go of his stupid image for a bit. A clumsy hug from my little cousin means I'm her favourite. But the most precious of them all, for me, would be a hug from a stranger. Because that would mean that, that person considers me a significant enough unit in the universe to share his or her happiness with me.
Maybe I am naïve, immature, don't understand other people's feelings. But it upset me, because I don't understand it, and would like to.
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