夢想#S20120203001：一萬個擁抱

Juan Mann是『一萬個擁抱』的活動召集人。

這個構想起始於他22歲時，當時他和未婚妻分手後傷心地從倫敦回到雪黎，他知道他必須做些什麼讓自己開心起來。

當他第一次在街上被一位陌生的女士擁抱後，他突然發現，每個人都需要一些好心人的幫助以及很大的勇氣才能度過難關。

這個夢想實行起來一點也不容易。起初街上沒有人願意伸出援手，但他用決心與毅力融化了大家冷陌防備的心；而後警察要求他停止這個活動，但Juan不僅沒有屈服，更集結了一萬名朋友連署支持，最後連警察都加入了他的行列 :)

夢想往往始於一個簡單的想法，有時甚至非常無厘頭。然而，誰說天馬行空的想法無法實現呢?

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Juan Mann is the founder of the Free Hugs Campaign.

Things started when I returned to Sydney...

From London after my family fell apart, my fiancée left me and my life seemed in ruins. The last words my Dad shared with me before my family went their own ways in London had been, “You can't change the world, but you can make a difference.”

I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see meand to smile at me. To hug me. I found it hard to relate to the world and the world found it hard to relate to me.

He first started offering Free Hugs at the tender age of 22 in an effort to make himself smile while feeling a little sad.

He was hugged by a lady who helped him realise that everyone suffers at some point and all it really takes is a little kindness and a whole lot of courage to get through those dark times.

Ten years on and Juan now can sit back and smile at how much the Free Hugs Campaign has grown. From one sad guy on a Sydney street to hundreds, thousands of happy people offering Free Hugs all over the planet.

Juan also wrote his book. This is his preface:

This book is for you, Dad. Thank you for being the one man who led by example. Without your support, guidance and belief, I could never have been nurtured beyond my nature.Thank you for being my hero.Thank you for being you.

資料來源：JuanMann.com

延伸閱讀：http://www.scribd.com/doc/1871268/The-Illustrated-Guide-to-Free-Hugs

一萬個夢想 10000 DREAMS/責任編輯