Interesting observation on people today

I decided to do something different this year on Sept. 11. Saddened by the reel of crashing towers playing in my mind, I became a silent movie for those to view, an object for those to embrace and a show of compassion for those to relate to. I stood in the student union holding a sign that read "free hugs."

Unoriginal, I agree, but why should it be original? I stood there for about two hours saying nothing and smiling at anyone who walked by. It was most surprising how hard people tried not to notice me and my sign or shoot me strange looks as if I was an unwelcome guest in their universe. But a minority welcomed my gesture, saying they really needed a hug, smiling back or laughing. I tried my best to remain neutral to either responses. If someone asked what I was doing, I solemnly paraphrased Gandhi: "I am being the change I wish to see in the world."

Religious or not, being compassionate toward others is a worthwhile cause. If society suffers, so do we as individuals, and vice versa. Fear not, for compassion is not a resource that can be used up. In fact, it grows exponentially when used proficiently. Nor is its abundance in oneself a show of weakness, but rather, a lack of it is a show of a weak conscious. Compassion is the best way to serve yourself, because your happiness is found in the qualities embedded in compassion. Grimace no longer and find solace in being compassionate to others.

Ally with compassion and you will never be alone. Champion compassion and you are someone's hero. Finance compassion and you will reap the benefits. We are better than we think we are.

I dare you to stand up after reading this and go give someone a hug. I dare you to open the door for someone. This is your chance to tell that person you care. This is your excuse to make that bold move. This article is your "get out of jail free" card; with it you are licensed to do and say anything you deem compassionate to someone else without fear of recourse. Be brave. Be someone's hero. Make someone's day. I dare you.

I was approached by one person who told me it was great what I was doing, but she declined to hug me because she thought it was inappropriate. She later returned and offered me a "Jesus loves you" pamphlet, which I declined because I thought it was inappropriate, but later I accepted after she persisted.

One athletic-looking man, wearing a backward baseball cap and Abercrombie & Fitch apparel, asked me if I was giving out free kisses too. Others asked me who put me up to this or how much I was getting paid to do it. Some men smugly asked me how many "digits" I had received so far. Some women told me I looked really desperate.

All this really confused me. Why were students on campus so suspicious of a simple act of compassion? Granted, I am no Moses, Jesus or Muhammad. But I feel confident in saying that compassion is what these forefathers of Western religion essentially preached. According to a Pew Research Center nationwide survey, only two percent of Americans consider themselves nonreligious. Therefore, it is safe to assume that a good majority of the students that encountered me were religious, yet the majority chose to pretend to ignore or chastise me. Is this hypocritical of those students who did so? Next time I will put myself in front of a big cross to hammer this point home.