Ep 178: Free Hugs Project with Ken Nwadike Jr.
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Ep 178: Free Hugs Project with Ken Nwadike Jr.
Episode 178: Show Notes
Today’s guest, Ken Nwadike explains, what we need more of is love, empathy, and peace – and a simple hug can go a long way. Welcome back to The Light Watkins Show as we encourage you to use today’s episode as a guide for finding your center, pressing reset, and ensuring that your mind and heart are in the right place for you to be most useful and effective as a vocal activist against all wars.
Ken Nwadike returns to the show to further explain why he decided to take it upon himself to be a pillar of calm in a world set on chaos. Ken founded the Free Hugs Project, a non-profit organization that centers on facilitating peace between two conflicting groups, and he goes into detail on how he enters conflict zones and how he approaches the leaders on either side.
We discuss the importance of differentiating between various political groups and agendas, how Ken’s activism has evolved in the past decade, the difficulty and nuance of navigating tribal narratives, and why most Americans are more concerned with and vocal about Gaza than they are about other wars around the world.
Ken also walks us through why world peace starts with loving your family, how he overcomes criticism, how we can all rise above trivial online disputes, and why those who know more about the nuances of conflict should take charge in resolving them. If you’re looking for a way for your voice to be heard, you’ve come to the right place.
Key Points From This Episode:
Welcoming Ken Nwadike Jr. back to the show as he recaps his extraordinary backstory.
How Free Hugs grew from being present at marathons to being visible in conflict zones.
What gave Ken the audacity to place himself in the middle of intense racial disputes.
How he enters heated situations and the way he engages with leaders in a conflict.
Differentiating between various protesting and political groups, and why it matters to do so.
How Ken’s activism has evolved from his first protest intervention to now.
The way some of today’s conflicts date back to Biblical times, and navigating tribal narratives.
Why Americans are more concerned with Gaza than other international warzones.
How world peace starts with loving your family.
Ken’s mechanisms for navigating criticism.
How social media is a breeding ground for conflict, and how to rise above online quarrels.
Why those who understand the nuance of conflict should take charge of the resolutions.
Quotes:
“The whole idea and concept of Free Hugs – and the reason why I go out there – is just that reminder to be more loving, more kind, [and] more empathetic.” — @KenNwadikeJrr [0:07:07]
“I try and caution people about rushing to judgment because there’s more information that comes out that can change the way we view an entire thing.” — @KenNwadikeJrr [0:16:39]
“My message is always peace – maybe people will listen, maybe they won’t, but it’s always going to be about peace.” — @KenNwadikeJrr [0:20:17]
“People are going to say mean things to you; they're going to judge you; they're going to try and put you in a box. But you have to process it really quickly and move on. That's how I deal with [criticism] – I don't let it get to me.” — @KenNwadikeJrr [0:59:28]
“We’re in a period of war right now and people are dying, babies are dying. We have to get raw and real about the things that are happening around us.” — @KenNwadikeJrr [1:20:18]
“Politically, we’re going to start to see a lot of [racial tension] as all the division and vitriol starts throughout the country again. People have to stand on what matters most to them and what struck a chord with them in their hearts.” — @KenNwadikeJrr [1:23:52]
Longer Quotes
“I don’t think anybody is right or wrong, necessarily. I think everybody just has their narrative and they think the other side has been victimized by propaganda – I keep coming back to the Mother Teresa quote where somebody asked her, ‘How do we bring about world peace?’ And she said – ‘Go home and love your family.’ You’re not going to be able to jump into every conflict that’s happening around the world – but one thing you can do now is, locally, just go love your family. If the world had enough people loving their family, you wouldn’t have all this conflict.” — @KenNwadikeJr [0:46:01]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: