Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 231

“I lost my family home because of my gambling. I couldn’t...

“I lost my family home because of my gambling. I couldn’t handle the stress so I needed an escape. I used to be a body builder. My arms were this thick. I was healthier than you are. But now this is my only breakfast. It makes me numb and I sleep until the evening. It’s been about ten years. And the longer I do it, the more pain that’s waiting for me if I stop.”

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“Our friends are trying to set us up.”(Lahore,...

“Our friends are trying to set us up.”

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“I’m trying to help her figure out her future. I was working...

“I’m trying to help her figure out her future. I was working at the Sunday market, and she asked me for help setting up a stand of her own. She told me about her story and showed me her bruises and marks. I’m trying to help her all I can, but my means are limited. My own income is only 2500 rupees a week and I’m getting engaged next week. I’m trying to set up a committee to donate blood because she really needs it.” (2/2)

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“I left an abusive relationship and I have nowhere to go. I...

“I left an abusive relationship and I have nowhere to go. I have Hepatitis C, so no one is willing to take me in. I don’t know how long I will live. I tried to give her up for adoption so that she’d have a good home. The wife of a minister told me about a place where I could drop her off. But when I got there, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.” (½)

(Lahore, Pakistan)

Today in microfashion…(Lahore, Pakistan)

Today in microfashion…

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“My daughter had a hole in her heart. I prayed constantly...

“My daughter had a hole in her heart. I prayed constantly because I never knew the moment that God would be listening. We were given medication from the doctor, and then God healed her.”

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“I’m studying cardiac regeneration to help repair damaged...

“I’m studying cardiac regeneration to help repair damaged hearts. It was widely believed that hearts cells could not be replenished, but we’ve used carbon dating to discover cells in the heart that are younger than the heart itself. So I believe it is possible.”

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“My brother works in a camera factory. Yesterday he brought...

“My brother works in a camera factory. Yesterday he brought home something that projects monsters on my bedroom wall.”

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“I was never educated because I began working when I was a...

“I was never educated because I began working when I was a child. I was always envious of the boys who got to wear uniforms and go to school. This is her first month of school. She comes home and tells me exactly what happened, everyday. I love it. If I’m not home for a few days, she’ll save up all her stories, then tell them to me all at once.”

(Lahore, Pakistan)

“It seems that violence is the only lens through which...

“It seems that violence is the only lens through which ordinary people in Pakistan are viewed in the media. Even if it’s a story about a Pakistani rock band, it will be set in the context of a violent society. There’s nothing false about the perspective. Pakistan has a problem with violence. Violence is used to silence journalists, and judges, and moderate religious scholars. And it seems to be getting worse. Every time I see somebody on television speaking out in anger against extremism or corruption—I’ll say a prayer for them. And every time one of those people is murdered, those of us who aspire to be like them grow a little more afraid. So it’s not that the reports of violence are false. But they are only a small part of the truth. There’s so much other life being lived here. But there’s only so much space in international newspapers. And there’s so much news in the world. So only the most jarring stories make the cut.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)