Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 445

"I sort of broke up with my whole family."

"I sort of broke up with my whole family."

"She always wanted to be my number one priority, so I didn’t...

"She always wanted to be my number one priority, so I didn’t accomplish much while we were together. I spent all my time hanging out with her. After she cheated on me, I started doing me. I went back to college and got my degree."

“I just want to die gracefully.”“Is there a lot of fear wrapped...

“I just want to die gracefully.”

“Is there a lot of fear wrapped up in that desire?”

“Of course there is. Facing the inevitable physical decline, not knowing what’s ahead. Hospital visits, chemotherapy, it’s all very scary. Fear is the oldest and strongest emotion, and it springs from the unknown. What was that T.S. Eliot quote, something about “interstellar spaces…”

———————————

From East Coker,

by T.S. Eliot

"O dark dark dark. They all go into the dark,

The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant,

The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters,

The generous patrons of art, the statesmen and the rulers,

Distinguished civil servants, chairmen of many committees,

Industrial lords and petty contractors, all go into the dark.”

“‘Go to New York,’ he said, ‘I support...

“‘Go to New York,’ he said, ‘I support you. Follow your dreams of becoming an actress.’ Then two months later he got his coworker pregnant.”

"She’s my best friend."“How’d you...

"She’s my best friend."

“How’d you meet?”

“Five years ago, I was having an argument with her girlfriend and she came out of nowhere and hit me.”

“Now I don’t remember that.”

“It happened.”

"I run a senior support group in the neighborhood."“What...

"I run a senior support group in the neighborhood."

“What would you say is one thing that seniors need most?”

“Just human connection, really.”

“Can you describe a benefit of human connection?”

“Well, we had one elderly lady living alone awhile back, and she got taken in by a scammer who convinced her to give away all her money. If she’d had someone else to talk to, and been more tied into the community, that probably could have been prevented.”

"One shot then I gotta go."

"One shot then I gotta go."

"I want to be a ballerina."“What’s going to be the...

"I want to be a ballerina."

“What’s going to be the best part about being a ballerina?”

“Spinning.”

"I live in a one bedroom with six other people. I’m trying...

"I live in a one bedroom with six other people. I’m trying to get to college so I can get the fuck up out of here."

“What’s the biggest obstacle keeping you from doing that?”

“Prioritizing problems. There’s a lot of problems in the hood, and it’s tough to prioritize them.”

“Can you give me an example?”

“Yeah. If your girlfriend just dumped you, or you don’t have any nice clothes, it can be tough to realize that your first concern should be getting good grades next semester.”

"My son got killed when he was eighteen."“What...

"My son got killed when he was eighteen."

“What happened?”

“He got shot, of course. That’s all they do.”