Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 454

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of...

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"Love yourself."
"What’s the hardest part about loving yourself?"
"Self-hatred. Which I have a lot of."
"Why do you hate yourself?"
"It started with an over possessive mother making me feel guilty. Then growing up in Flint, Michigan, I was made to feel guilty for being gay. So it all started with other people making me feel guilty. But then I grew up, and I took over their job for them."

"My uncle was like my father. He stepped in and raised me when...

"My uncle was like my father. He stepped in and raised me when my father left."
"What’s one important thing he taught you?"
"He taught me to hit back. He told me that if somebody hit me, and I didn’t hit back, that he was going to hit me.”
"Now that you’re grown, do you think that’s a good thing?"
"It’s easy to say that it’s not. But I was a small kid in a tough neighborhood, and it taught people not to pick on me. So I appreciated it."

"I’m trying to get out of my brokeness."“Why are...

"I’m trying to get out of my brokeness."

“Why are you broke?”

“I was born broke. Nobody ever gave me anything. Nobody ever bought me anything. But I made it hard on myself too. I left school. I left home. I threw all my stuff in the street and left.”

“Why’d you do that?”

“My feelings were hurt. Nobody ever cared about me. Nobody ever said: ‘Charlie, what’s wrong?’ They said, ‘Shut up, Charlie. We’ve got our own problems.’”

"What was the greatest day you ever spent together?"“Had...

"What was the greatest day you ever spent together?"

“Had to be when there was a full lunar eclipse while we were floating on a houseboat in a swamp in Botswana. Not even the guide knew it was coming. It was a full moon that night, and suddenly I noticed a corner of it starting to disappear. Then a quarter. Then a half. Then it went completely dark, and the Milky Way just filled up the sky.”

"She’s a mother in name only. We get in fights, but...

"She’s a mother in name only. We get in fights, but she’s always so drunk that she never remembers them. We live in the same house, but haven’t had a real conversation in over a year."

"I’m just a fat guy sitting in the cold."“Why are...

"I’m just a fat guy sitting in the cold."

“Why are you sitting in the cold?”

“I’m waiting to go to work. I work an overnight security job. I live in Philly, but I take the bus up here and stay for four days each week. I can’t find work in Philly and I’ve got two kids.”

“Where do you sleep?”

“Starbucks, McDonalds, anywhere I can take a quick nap.”

"I’ve been learning bagpipes for 23 years. Now guess how...

"I’ve been learning bagpipes for 23 years. Now guess how old I am."

“…. 26.”

“Nope! I’m 22. Both my parents played.”

"I want to be an actress. But if I ever get tired of that,...

"I want to be an actress. But if I ever get tired of that, I’m going to write books."

“What do you want to write about?”

“I could write about a girl who is an orphan. And she’s twelve years old and living in an orphanage. And then I could put myself in her position, and write a book about what I would do.”

"I’m trying to be both a Buddhist and a...

"I’m trying to be both a Buddhist and a businessman."

“What’s the most difficult part of that?”

“Wanting to be successful, while at the same time letting go of the attachment to desire.”

“Isn’t that impossible?”

“You can desire. You just can’t be attached to desire. It’s about living in the moment and enjoying the attempt to realize your ideas, while at the same time letting go of the need for a positive outcome.”

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"“Not...

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"

“Not living my father’s life.”