Everyday, I enjoy watching the world with HONY and Humans of New York on FB. The people, the pictures, and their stories. Each time I go there, my day is brightened up. Below are just a few of my favorites, the ones that have really struck a chord with me. Do yourselves a favor and go spend some time over there. You'll definitely come away with a smile...you might even come away feeling inspired.
NOTE: All of these photos and their captions are the work of HONY and can be found both on the HONY website and Facebook page. These are copied here as an homage to a project I find simply amazing and hope to share with others.
"I'm a philosophy professor."
"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"Never make an exception of yourself."
"What does that mean?"
"People like to make exceptions of themselves. They hold other people to moral codes that they aren't willing to follow themselves. For example, people tend to think that if they tell a lie, it's because it was absolutely necessary. But if someone else tells a lie, it means they're dishonest. So never make an exception of yourself. If you're a thief, don't complain about being robbed."
"When I was younger, I thought listening was just about learning the contents of someone's mind. I'd always try to finish their thoughts, just to show them that I knew what they were thinking. As I got older, I learned to listen better. I realized that by trying to anticipate their mind, I was ignoring their heart."
"I have one daughter and one adopted daughter."
"What were your reasons for adopting?"
"We adopted my niece when her mother died. She was about seven at the time. But you want to know the crazy thing? Back when she was four months old, she was sitting in my lap, and I turned to my wife and said: 'We're going to be raising this girl.'"
"What made you say that?"
"I don't know. I just said it."
"So how was her transition into your family?"
"It was tough the first year. But I can tell you this: she is unquestionably a sister to my daughter, and a daughter to me and my wife."
"What's that?"
"Sobriety. I tried that shit, and suddenly I realized that my girlfriend was insane and all my friends were assholes."
"Why's that?"
"Well, I'm going to sound a bit like a hippy...but everyone tells you to 'follow your own path,' then you're put into an institution where you're funneled down these predetermined tracks. Then you're packaged up and regurgitated back into society. Like you're a GI Joe. Or a Barbie."
I asked her dad why she was carrying a candy bucket. He said: "She's an optimist."
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