Humans of New York

This site, Humans of New York, amazes me. It's simple, very simple: just a collection of snaps of people taken in and around New York City with a short text accompanying each. Sometimes the text is a little history of the interaction, sometimes it's a quotation, sometimes it's a response to a question the photographer asks.

But they are almost all interesting and also moving, funny, tragic, odd, annoying and surprising. Some are little gems of wisdom, like this woman:

"My town in Colombia is very beautiful. I don't travel because I want to leave my home. I travel because I need to know why I'm staying."

Though it shouldn't, it makes me feel optimistic about people when, in fact, my natural tendency is to be on the misanthropic side at times. But it reminds me that everyone has their own story, their own limitations, their own experiences, their own prejudices and what we all want out of life is strikingly similar.