50 Random Stanford Strangers
My project at Stanford in 2017 Summer ("interview 50 strangers in Stanford") had a substantial impact on my life. Each person is like a universe, treasure or even iceberg. The process to go deeper in their heart is intriguing, both inspiring for interviewer and interviewee. There were students, professors, businessman, TED-speaker, Cancer-patient, actors, etc. People laughed, sighed, frowned, shed tears.
I interviewed Leonard Susskind, a famous physics professor at Stanford without knowing who he was. At first, I saw him sketching something under the sun, so I thought he was a retired old fellow who was practising painting skills. We talked for about 2 hours and one particular moment surprised me: he screamed "Trump is a jerk" very loudly in the open air. I was shocked because, in China, where I came from if somebody did so, the police might send him to jail.
We also talked about stereotypes. In China, foreign countries are dangerous with guns and bombs. But Leonard told me the importance of statistics and data, which I should have own judgement base on fact, instead of merely believing in media.
"Do not look back. Look forward! "
"Take advantage of the time and energy that is available to you in your youth, to study and create a path that is fulfilling and exciting for you. Don’t be afraid to take risks."
"My next 5-year plan: TO DIE! "
"If tomorrow is the last day of my life....... I'm going to eat a lot of Macaroni and Cheese today! "
"Life is full of exploration and beauty!"
"At four years old, I wanted to build a chocolate factory. At 5, I wanted to be a chef. At 7, I wanted to shoot arrows in the Olympics. Now I'm a writer.
" Young people are always in a hurry to become successful."
"Before asking, use the search engine."
" life's too short. Don't work with assholes."
