In this article, Joshua Miranda went to interview the houseless population of Riverside Park to get some possible life advice from the nicer residents of the park.
In life, we all face trials, tests, and tribulations. Some face obstacles more than others. Houselessness is one of these trials that many people seem to go through for many different reasons, ranging from tragic life-changing incidents to drug use and alcohol abuse. The Scroll set out to find some people who have faced many trials. We found two nice, funny men, who were willing to be interviewed for this story. Robert Fisher and another anonymous man were the candidates for these interviews. Overall, it was a fun experience in which a few members of The Scroll learned some things that could change and help them in life.
Andre was an interesting and fun guy to interview. As for advice, he had some that were goofy and others that could be taken as good. He was a jolly soul who had plenty of thoughts relating to happiness. For example, he stated that, if you are sad, then you should eat ice cream. His reason for this is: if you were happy when eating ice cream when you were young, eating ice cream is kind of taking you back to that, and no one can be sad when eating a nice bowl or cone of ice cream. He also had a strong belief that happiness is the meaning of life, whilst others think it is success and excelling in your field. He believes that, even if you are successful, you are not always happy, and when you are unhappy or miserable, your life could never be fulfilled. If you were to be happy, then you are more likely to live life as it is and to the fullest. Success can help with happiness, but he believes to be truly happy is the meaning of life. Those are two amazing philosophies that he believes. But wait, the show is not over, for he also believes that to be truly happy and for the world to be in such a state, peace and positivity also need to be spread. Staying in the moment and being honest also seem to be factors of the life he enjoys living. He says to always stay in the moment and try to enjoy everything you can, and to be honest; lying won’t get you anywhere except in a bad spot. One of the last details he felt was important was to be spontaneous, going along with being in the moment. Just enjoy your stay here on earth.
The man whose name we never caught also had a great message for today's youth. His advice is to stay in school and retain as much knowledge as possible. Pay attention to your classes and don’t flunk, mess up, or drop out. He wished he had done as he preached to us at The Scroll, for when he left he realized that he had missed everything and should have listened to his teachers and parents who tried giving him advice. He probably could have been in a better position than he is currently in. Another good message he had was to stay out of drugs and just not to mess with those, as they won’t help. Sure, it might feel good while you do it but, in the long run, it is just going to mess you up and ruin your future.
Overall, we had some amazing and fun interviews that were nothing less than enjoyable. The men we talked to had some pretty funny and good advice-- a lot of which we down at The Scroll believed should be shared; the truth these men hold could be helpful and possibly aid anyone's life.
Interview with Robert Andre Fisher
Interview with anonymous man