I love you, O lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my slavation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and i am saved from my enemies.

This passage is possibly one of the most meaningful for me. It has seen me through three seasons of pledging, (nearly) four years at college, and was first introduced to me the first time I read the Bible straight through my Junior year of high school. Times get rough, sometimes you feel like you are going to blow a gasget in your intestines, sometimes you just feel overwhelmed; praise God. I think it is legitimate to pray for health, but sometimes I pray for sickness, because it is after times of extreme uncomfort that I am able to breath freer, fuller, and better.

One of my favorite scenes in any movie, is the scene in Fight Club when Tyler busts into a convenience store, and begins to question Raymond K. Hessel, the worker. (Jack is played by Edward Norton, and Tyler by Brad Pitt)

EXT. BEHIND THE CONVENIENCE STORE - MOMENTS LATER

The BACK DOOR opens and Tyler brings the store's CLERK out
at gunpoint, forces him to his knees. Jack follows,
freaked. Tyler points the gun at the Clerk.

JACK (V.O.)
On a long enough time line, the
survival rate for everyone drops to
zero.

CLERK
Please... don't...

TYLER
Give me your wallet.

The Clerk fumbles his wallet out of his pocket and Tyler
snatches it. Tyler pulls out the DRIVER'S LICENCE.

TYLER
Raymond K. Hessel. 1320 SE Benning,
apartment A. A small, cramped
basement apartment.

RAYMOND
How'd you know?

TYLER
They give basement apartments letters
instead of numbers. Raymond, you're
going to die.

Tyler rummages through the wallet.

TYLER
Is this a picture of Mom and Dad?

RAYMOND
Yesssss...

TYLER
Your mom and dad will have to call
kindly doctor so-and-so to dig up
your dental records, because there
won't be much left of your face.

RAYMOND
Please, God, no...

Raymond begins to weep, shoulders heaving.

JACK
Tyler...

TYLER
An expired community college student
ID card. What did you used to study,
Raymond K. Hessel?

RAYMOND
S-S-Stuff.

TYLER
"Stuff." Were the mid-terms hard?

Tyler rams the gun barrel against Raymond's temple.

TYLER
I asked you what you studied.

JACK
Tell him!

RAYMOND
Biology, mostly.

TYLER
Why?

RAYMOND
I... I don't know...

TYLER
What did you want to be, Raymond K.
Hessel?

Raymond weeps and says nothing. Tyler COCKS the gun.
Raymond GASPS.

TYLER
The question, Raymond, was "what did
you want to be?"

A beat.

JACK
Answer him!

RAYMOND
A veterinarian!

TYLER
Animals.

RAYMOND
Yeah ... animals and s-s-s ---

TYLER
Stuff. That means you have to get
more schooling.

RAYMOND
Too much school.

Tyler shoves Raymond's wallet back into Raymond's pocket.

TYLER
Would you rather be dead?

RAYMOND
No, please, no, God, no!

Tyler moves the gun right between Raymond's eyes.

RAYMOND
NOOOOO!

Tyler UNCOCKS the gun, lowers it.

TYLER
I'm keeping your license. I know
where you live. I'm going to check
on you. If you aren't back in school
and on your way to being a
veterinarian in six weeks, you will
be dead. Get the hell out of here.

Raymond staggers to his feet, heads down an alleyway. Jack
and Tyler watch Raymond flee, then Tyler looks at Jack.

JACK
I feel sick.

TYLER
Imagine how he feels.

Tyler brings the gun to his own head, pulls the trigger --
CLICK. Empty.

JACK
I don't care, that was horrible.

Tyler walks away.

TYLER
Tomorrow will be the most beautiful
day of Raymond K. Hessell's life.

Jack watches Tyler go.

TYLER
His breakfast will taste better than
any meal he has ever eaten.

Comments

  1. Hobart Hobo24/1/06

    good thoughts in your last two posts friend. keep them comming

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cal Benaglio25/1/06

    Patrick I love you brother but I think I need to inform you of something. I get up around 4:30 am for work now and if you ever call me after midnight assuming I'm awake I will literally steal your wallet, put a gun to your head and make you go back to Beauty School. Please call me in the afternoons, I would love to talk to you. Why is Satan always homeless? Because my heart has no vacancy, God lives there. Booyah all you Satan worshippers at ACU!!! yeah there's a lot

    ReplyDelete
  3. Derek25/1/06

    I used to have a copy of Fight Club but someone borrowed it and never returned it. Now I just have an empty spot on the shelf.

    ReplyDelete

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