The Sunset Limited Page #10

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And in this state you seize

upon this, whatever it is,

that has neither sense

nor substance,

and you grab hold of it

and hang on for dear life.

Is that a fair portrayal?

That might be

one way to say it.

It doesn't make any sense.

Well, I thought when

we was talking earlier

you was saying that there was none of it

made no sense...

Talking about the history

of the world and some such.

Well, it doesn't

on a larger scale.

But what you're telling me

is not a view of things.

It's a view of one thing

and I find it nonsensical.

What would you do

if Jesus was to speak to you?

Do you imagine that he might?

No, I don't.

But I don't know.

I'm not virtuous enough.

No, professor,

it ain't nothing like that.

You ain't got to be virtuous.

You just has to be quiet.

Now I can't speak for the lord,

but it has been my experience

that he will talk to

anybody who will listen.

You damn sure ain't got

to be virtuous.

If I heard God talking to me,

I would be ready for you

to take me up to Bellevue,

as you suggested.

What if what he said

made sense?

Wouldn't make any difference.

Craziness is craziness.

- Don't make no difference if it makes sense?

- No.

Well, that's about as big a case

of the primacy as I ever heard.

I've always gone my own way.

Ich kann nicht anders.

What's that you talking?

- It's German.

- You talk German?

Not really. A little.

It's a quotation.

Ah well, it didn't do them Germans

much good though, did it?

I don't know.

The Germans contributed

a great deal to

civilization before Hitler.

And then they

contributed Hitler.

Yeah, if you like.

I gather it to be your belief

that culture tends to

contribute to human misery,

that the more one knows, the

unhappier one is likely to be.

As in the case of certain

parties known to us.

As in the case.

Well, I don't believe

I said that.

I think maybe it was you

who said it.

- I never said it.

- Do you believe it?

- No.

- No?

I don't know.

It could be true.

Well, why is that?

That don't seem right, do it?

It's the first thing

in that book there...

the Garden of Eden,

knowledge as destructive to the

spirit, destructive to goodness.

I thought you ain't read

that book.

Everyone knows that story.

It's probably the most famous story in there.

Hmm, why you think that is?

I suppose from the God's point

of view all knowledge is vanity.

Or maybe it just gives people

the unhealthy illusion that

they can outwit the devil.

Damn, professor.

Where was you

when I needed you?

You'd better be careful.

You see where it's gotten me.

Oh, I see.

That's the topic of discussion here.

The darker picture

is always the correct one.

When you read the history

of the world

you are reading a saga of

bloodshed and greed and folly

the import of which

is impossible to ignore.

And yet we imagine

that the future will

somehow be different.

I've no idea why we are

even still here.

In all probability we won't

be here much longer.

Them's some pretty

powerful words, professor.

That's what's in your

heart though, ain't it?

Yes.

All right, well, I can

relate to them thoughts.

- You can?

- Sure I can.

That surprises me.

But you could be wrong,

you know.

I don't think so.

That ain't something you have

a lot of in your life, is it?

- What isn't?

- Being wrong.

- I admit it when I'm wrong.

- Oh, I don't know about that.

Well, you're entitled

to your own opinion.

Oh yeah,

here it is.

Story on page three.

Ah.

"Friends reported

that the man had

ignored all advice

and stated that he intended

to pursue his own course.

A close confidant

stated... "

and this here

is in quotations...

"You couldn't tell that

son of a b*tch nothing."

Now can you say that

in the paper...

"Son of a b*tch"?

"Blood-spattered spectators

at the 155th Street station...

continued on page four..."

"who were interviewed

at the scene said

that the man's last words

as he hurtled toward the

oncoming commuter train were,

'I am right.'"

very funny.

Oh, professor,

you an amazing man.

I'm glad you find me

entertaining.

- Oh, I think you're pretty special.

- I don't think I'm special.

- You don't?

- No, I don't.

You don't think you view

those other commuters

from a certain height?

I view those other commuters

as fellow occupants

of the same abyssal pit

in which I find myself.

And if they see it

as something different,

I don't know how that

makes me special.

Mm.

I hear what you're saying.

But still I keep coming

back to these commuters,

them that's waiting

on the Sunset.

I can't help but think

there's got to be something

a little special

about theirselves.

I mean, they got to be

in a deeper pit

than us day travelers...

deeper and darker.

I ain't saying they

down as deep as you,

- but pretty deep maybe.

- So?

So maybe they your brothers

in self-destruction

and despair.

I thought misery loved company.

I'm sure I don't know.

Let me take a shot at it.

What I think is

that you got better

reasons than them.

See, their reasons is that

they just don't like it here,

but yours says

what it is not to like

and why not not to like it.

You got more intelligent

reasons, more elegant reasons.

- You making fun of me?

- No, I ain't.

- But you think I'm full of sh*t?

- No, I don't think that.

But I don't doubt that it's possible

to die from being full of sh*t.

But I don't think that's

what we're looking at here.

What do you think

we're looking at?

I don't know.

You got me in uncharted territory.

You got these

world-class reasons

for taking the Limited

where these other dudes...

all they got is,

well, maybe they just

don't feel good.

It might could be that you

ain't even all that unhappy.

You think my education

is driving me to suicide?

No, I'm just posing

the question.

Well, wait a minute

'fore you answer.

Okay, go ahead.

I think that's the most

ridiculous thing I ever heard.

"I think that's the most

ridiculous thing I ever heard."

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