The Right Question

Last week, I watched American History X. The story was told through a tale of two brothers in a town where racialism was loud and proud. If you were to watch it, brace yourself for obscenity and profanity (loads of it). I'm not surprised it was banned in Malaysian cinemas.

In the movie, one of the brothers (Derek) got sent to prison. He had led a huge clan of young white Americans against the non-whites, such as the Afrian-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Jews, and etc. He was like the American version of Adolf Hitler. His assassinations of the non-whites were viewed by his members as heroic. Therefore when he was sent to prison, he thought of himself as a hero.

The turning point came when he was raped by a few men in prison, and his ex-teacher (Sweeney) came to visit him one day later. Sprawled on the bed after receiving several stitches, Derek couldn't hide his pain any longer. Right before the eyes of his African-American teacher, Derek allowed his pride to fall like rain from his own eyes.

Derek finally raised his face to Sweeney and said, "I don't get it. I've done my best. I've given all I can. I thought I was doing the right thing. But why is this happening to me?"

Sweeney looked sadly at Derek, who used to be one of the best students he ever had before Derek dropped out of school. "Well, maybe you've just been asking the wrong questions. You need to start asking God the right questions."

"Oh, 'right questions'. Like what?" Derek scoffed.

"Well, that's simple." Sweeney replied. "Has anything you've done actually made you feel any better?"

Upon hearing that, Derek kept silent for a long time. Then he shook his head and the tears just kept streaming down his face once more.

That question was rhetorical. I found myself thinking about it after the movie ended. It caused me to question myself. That's why I like movies like that. They make me think, and they leave me something essential to ponder about.

That's one question I'll be asking myself from time to time, in order to ensure that I'm not straying off the track.