Interview

What I learned about my interview...
We shall refer to him, as DUDE.

Dude is 20 years old. He was born in Oklahoma City, but grew up in Lookeba-Sickels, Oklahoma. Thaaaat's right. There is an actual place called Lookeba-Sickels. Growing up in LS, Dude felt that he needed to get out (imagine that). Most of the 24 people in his graduating class had no ambition. They wanted to do little more than drink their lives away. Dude wanted to 'get out and grow up'. He has very few fond memories of LS, but came out of it with a sound group of friends. The school itself provided a poor learning environment and very few opportunities. He spent his free time working on a small local farm doing odd jobs as well as working at Sonic during the school year. He has two older brothers, Man and Hey You. Dude and Man get along well where as Hey You is a little more distant. Geographically, his family has seperated since the death of his father at age nine. Emotionally, they are still a fairly closeknit bunch.

Dude is Christian who is firm in his faith. He wants his household to be one of firm structure and religion. He will be the leader, provider and protector of the household, making all major family decisions, whereas his wife will be the homekeeper and watch the children. He hopes to sensor or shelter his children from the violence and sins of today, possibly not having a television in the home.

Dude chose OSU to further his education because his two brothers had been here before him. This left him with a knowledge base with which to start from. Dude is now a History major at OSU.

The most influential life changing moment in Dude's life was when he became a Christian. He feels that before finding this faith, he was a sinical person who hated people. He now finds courage in strength in helping others. Members of a friend's family helped to direct him along this path as well as his inner turmoil about what would happen after death. He noticed a difference in people and wondered what it was about them that caused this. He found one thing was religion. The hardest part of his life, he says, was not finding his faith, but living up to it. This proved to be a hard, but profitable challenge.

If he had the opportunity to go back and change one thing, he said that it would be high school. He would strive to be a better person and a better example. He would have asked more questions and attempted to understand why his classmates were the way they were instead of assuming they were all wrong.

When asked what one person inspired or influenced him the most, he chose a gentleman by the name of Mark Keeler. Dude has never met Mark, but felt his inspirational messages had a lasting impact on his life. Mr. Keeler had a series of televised ministries that Dude watched since he was fifteen. If, all money aside, he could do one job for the rest of his life, he would like to do what Mr. Keeler does. He loves computer graphics, writing and religion, so he would enjoy all aspects of creating such a film.

When asked what angers him, his reply was when friends leave or turn their back on him the second they have a girlfriend. (BEEN THERE MY FRIEND, BEEN THERE)

The last time Dude got lost...was very, very recent. He has NO sense of direction and seems to ALWAYS go the opposite way he intended. He made a 3 hour drive into almost a 9 hour one by driving the wrong direction and almost making it to TEXAS. I even think after leaving the coffee shop tonight, he went the wrong way home. ??

Dudes biggest fear is heights. He feels that most of his other 'fears' if you will even call them that, have in some way been conquered or at least diminished to some degree. He enjoys cartoons, mostly for the pure love of animation and artistry. His favorite being a film called Princess Monanoke. This is a combination of two of his loves, animation and a story of historical legend. Musically, he is most drawn to instrumental, or orchestral thematic music as opposed to music that is masked by words. He likes music that envokes a feeling of fun, such as many movie soundtracks.

Dudes favorite piece of advice that has been handed down to him is, 'Do unto others as you would have done unto you.'

During our interview, I had the pleasure of speaking directly to his best friend Bud, and had my question answered first hand. My question was, 'How do you think your best friend would describe you?' Bud stated, 'Dude is a goofy, nice guy. He is a little nerdy, but cool enough. He's Christian, cause he's biblical and all. So yeah, he's a nerdy, nice guy, but I don't hold that against him.' Bud and Dude are best friends because they have known each other since kindergarten and find it easy to talk to each other. When they argue, which is quite frequently, it always seems to occur in an almost amuzing and fun way. His roommates would most likely describe him as quiet, unreadable and perhaps a little messy.

When asked what he felt was life's most beautiful art forms he stated Mountains, Stars and Sunrises. Mountains for their adventure and view, stars because they are mysterious and infinite and sunrises because they show a great, unexplainable order.

Dude's favorite holiday is the 4th of July because it is a holiday that brings his family and church together in fun.

In ten years, Dude can see himself possibly married and just out of seminary school. He hopes to either be working as a pastor or a missionary at that point.

I asked Dude what movie had a message that best pertained to his life. He stated the movie, Luther. This movie is a true story based on the life of Martin Luther, a reformer in the 1500's. He attached Catholocism for not being biblical. It portrayed a sense of courage and truth which are two things Dude strives for each day.

Dude's favorite word is Faith. He says it is 'evidence of things not seen'. Treating things as if they were, when we have no proof.

Dude says that he would rather be blind than deaf because deafness to him, would be prison. He enjoys music and playing the piano and feels that the silence would be deafening.

The final question asked of Dude was, 'Do you find that you are a mostly happy person or sad?' His response, 'Both.' He feels that the 'manifests of life burden him (meaning the cruelties and injustices of the world today), but he knows at the end of the day that his sins have been forgiven and the world will be judged.'