Page 122

By Jack Joseph Smith

it and be free. Free, Michael. Freedom means joy, not pain. You are not free because you say, fuck you. It dosen't mean a thing, unless you are willing to make your way back through it all again. And it will be a long way back, because the kind of road you seem to be taking is a long way down. What's that you said, it's a long long way back to a foreign master? I didn't say that. Yes you did. I heard you whisper, when you came in. I knew you were there. I came here tonight looking for you. I knew you would be on the Hill, and it has been a long time. I was waiting. All night I have been going to different bars, and waiting. I knew you would come. All your hell, all the things you see in your walking. Don't you know that your fists shouldn't be swinging at the things you see. Destiny is something that is put there to see, not to be blinded by. It is something that can help you. It is not something to be afraid of. The Catholic church is wrong, they cover things before they are naked. They never give people a chance to really see. I am not saying I do. But I am begining to see my destiny. For awhile I will fall in love with it. I will talk about it and covet it, until it is revealed. But I won't cast it wildly in a million places. That adds up to nothing. Can't you see. Your many parts exist in the same circle; no matter how small or how large that circle is. It becomes increasingly difficult to be aware of your many fragments, when you have cast them far away into dementions that are beyond you. Look within the boundaries first, that you can see, that you can touch, that you are capable of understanding. Then when you have gathered strength, and understand your own movements, walk on to others and mingle with the world. But if you can't deal with yourself, how can you expect to deal with the world, let alone destroy it. Would you like anouther beer? I think it is my turn. We both have a long road ahead.

Original Scan

Page 122

AI Interpretation

GPT

Daniel defines freedom against empty defiance and explains that he searched bars all night to find Michael. His counsel asks Michael to stop scattering himself, understand the boundaries he can touch, and gather strength before trying to deal with the wider world.

The conversation becomes more direct and instructive here, almost like an intervention carried out in barroom language. Destiny, Catholic concealment, fragments, and discipline all gather into one argument: stop swinging blindly at everything and learn the shape of your own life first.

Claude

Daniel tells Michael 'Freedom means joy, not pain. You are not free because you say, fuck you', reveals he spent the night going 'to different bars, and waiting' to find him, and says 'Destiny is something that is put there to see, not to be blinded by.' He urges Michael to gather the fragments he has 'cast them far away into dementions that are beyond you' and asks how he can deal with the world, 'let alone destroy it', before offering 'anouther beer'.

The page is Daniel's intervention, part sermon and part friendship, and his calm reasoning contrasts with Michael's appetite for fighting. His criticism that the Catholic church covers 'things before they are naked' places him as a seeker outside the religion both boys grew up in. The closing offer of a beer and 'We both have a long road ahead' softens the lecture into companionship.