It's What You Do in That Six Minutes

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual firepower for security professionals

It's What You Do in That Six Minutes

“When you're finished changing, you're finished.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Dear A,

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the classic high school wrestling film Vision Quest. As a teenager, I remember the movie for three things:

1. The massive crush I had on actress Linda Fiorentino (how I wished my parents would take in a mysterious, beautiful older woman to live with us when I was 17…).
2. The way it channeled the underdog spirit of Rocky—a motivational sports movie through and through. In fact, UFC president Dana White has credited Vision Quest as part of the inspiration behind building the UFC.
3. And of course, the soundtrack. That opening riff of “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider still gives me chills. It’s the same song Randy Couture used to walk out to the Octagon—just like Louden Swain did as he charged onto the mat to face the unbeatable state champion, Shute (a beast who trained by walking the steps of a football stadium with a tree log on his back!)

But the most powerful—and most overlooked—scene in the movie comes right before the final match. Louden, played by a young Matthew Modine, visits an old short-order cook he works with at his apartment. The cook, Elmo (played by the late J.C. Quinn), tells Louden that he's taking the night off to watch him wrestle.

Louden shrugs it off and says, “Why would you do that? It’s not a big deal. It’s only six lousy minutes on the mat.”

While a movie like Vision Quest couldn't be made today, there is still wisdom in it that I appreciate more-and-more as the years go by.

The old man, eyes glistening, tells him a story. Years ago, he watched the great Pelé score a miracle goal during a World Cup match. Pelé ripped off his shirt, and 100,000 fans in Mexico erupted in chants of his name. For those few moments, the cook says, he witnessed greatness.

Then he looks at Louden and says, “It ain’t the six minutes. It’s what happens in that six minutes.”

That line has stayed with me ever since.

It’s a reminder that we only get so much time on this planet—and within that, only a handful of moments that define who we are and who we become. These moments are usually short. Often no more than six minutes. But what happens in those six minutes can change everything.

What will be your six minutes this week? And how will you make them count?

Stay safe and vigilant!

Luke Bencie