God and General Patton; Or, the Voice of God

It has been said that prayer is our heart speaking to us. Or, maybe, that the Kingdom of God is within us.

I don’t know if that is true, generally, as I cannot see the heart or inside of any other person to judge, but I think I pulled the General Patton Card on God personas.

My wife tells me that I’m wrong, and that God does not sound like Patton.

But I’m telling you, and it is true, that God sounds like General Patton, to me.

My wife says that God has a soft and comforting voice, a voice of peace and tranquility. That is what she hears anyway.

I suppose that it must necessarily be that God communicates with each of us, in a manner of our respective cognizance. I am not sure if it is just me or God, since the two are entwined, I suppose. But, when I think to myself, or pray as some may understand it, I hear the following type of response…

Let me give an example of the conversation with God, such as God communicates with me.

I am on my way home, driving from work…

[Me] Wow, I’ve had a hard day.

[God] What? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? “A hard day?” Look around. Quit your whining.

[Me] Yes, Sir. But, if life were only a bit easier…

[God] If I had a glove, I would slap you. Soldiers stand. Soldiers march. Soldiers endure risk and bullets, and injury and death, every day. What did you risk? What did you have for dinner last night, and lunch today?

[Me] Well, my wife made fajitas last night and I had a nice turkey sandwich for lunch.

[God] A fajita? Did I hear that right? Are you kidding me? And, a nice turkey sandwich? Are you kidding me? Are you sitting?

[Me] Yes…

[God] Look, Son, I call a lot of soldiers, but only a few are chosen. The road to destruction is always easy. Do you want to be destroyed, Son?

[Me] Why, Sir, no Sir.

[God] Do you want to be the chosen few?

[Me] Sir. Yes Sir.

[God] Do you believe that you have what it takes?

[Me] Sir. I think so, Sir.

[God] No, thinks son. You have to believe, and you have to act. Believe me, Son, I know you have it in you; you can do it.

[Me] Sir. Yes Sir. Yes, General — I mean, Yes, Lord —

[God] So, what are you going to do when you get home.

[Me] Watch some TV, maybe.

[God] Are you kidding me? Jog, son. Train. A day is coming when I need you to be ready. Do you think your spirit, body and mind are separate or a related unified whole?

[Me] Well, I suppose, a related whole.

[God] That’s right, Son. Train your mind, train your body and train your spirit.

[I can actually feel the tapping on my gut…]

[God] Look at that gut on you, Son. Do you think that is what I intend for you, as human being? Do soldiers have a gut like that? I offer you an orange, full of vitamins, complex carbohydrates, an action-packed supplement, and you toss it aside for a Coke. Are you kidding me?

[God] Son, the rooms get bigger if you live smaller. Do you see it?

[Me] Yes, Sir, I understand now, Sir. Thank you, Sir.

[God] So, what are you going to do? Tell me.

[Me] I will improve my mind, body and soul. I will stop whining.

[God] Now, you’ve got the A+ attitude, Son, and I’m proud of you. Now, you’re on my team. Now, do what you know, and I’ll choose you. Belief is only half the battle, Son; the other half is action. Belief is only the seed, Son. You’ve still got to endure the pain and responsibility of watering the tree. Are you going to do it, Son?

[Me] Sir, yes Sir. Thank you, Sir.

[God] Now, train. Be brave, and endure. Do what I need you to do. Stand ready, and know that, any soldier carrying the flag is the most likely to die, but, with love of God and country compelling, assumes the risk and continues forward. Do you understand?

[Me] Sir, yes Sir.

[God] Good man. Carry on.

By this time, I arrive home, ready and re-energized.

[Me] Hi Sweetie, my lovely wife. How was your day?

[Wife] Wow, I’ve had a hard day.

[Me] Well, think of it this way: we have a roof over our heads, a washer, dryer, refrigerator with an ice cube maker. We’re not in the dirt with stomachs bloated from hunger with flies biting our skin; we’re not running from dinosaurs, and we’re not getting our legs sawed off like the soldiers in the Civil War.

[Wife] What? Did I hear you right? “Dinosaurs”? “Civil War”? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?

And, I hear that voice again:

[God] PSST. Discretion is the better part of valor.

[Me] Well, Sweetie, how about a nice bath?

[Yes, the Voice of God sounds like General Patton, to me.]

“Pracio est cor nostrum loquens nobis.” (“Prayer is our heart speaking to us.”) ~ grz

ChatGPT Review

Great—let’s break down “God and General Patton; Or, The Voice of God” [GRZ_227] using your standard analytical framework to determine whether this piece is a legitimate extension of Zegarelli’s philosophical ethos or more of a personal frolic—a literary vent or an imaginative aside.

🧭 I. Summary: What’s the Core Message?

In a fictionalized inner dialogue with a Patton-like God persona, Zegarelli explores:

Personal accountability,
Discipline of the body, mind, and spirit,
The readiness ethos of the “Infant Soldier,”
The idea that divine guidance often comes as tough love.

Rather than a theological treatise, this essay operates like a parabolic monologue, where God’s voice mirrors the no-nonsense military discipline of General George S. Patton.

🏗️ II. Method and Structure

Pedagogical Element	Zegarelli’s Technique
Narrative framing	First-person introspective dialogue; light dramatic storytelling
Persona construction	Voice of God as General Patton—firm, directive, and rhetorically martial
Internal Socratic method	Probing, rhetorical questioning to self-actualize realization
Comic relief + humility	The ending with the wife punctures any pretense—balances didacticism with humor
Latinate epigraph	“Prayer is our heart speaking to us” – subtly positioning prayer as internal self-dialogue

🧠 III. Thematic Mapping to Zegarelli’s Ethos

While more stylized and personal, this piece does map consistently to Zegarelli’s core themes, including:

Zegarelli Ethos Theme	Present in This Essay?	How?
Self-discipline and training	✅ Strongly present	Physical readiness, gut health, mental alertness, and moral integrity
Duty and perseverance	✅ Core of the narrative	Soldier metaphor; being chosen; responsibility tied to readiness
No excuses, no whining	✅ High tone element	Patton-God doesn’t tolerate self-pity—duty before comfort
Unity of spirit, body, mind	✅ Explicitly stated	“Train your mind, body, and spirit; they are a related whole”
The ‘Infant Soldier’ concept	✅ Implied	Readiness is tied to potential selection; soldiers are chosen, not born
Leadership and motivational force	✅ Yes, via tough-love voice	God motivates not through reward, but readiness through challenge
Civic humility and realism	✅ Humorous, closing moment	Self-mockery in contrast to wife’s reaction—avoids arrogance

🧩 IV. Is This a Frolic or Part of the Canon?

This is not merely a frolic. While stylized, it supports and distills many of Zegarelli’s deeper philosophical convictions—especially those articulated in later essays like:

The Infant Soldier
Stand for America: The Warrior Mind
Duty, Discipline, and the Soldier’s Mindset
Endurance and Identity

What makes it unique is the tone: it’s more humorous, imaginative, and intimate, but that doesn’t detach it from the canon—it simply renders the same ethos in a different register.

If “The Prayer of Socrates” is high philosophy, this is locker room wisdom.

🧾 V. Pedagogical Takeaways

Lesson	Pedagogical Framing
Discipline comes before comfort	Train, don’t whine. Eat oranges, not soda. The soldier ethos.
Readiness precedes divine selection	You must train to be chosen. It’s not just belief; it’s action.
Spirituality can be directive and not soft	God is not always gentle—he can speak like a general if needed.
Gratitude combats self-pity	Reminder: perspective defeats entitlement.
Communication must meet the listener	God’s voice adapts to your cognition: Patton for some, calm for others.
Truth, not tone, is what motivates	God’s voice isn’t less holy because it’s hard-edged.

🏁 VI. Final Conclusion

Zegarelli’s “God and General Patton” is a legitimate articulation of his core philosophical themes—packaged in parody, but no less earnest in purpose. It does not deviate from the canon; it rounds it out by showing that even the soldier of virtue can laugh at himself.

This piece reinforces his ethos:

💬 “Belief is only the seed, Son. You’ve still got to endure the pain and responsibility of watering the tree.”

That is pure Zegarelli.

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