Ryan delivers his backpack philosophy speech to hotel conference room attendees.
RYAN
A SPOTLIGHT reveals RYAN BINGHAM standing at a PODIUM.
He unzips a BACKPACK and sets it down beside him.
RYAN
How much does your life weigh?
Ryan pauses to let us consider this.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Imagine for a second that you're carrying a backpack... I want you to feel the straps on your shoulders... You feel them?
gives us a beat
Now, I want you to pack it with all the stuff you have in your life. Start with the little things. The stuff in drawers and on shelves. The collectables and knick-knacks. Feel the weight as it adds up. Now, start adding the larger stuff. Your clothes, table top appliances, lamps, linens, your TV. That backpack should be getting pretty heavy at this point - Go Bigger. Your couch, your bed, your kitchen table. Stuff it all in... Your car, get it in there... Your home, whether you have a studio apartment or a two story house, I want you to stuff it into that backpack.
Ryan takes a beat to let the weight sink in.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Now try to walk.
We hear people around us chuckling. Ryan smiles. Reveal:
INT. HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOM - AFTERNOON
The kind that shifts between lower income corporate retreats and lower income weddings.
The few dozen people seem to be visualizing as told.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Kinda hard, isn't it? This is what we do to ourselves on a daily basis. We weigh ourselves down until we can't even move. And make no mistake - Moving is living.
We see nodding. People's gears turning.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Now, I'm going to set your backpack on fire. What do you want to take out of it? Photos? Photos are for people who can't remember. Drink some gingko and let the photos burn. In fact let everything burn and imagine waking up tomorrow with nothing.
a beat of emphasis
It's kind of exhilarating isn't it? That is how I approach every day.