The Big Lebowski as a Guide to Life: The Dude is The Role Model We All Need

It’s been a bit since we turned our attention to one of the inspirations underlying this very blog – The Big Lebowski

I’ve discussed The Dudeness a few times…

I’ve collected a few Lebowski-related topics in my online travels.

Much like The Dude, the topics veer towards the existential with a mix of the absurd. A perfect recipe.

We’re All Lebowski Now

This is a bit of an ode to the bathrobe and the impact COVID has had on our collective willingness to lower our expectations – in a good way.

Even a discussion of bathrobes slides into a deeper meaning with The Dude – “Control is an illusion, stillness is salvation. In other words, you gotta chill.”

Huckberry is a great online store – if ya didn’t know, now you know.

The Lebowski Theorem of Machine Superintelligence

Apparently, AI has a lot in common with The Dude as well. Who woulda thunk it? Not so worried about AI taking over the world if it’s so chill!

What I’ve Learned from Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges is almost The Dude in real life. A dude after my own heart. I love how much he digs Lebowski…”The Dude is a wonderful character. I wouldn’t mind if I was mostly recognized for that guy. That doesn’t bother me at all.

Does the Dude Abide by the Tao? A comparative study of Dudeism and the Tao Te Ching

I’ve been a fan of the Tao for many moons. The Dude’s chill vibes strike a chord with me for similar reasons the Tao’s free-flowing philosophy has led my mental charge for years – chill is cool.

This is a pretty academic comparison of Dudeism and Taoism. Worth the browse.

Exploring the Real-Life Religion Based on “The Big Lebowski”

I’ve covered my ordained-priest status with Dudeism before. Here’s an article exploring Dudeism…

The call for people to re-examine their priorities in a materialistic system is in no way a new one. Dudeism is bridging the gap between the obscurity of the mystical world and popular culture by building its legacy on The Dude which has contributed to its popularity. 

Dudeism and Enlightenment

Rather than rejecting all moral codes, the Dude just wants everyone to relax a little.

The world is a complicated place. But maybe there are a few simple remedies. Relax. Take it easy. Flow. Wu Wie. Abide.

  • Anyone has the potential to be a Dude
  • Taking it Easy Eliminates Suffering

A Musing on Abiding

Abiding is an awful lot like Wu Wei. And Dudeism is an awful lot like Buddhism.

Perhaps there are similarities that underly all of life’s “truths.” We’re just recycling and relearning the same truths in new contexts.

At some point, we should try to retain these truths.

Or maybe letting go is THE truth.

Abide, dude.

 

 

An 8-Bit Dude. All is Right with the World.

Drunk Uncle is an SNL skit popular with the kids in the streets.

The Dudes are sans TV, so all I know is what I gather from the Tube of You

Photo: Margarita day...  @alexbradshaw @caseybradshaw #topsailvaca2013

Which is made that much funnier by this guy…

Mrs. Dude’s bro.

You may recall this gorgeous grin after a couple too many margaritas on the Dude Fam Summer Vaca.

Like Madonna, he has since been known by one title…

Druncle.

As you might expect from Druncle, he’s not afraid to share a fantastically grown-up video game with a 3.5 year old.

Little Dude came home from a recent visit with Druncle to tell his dear ol’ dad all about pulling the “popo” out of their car so he could drive it and crash into things.

Grand Theft Auto. Yep.

To Druncle’s credit, the sound was off and the “no weapons” setting was on. Phew. At least Little Dude can only punch the popo.

As we watched the Super Bowl with Druncle the other day, Little Dude made it a point to show me the “car game,” as he affectionately calls the most obscene game ever created.

I was blown away.

Yeah, it’s violent. But that’s to be expected. And at the end of the day, it’s a game.

What blew me away was the the quality of the graphics. Wow.

I’ve never been a “gamer,” and I haven’t played something like that in years. It’s like you are watching a CNN newscast of an LA riot, and you’re controlling the participants. Very realistic.

Pretty cool. But it made me long for the good ol’ days of Nintendo. 8-bit video game magic.

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Select, Start.

Who’s with me?!

I grew up blowing in the games to make them work. Where we had to use our imaginations to make ourselves believe the goalie in NHL Hockey actually looked like a goalie….psst…he can’t save the shot that riccochet’s off the post!

Where’s the work ethic with this new-fangled technology and the high quality graphics?!

Luckily, the Big Lebowski can make things right. He always does.

An 8-bit version of The Dude. All is right with the world.

Hat tip Open Culture.

Freaker is Freakin’ Awesome!

The DudeI love awesomeness. Freakin’ awesomeness is even better!

The beauty of the intertubes is that awesomeness is hand delivered to me on the reg. Thank you interwebs.

I’ve mentioned Huckberry in a previous post, and if you haven’t checked them out – nay, subscribed! – then you must be a hater of all that is awesome.

Get wit it. The Huck is da bomb. (side note: my three year old loves to tell everyone he’s “Da Bomb!” Pretty hilarious.)

Today Huckberry sent some freakin’ awesomeness my way, and it’s definitely worth a pass along.

Check out Freaker. Love the idea…ok, it’s just a koozy, but everyone needs a koozy. And it’s about time the koozy was upgraded…to freakin’ awesome.

More than the rad product, I dig the Freaker style.

Right on Freaker. Great design. Great execution.

And they are right down the road from me in NC – Made in the US of A, baby! Beach bums from another mum.

Although, I suggest you head north if you’re looking for waves Freakers. And if you want to drop some Freaker awesomeness on the Dude’s doorstep.

Keep on truckin’ Freaker.

PS – Darn right I scooped up “The Dude” Freaker. Thanks for the awesome @Huckberry & @Freaker

Big Lebowski Buffet

The Dude

The Dude

I’ve professed my love for The Big Lebowski in the past.

The Dude abides. And that’s a nice way to live life.

I’m always excited to come across something Lebowski related, and this week I was blessed with three Dude sightings in my online travels.

A bit of a Big Lebowski Buffet to share with you…

1. An Esoteric Take on The Big Lebowski

This article gives a nice, quick history of The Big Lebowski, and digs into what makes The Dude so great – in this Dude’s humble opinion any way – The Dude’s approach to life.

The spiritual, philosophical, or esoteric undertone of The Big Lebowski that is oh so groovy. This is the idea behind Dudeism – by the way, I’m ordained. 😉

Here’s a taste of what the article offers about The Dude’s groovyness…

  • [N]othing seems to phase the Dude. Yes, he gets angry (to the point that Walter tells him: “Come on. You’re being very unDude.”), swears constantly, and talks back to Walter and many other unreasonable people who seem to surround him like mosquitoes, but soon he will be stirring himself another White Russian, or will have a smoke, or relax in a warm bath.
  • Occasionally he resorts to the gentle movements of Tai chi to keep stress at bay. Like a mystic, he focuses on the big picture. Better yet, like a true mystic, he doesn’t focus at all.
  • There is something transcendental about this: the Dude rises above all circumstances.
  • Dudeism: Much has been made of Dudeism, a philosophy of life inspired by the Dude. But there’s nothing new in this, as he seems to belong in the great stream of Philosophia Perennis which, down the millennia, has produced strikingly similar concepts even if expressed in different ways and from different cultures and ages. And in fact the proponents of Dudeism cite Lao Tzu, Epicurus, Heraclitus, the Buddha, and the pre-ecclesiastical Jesus Christ as examples of ancient Dudeist prophets.
The Dude and the Zen Master

The Dude and the Zen Master

2.  The Dude and the Zen Master

Is Jeff Bridges The Dude in real life? He just might be. Here’s a new book with Bridges and his Zen Master/friend Bernie Glassman – The Dude and the Zen Master. I’m sure there are some rad thoughts on life tucked away in here.

3. The Big Lebowski Explains the Fiscal Cliff

In my opinion, the “Fiscal Cliff” is a joke. The US/world is definitely facing a massive fiscal cliff – probably a wide variety fiscal cliffs – the political/media charade that we’ve watched promoted over the past few weeks hardly addresses the BIG issues.

But thank the holiest of holy that the great politicians saved the day at the last minute on New Year’s Day! Just like a Hollywood movie. Hmmm.

However, with the out of the way, here’s a quick use of The Big Lebowski to try to explain what went down in Washington as politicians continue to convince themselves they are saving the world while they are actually steering towards the ice berg that is “dead ahead.” And any reason to share The Dude is good with the Dude.

PS – Here’s one of my fav jams – 75 & Sunny from Boston native Ryan Montbleu – that I was grooving to while slapping away at the keys this morning. Great vibe for a Saturday morning contemplating The Dude.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM8fHHvsLpw[/youtube]

The Real Dude – i.e. The Dude Behind The Dude

A little music to introduce today’s post…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVS3WNt7yRU[/youtube]

The Dude Abides

The Dude Abides

Welcome back. The Dude took an unexpected hiatus for a while. An end of summer vacation, I guess.

Almost a month and a half without blogging. No strong reason other than my attention was focused in other directions. The Dude Family enjoyed a nice August, and everything is copacetic. I’m in the process of moving to a great new job, so we even have some excitement afoot.

But it’s nice to be back. I’ve missed my virtual “Man Town.” I’m well rested, and I have a plethora of posts eager to be written.

Let’s get back to our roots to get us back on track; The Big Lebowski. The Real Dude.

Actually, we’re going beyond The Dude to the Dude behind The Dude. This is a video of the real man The Dude was modeled after. Classic.

Here’s a quick description from the video, and then we’re off and running:

Meet the dude behind The Dude! Sundance Award winning director JEFF FEUERZEIG, (THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON, ESPN 30 for 30’s THE REAL ROCKY), reveals the inspiration for the beloved central character in the Coen Brothers’ cult-favorite film THE BIG LEBOWSKI. This documentary short follows Jeff Dowd to a Lebowski Fest offering a glimpse into this fascinating subculture and colorful real-life character behind the iconic mythical Dude and the secret to how he always abides.

Update: Unfortunately, the link to the video is private now. However, you can still see it under “Staff Picks“…but I can’t embed it here.

But not to disappoint, here’s a documentary look at the bizarre (in a great way :)) world of Big Lebowski “fests.” Enjoy.

 [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/32576846[/vimeo]

It Ties the Room Together

It Ties the Room TogetherThe parent/child relationship is becoming increasingly interesting now that I’m able to experience both sides.

The Dude’s parents were visiting over the weekend, and my eyes are open to new perspectives.  It could be maturity, but I think it has more to do with a paradigm shift.  A milestone traversed, that alters perspective.  And big questions arise:  Who am I as a parent?  How will I handle life’s difficult questions and situations?  How will I relate to my kids?

As the Dude’s parental units spent time getting to know their grandson and offering a helping hand, I watched with curiosity trying to determine how my parents would translate into my actions.  Am I like my father?…I hear I’m just like him, but different…whatever that means.  What traits will I capture from Grammie Voodoo?

Only time will tell.

It’s fun to experience another generation unfolding.

While they were here I wrangled Padre Dude, aka Papa or Little Bill, into assisting with the finishing touch to Little Dude’s room; the Endless Summer framed movie poster.

It’s difficult to determine the quantity and/or level of ingredients included in a blog, but the Big Lebowski and the off-shoot Dudeism share some portion of the Dude’s blog stew.  In the first of what I assume will be many nods in The Dude’s direction, below is the video of The Dude explaining that his rug really tied his room together, and in my humble opinion, I believe the Endless Summer poster shares a similar quality in the Little Dude’s nursery.

Thanks for the help Little Bill.

PS – As a warning, if you are not a fan of profanity above the PG-13 level, you should probably skip the video…but enjoy the Endless Summer poster.