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.

 

 

Dudeist Priest Wedding Officiant: How to Rock Your First Wedding Ceremony [Bonus: Script Include]

As you may glean from the name of this blog, I dig the Big Lebowski.

Wit, dialogue, deeper meaning…it’s tough to beat The Dude.

In honor of The Dude and his Zen-like ways, I joined the fellowship of the Dudeist Priests many moons ago.

In addition to a few chuckles and reminders of classic Lebowski quotes, I became an ordained Dudeist Priest.

No cost and two minutes of my time, why not?

Ordained priest; check off that bucket list.

In the back of my mind, I contemplated making use of my ordained status…someday, but never dedicated too many brain synapses to the mental image.

A few years ago my cousin asked me to be the officiant at her wedding. But it was a long trip, kids in tow, blah didi blah blah. I declined. I figured my next bucket list check had passed me by.

Turns out my sister-in-law is also a poor judge of character and requested my ordained presence as well.

A beach vacation/beach wedding with the entire family. Hard to turn that request down.

It got really real, real quick.

So, a few weeks ago I performed my first (last?) wedding ceremony. And if I do say so myself, I think I may have rocked it.

Well, I didn’t fall down and I wasn’t booed off the beach. Rocked it? I’d say so.

Lessons for the first time officiant? Sure, how about a Top 10…

  1. Abide. Chill, Dude. I’m a Dudeist Priest…you should have expected that one.
  2. Search flow and scripts online (see below).
  3. Watch officiant videos on YouTube.
  4. Know the bride and groom. Talk about their wishes for the wedding, but more importantly, about themselves and their relationship.
  5. Take time to prep. The great Dude in the sky hooked me up with a 20 minute t-storm to give me added memorization time…much needed.
  6. Memorize, don’t read.
  7. Be comfortable in front of the crowd. Practice…use a mirror.
  8. Keep it short and sweet.
  9. Mix a hint of humor with a whole lotta love.
  10. Tell the bride she’s beautiful. 😉

Marrying two human beings was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. Bucket list, checked.

And afterwards, we danced our faces off to a kick-butt funk band, and watched Little Dude dominate the dance floor with his sweet break dancing skills.

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Newlyweds.

Wedding Ceremony Script

Here’s my rad wedding ceremony script. Feel free to use, but use with caution…it’s pretty awesome.

Greeting

Welcome everyone. Welcome on this gorgeous day to the celebration of the marriage of XYZ and ZYX.

On behalf of X and Y and their parents, Z and W, I’d like to thank you all for being here to celebrate this special day.

In the wise words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.”

It’s easy to get lost in the details of the day and lose focus on the big picture.

I encourage us all to stop and look around.

Relax, take a deep breath of the salty air, enjoy this lovely location, enjoy this special moment on this special day as we launch X and Y on their lifelong flight together. (Groom is a pilot, you like that, right?! :))

Exchange of Vows
(Luckily, they wrote their own vows – not included)

X and Y, the words you are about to say to each other will change your lives forever. It’s an honor to be here to share this moment with you.

X, please share your vows with Y…

Y, please share your vows with X…

Ring Exchange

For X and Y these rings are a symbol of their commitment to each other. By exchanging these rings, X and Y declare their eternal love for each other.

X, repeat after me: “Y, take this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you.”

Y, repeat after me: “X, take this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you.”

X, do you take Y to be your wife?

Y, do you take X to be your husband?

Closing

This ceremony may have only lasted minutes, but your promises to each other will last a lifetime.

It is my great honor and privilege to now pronounce you husband and wife.

You may kiss your bride.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. XYZ.

Yes, I did quote the great Ferris Bueller. Classic Dude.

Go forth and marry Dudeists!

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.

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]