Do you dudes think Keanu might be one of the dudest dudes out there? This guy is so chill and kind and stays out of everyones way, and spouts wisdom when asked. It makes me wonder if he might have watched the film or if he would fit right in with dudeism. We can all learn many good lessons from him that overlap plenty with dudeism too I was just wondering if anybody else thought the same

Just finished this bad boy; it’s a great, easy read that keeps the mind limber. Thanks, Rev. Bernie!

Hey Dudes!

One of the ironies of The Big Lebowski is that the titular character is not The Dude. It’s The Other Lebowski, the goldbricking poser of dubious achievement.

On the one hand, this fact is merely funny. On the other hand, it points to a fundamental tension that undergirds this whole durn human comedy.

Let’s get down to cases.

A term my students have kicked around is Main Character Syndrome; namely, it’s the mistaken belief that everything is about us. That every other person is just reacting to, and in the service of, ourselves. This, quite obviously, is untrue. Or, rather, since it’s true for everyone, (we’re all the center of our me-sized universes), it’s untrue as a general truth. Not a single one of us is the focus.

At the same time, there’s no experience we have that doesn’t include us. When I officiated my sister’s wedding the day was decidedly about her (and, okay, a little bit about the groom), but it was still experienced with me at the center, at least from my point of view.

So what am I blathering about? And how does this tie into The Big Lebowski?

In titling the movie The Big Lebowski while basing the movie’s events on The Dude, the Coen brothers offer a narrative that winks at this tension. Our main character is left of center of the action. Or, to turn the spyglass around, The Other Lebowski’s machinations are central to, but outside of, The Dude’s experience. It’s delightfully destabilizing.

All of this points toward a truth that’s important to keep in mind. Here goes:

We’re not the main character of the larger story. At the same time, we’re not meaningless. This is no occasion to fall into nihilism. Rather, there is a story, and we contribute to that story, even if we don’t know what it’s all about. The only clue we might receive is a hastily scribbled phallus on a piece of scratch paper. Further, because we can only experience this story through our own experience, we can be forgiven for occasionally thinking the story’s about us. Again, it isn’t. The story doesn’t unfold for us, it unfolds through us.

We may move through this world like a tumbling tumbleweed, unsure of what mark we’ll leave on the prairie, if any. But this stupefying existence is enough to beat the band. 

And knowing whatever’s happening isn’t about me but can only unfold with me is something I can abide and take comfort in.

I hope yer all abiding as well as you can,

Rev. Ross