Calm Down You're Being Very Undude
Note: If you haven't seen the movie, a lot of this may not make sense. Also, I don't think that I can recommend it to a large population of my friends/peers, due to the drug references, excessive swearing, wild marmot, and the chance that you may develop a bowling addiction from watching. View at your own risk, but don't say I didn't warn you...
The other day I was talking about The Big Lebowski with a lovely young lady—who had not yet seen the movie. I was trying to describe what she would be getting herself into. How there's an entire religion (yes, it's legally recognized by many countries across the globe), and crazy die-hard fans. She asked if I were a member of said religion. I responded that many of my personal philosophies coincide with their beliefs, but that I'm not technically a member.
Then it hit me. I've been very un-dude-like lately. Everyone has strikes and gutters, ups and downs, but I'd truly lost sight of the dudeist way. I'm not going to try and explain the teachings/beliefs of the religion—you can find those here if you want—but I'll try to explain what it means to me. Living "the way of the dude" entails taking life easy, staying open and flexible, but most of all, never taking things too seriously. The dude mindset is one of going with the flow, taking time to smell the roses, relaxing, hangin' with the gang, and having a good laugh.
I know that I'm a pretty chill dude, but lately, I've been out of my element. Not really worried about, but overly focused on and stressed by school. All that time in the business building must have been getting to my head. Those stuffy business and marketing goons were trying to rub off on me. I can see it in their eyes every time I go waltzing through the building in a tie-dye; they totally wish I'd conform to their polo and blazer yacht club mentality.
"Sooner or later you are going to have to face the fact that you’re a moron."
Like I said, not taking yourself too seriously is the biggest key. If you can't laugh at yourself, well, what's the point? I've been laughing at myself too little over the past few months, even years. It's a vicious cycle to get in. Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes, well, the bar eats you. I'd wager that the majority of our political leaders currently in office can't laugh at themselves. And that's just how we've gotten into such a mess. Everyone is taking themselves too seriously. There's a difference between needing to be serious and taking yourself too seriously. So just sit back and relax. Take it easy.
I also had an epiphany whilst realizing I was being un-dude. A double epiphany, all the way across my brain. Many religions don't teach self-reflection. Eastern religions and philosophies tend to focus on the internal being, realizing the self. But Western, not so much. I can't think of a single time in my life where my religion has told or asked me to reflect on who I am as a person. Western religions get too bogged down on improvement as a means of achieving perfection, rather than improvement as a means of achieving personal happiness. If we reflect, it's only briefly, to realize what we're doing wrong; such reflection is focused on the future, focused on "how can I make myself fit into these ideals that someone else created." I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I also think that self-reflection on a deeper level—trying to figure out what makes YOU happy, how you can live a better life—is incredibly important. Western religions focus on the end goal—the rules and steps to get there. Happiness is achieved at the end of the journey. Eastern religions focus on the path—the how of change, and why one should. Happiness is the journey. But that's just like my opinion, man.
Anyhow, since my realization, I've changed my mindset. Instantly I became happier. It's pretty easy to start, just take a deep breath. Realize that the world is almost entirely out of your control. Think of your choices as "they'll work out if they're supposed to," and your mistakes as "how funny will it be when I fail?" In the end, what really matters? That's where you have to put your focus, don't get hung up on the little stuff. Don't get an A in the class? who cares, you're still alive and there's always more to learn. I'm not encouraging apathy or laziness either. Look for the balance. Find the sweet spot, and pretty soon you'll be "throwing rocks."
"I can’t be worrying about that s***. Life goes on, man.”
ABIDE
The other day I was talking about The Big Lebowski with a lovely young lady—who had not yet seen the movie. I was trying to describe what she would be getting herself into. How there's an entire religion (yes, it's legally recognized by many countries across the globe), and crazy die-hard fans. She asked if I were a member of said religion. I responded that many of my personal philosophies coincide with their beliefs, but that I'm not technically a member.
Then it hit me. I've been very un-dude-like lately. Everyone has strikes and gutters, ups and downs, but I'd truly lost sight of the dudeist way. I'm not going to try and explain the teachings/beliefs of the religion—you can find those here if you want—but I'll try to explain what it means to me. Living "the way of the dude" entails taking life easy, staying open and flexible, but most of all, never taking things too seriously. The dude mindset is one of going with the flow, taking time to smell the roses, relaxing, hangin' with the gang, and having a good laugh.
I know that I'm a pretty chill dude, but lately, I've been out of my element. Not really worried about, but overly focused on and stressed by school. All that time in the business building must have been getting to my head. Those stuffy business and marketing goons were trying to rub off on me. I can see it in their eyes every time I go waltzing through the building in a tie-dye; they totally wish I'd conform to their polo and blazer yacht club mentality.
"Sooner or later you are going to have to face the fact that you’re a moron."
Like I said, not taking yourself too seriously is the biggest key. If you can't laugh at yourself, well, what's the point? I've been laughing at myself too little over the past few months, even years. It's a vicious cycle to get in. Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes, well, the bar eats you. I'd wager that the majority of our political leaders currently in office can't laugh at themselves. And that's just how we've gotten into such a mess. Everyone is taking themselves too seriously. There's a difference between needing to be serious and taking yourself too seriously. So just sit back and relax. Take it easy.
I also had an epiphany whilst realizing I was being un-dude. A double epiphany, all the way across my brain. Many religions don't teach self-reflection. Eastern religions and philosophies tend to focus on the internal being, realizing the self. But Western, not so much. I can't think of a single time in my life where my religion has told or asked me to reflect on who I am as a person. Western religions get too bogged down on improvement as a means of achieving perfection, rather than improvement as a means of achieving personal happiness. If we reflect, it's only briefly, to realize what we're doing wrong; such reflection is focused on the future, focused on "how can I make myself fit into these ideals that someone else created." I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I also think that self-reflection on a deeper level—trying to figure out what makes YOU happy, how you can live a better life—is incredibly important. Western religions focus on the end goal—the rules and steps to get there. Happiness is achieved at the end of the journey. Eastern religions focus on the path—the how of change, and why one should. Happiness is the journey. But that's just like my opinion, man.
Anyhow, since my realization, I've changed my mindset. Instantly I became happier. It's pretty easy to start, just take a deep breath. Realize that the world is almost entirely out of your control. Think of your choices as "they'll work out if they're supposed to," and your mistakes as "how funny will it be when I fail?" In the end, what really matters? That's where you have to put your focus, don't get hung up on the little stuff. Don't get an A in the class? who cares, you're still alive and there's always more to learn. I'm not encouraging apathy or laziness either. Look for the balance. Find the sweet spot, and pretty soon you'll be "throwing rocks."
"I can’t be worrying about that s***. Life goes on, man.”
ABIDE
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