Yeah dude...that's the ticket...roll the ball.

Damn right. Fuck it dudes, let's get us a lane!

Quote from: TulsaDudeistChick on October 15, 2011, 08:39:04 PM

My religion status on Facebook has been "Dudeist" for at least 2 years. When I became ordained in the Church of the Latter-Day Dude a month ago, I added that to my profile. The ex-husband must have noticed the change & is being very unDude.  He's agitated & accusing me of raising our 15 yr old in "a cult" or "mocking Christianity".  My response was "You belong to a cult that protects pederasts - I belong to one that only bowls with them."  (Yes, I am a former Catholic but he's a convert -- the worst kind!)

TDC - I can relate! I've seen it all - and the converts are the worst to deal with, because they have dumped their entire belief system for another one, so they think YOU should too. Although in this day and age, converting to Catholicism is almost unheard of.  Perhaps his new special lady is a zealot too.  One never knows...

Yeah these times they are all going toward Islam, Catholicism isn't anymore a nice religion for fanatics. Too loose probably. 

Thanks DB. Actually is not only about Ego, which can be controlled or kept down but it's always there, it's part of us. It's like the fact that usually a Dude is pacific but not a pacifist. This is not Nam but neither wonderland nor dudeland. The fact that we are dudeists doesn't make us saps otherwise you go into the field of caring really about nothing because you never draw a line in the sand. And that becomes nihilism and not Dudeism. Imho obviously. 

Good point, AD; people often mistake the Dude's slacking and laid back outlook on life for a kind of "nihilism," or caring about or believing in nothing. That was hardly the way of the Dude. He was a person of deep beliefs and convictions. My earlier point is that the Dude definitely had an ego seen as he blurts out "just stay away from my fucking lady friend" the dude demands. He was capable of being upset and insulted. Remember "they're gonna kill that poor women," the Dude is upset and insulted as Walter tries to play down the Dude's reaction.............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_U55RTlK8o



As always, all IMHO 

Well, Dude, you're right. I think we need an ego as much as we need Walter sometimes. We just have to keep a healthy Ego and not an asshole one. Even bamboo plants have an inner strength, not the strength of an oak but strength nevertheless. And btw if we have an ego it means that there is a reason for it, it's part of ourselves. It just has to be managed well reminding ourselves that we are just a grain of sand.

 

Far fucking out, ADF, all good thoughts. Someday maybe all of this "holy writ" will be in a history book concerning early Dudeism thought and the beginnings of Dudesim.

Things look the way they do depending on where you're standing.

Good thought, dude; very true. We all see things from different points of view. And seeing things from various points of view I'm hoping will be one of the natural tenets of Dudeism.

Quote from: Zen Dog on October 17, 2011, 05:50:26 PM

Things look the way they do depending on where you're standing.

Good thought, dude; very true. We all see things from different points of view. And seeing things from various points of view I'm hoping will be one of the natural tenets of Dudeism.

Well... that depends on how far you take it.  Not to be a reactionary, but groups (religions, tribes, friendship circles) all survive on a commonly agreed-upon set of loosely-held  rules, or perhaps even an ethos. Like: it's not nice to eat babies or con people out of their money. It's cool to go bowling, cooking classes, cult movies...  The point of view of the cannibalist is different than the Dudeist or Lebowskian. Hence the need for definition (NOT dogma), but at least something that doesn't include "anything goes" cause it's protected by this point of view that everyone has their point of view. Actually, isn't "political correctness" the term?  I'm not accusing anyone here, just stating a point.

Fuck, I can't believe I just typed that...  am I being an asshole?

Total freedom tends to anarchy and no freedom tends to nazism. No rules means that everyone is right whatever he does, too many rules and except the ruler and his accolites and no one is right. As DB says it's a matter of finding the right balance and as Bruce Lee said it's a matter of going toward less and not more. We all know what happens when things get complicated but we all should know what happens when there are no rules and everyone think he's right. You begin pissing on other rugs and stepping into others' gardens.

It might be that I'm not as dude as I should but even Taoism has guidelines, or tenets, or whatever you want to call them. Whatever exists is part of Tao but this doesn't mean that whatever exists is Taoist. Otherwise becomes dude even Lebowski, the man on the wheelchair and Jesus Quintana. Hey, this is a religion of freedom so everything you do is cool. But that's not Dudeism.

What is important is to have as less rules as possible but there should be rules just to avoid nihilists and real reactionaries to say "I'm a Dude anyway". And to make easier to be a Dude. Having a little set of rules is a must, imho.

Just look at Christian Dudes, they just have to treat others as they would like to be treated and believe that there is just one Good Lord whatever they call him and they're done. I think it makes sense and makes things easy. But as usual that's just my opinion without any intention to offend anyone, especially those who got crazy anytime someone mentions JCD. 

Btw, with the total freedom thing, even those who have created on purpose the worldwide economic crisis and those who defend them could consider themselves dudes. No rules and everything you do is right. Too many rules and you become a fundamentalist. It's a matter of balance, harmony, equilibrium and listening to whale sounds plus when in doubt asking to ourselves what would the dude do. 

Total freedom tends to anarchy and no freedom tends to nazism.

A small point but no freedom tends to totalitarianism, not nazism. Nazis were totaliitarian, not all totalitarians are Nazis.

National Socialism (Nazism) was an ethos.

No rules means that everyone is right whatever he does,

Isn't that free market economics?

too many rules and except the ruler and his accolites and no one is right.

The more laws and restrictions there are,
The poorer people become.
The sharper men's weapons,
The more trouble in the land.

One of my favourite versions of the Tao Te Ching, download-able for free (the pictures are not as many or as large as the print version but its free, and it still has a lot of the lovely calligraphy).