By Simon Clair
First of all, when and why did you decide to create the dudeisme ?
I started Dudeism in 2005. I wouldn’t say “created” since we believe Dudeism has existed since the beginning of civilization. I merely identified the fact that the movie The Big Lebowski was the most recent in a long line of vehicles for this philosophy–including Taoism, Zen Buddhism, Epicureanism and more. I had spent many years studying the world’s religions and philosophies and never found one that really “tied the room together”, so to speak. After I saw The Big Lebowski for the first time in 2005, I realized that it really helped explain a lot of what I was trying to articulate about the human condition. I figured the best way to share this idea would be through a new type of “fun” religion. In some ways it’s not a religion (we don’t have a God) but in many ways it’s more than just a philosophy.
How could you define what is a good dude ? What do I need to do to become a dude ?
A true Dude is someone who appreciates the simple things in life, who realizes how lucky he or she is to be alive, and who doesn’t do anything to hurt other people. Also, a true Dude admits that he or she doesn’t have all the answers and is wary of anyone who says they do.
How much do you think it’s important to slow down today ?
It’s important to slow down to your natural rhythm. Some people are relaxed when moving fast and doing lots of stuff. But most people would be a lot healthier if they took life a lot slower. We don’t want to tell anyone what is right for them, but we think there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that most of us are not living in a way that is really good for us. Society doesn’t want you to know, because it depends on your consumerism and your labor, but we all could be a lot happier if we brought a little “Dudeness” into our lives.
