Dudeism insulted

[cckeiser]

Thankee for the Tao Te Ching meekon5...thankee very much.

[Andrea Da Fino]

You're right meekon, I messed up things a little, thanks for the clarification and for the link to the Tao.

I don't like to have many rules as well as I don't like to have no rules. In society and in religion. In society because without rules you're just a step away from the law of the jungle and in religion because the everything is cool approach for me doesn't work on the distance. Having some rules or tenets also helps each one of us to know if we are behaving in a dudely way of life.

It might be that I'm strange, or uptight, but that's how I see things. As an example some time ago on the forum there has been some flames going around: from the everything is cool point of view everyone involved was a dude but imho from the point of view of Dudeism it was not. I don't know if it makes sense but sometimes I just hope to know English better than I do. Oh well.

Anyway my point of view is that how can we say we are dudes and behave like dudes and tend to be a real dude in real life if we don't know what being a dude means and each one of us has a different opinion on what being a dude means? That's why principles or tenets are needed. Also in the future it could prevent nihilists and reactionaries from entering the church and throwing the plane on the mountain. It happened to almost every religion of the world so it can happen also to ours.

My opinion is that the principles or basis of Dudeism and Taoism are eternal but Dudeism as a religion starts and ends with what the dudely llama says. We can talk for eons about it and it surely helps to clarify things but as a religion the final word belongs to Oliver. He's the one who got the idea and he's the one who can say what belongs and what does not to Dudeism. Let's just hope he's immortal even if he's not able yet to walk on water. 

Dudeism is a religion, is a church, is a spiritual practice and as such Dudeism is a clear thing. Water can be a gas, water can be a solid and water can be a liquid but it always remains water. Not beer, not wine and not something else. Water is water just like Dudeism is Dudeism. And the fact that I want to see water for something else doesn't change the fact that water remains water.

Always my opinion dudes. 

[Hominid]

Good post ADF - I'm with you about Oliver's authority. Now, in my opinion, creating a religion out of a movie means that the intent was to be not so serious about it. It's all tongue-in-cheek. It's a frikin' movie. The religion itself is meant to be a light-hearted poke at others who take religion too seriously. Which is the central ethos of Dudeism... just takin' it easy. We preach that we shouldn't preach.

To quote an on-line article, "the Dude's way has surfaced in various spiritual traditions, the Abide Guide explains, including Christianity, Sufism, John Lennonism and Fo'-Shizzle-my-Nizzilism, to name but a few."

See my point?

[cckeiser]

Oliver? We just keep him around because he's useful...you know pays the bills..keeps the lights on.

[Andrea Da Fino]

I see your point dude, which is correct. I don't think Dudeism is a joke though but a real tool to be used in real life and a good religion. Now, I know a lot of people don't dig the word religion but even if someone wants to call it differently every human being has his own religion because every human beings believes in something, even nihilists, and what we believe in is our personal religion. When it's shared by more than one person it becomes a common religion.

For some is science, for some is point of view, or system of beliefs, or little green men from mars, or nothing, or whatever. Everyone has a religion and Dudeism is ours. Religion, even if some are not comfortable with the word and prefer the term spiritual philosophy. Anyway this sometimes makes me wondering why they joined a religion if just the word makes them uncomfortable, well, I don't know. It might be that they misunderstood us for a movie fan club.

So hominid dude you're perfectly right, our goal is to remind people from all religions that religion isn't a serious affair and everything should be taken easy. But not seriously and easy do not mean joke, imho. 

[Hominid]

Fuckin' eh, grab an oat soda, or a caucasian, let's find ourselves a lane. It's a bummer when we take ourselves too seriously, right? I do it too often, so I like how the Dude's ethos peaces me out.  I'd hate to end up like Donny...

[Andrea Da Fino]

Oliver? We just keep him around because he's useful...you know pays the bills..keeps the lights on.

I see, you mean a kind of handyman?      

[DigitalBuddha]

Fuckin' eh, grab an oat soda, or a caucasian, let's find ourselves a lane. It's a bummer when we take ourselves too seriously, right? I do it too often, so I like how the Dude's ethos peaces me out.  I'd hate to end up like Donny...

@Hominid  ........Fuckin' eh is right. I find that getting a lane and saying "fuck it, I'm going bowling," if even in my mind, helps to keep me limber and in peace. Lotta ins and lotta outs in this world, too much for the ole' duder to handle sometimes.

@M5 ........good find dude, thanks for posting.

[Andrea Da Fino]

Fuckin' eh, grab an oat soda, or a caucasian, let's find ourselves a lane. It's a bummer when we take ourselves too seriously, right? I do it too often, so I like how the Dude's ethos peaces me out.  I'd hate to end up like Donny...

Fucking right dude, mark it 8. Dudeism helps us remain sane, at least a little. The world "forces" us to become uptight and Dudeism is the right antidote. Fucking A!

[Hominid]

The monkey has been fed with all yer blathering... I'll sleep peacefully tonight knowing our ethos has not been crashed into the mountain.

[meekon5]

An excellent post Andrea.

I can see what your saying, and do see the worth of having a few rules. Problem would be deciding and apply the rules.

Also I could not disagree more with this statement:

...We can talk for eons about it and it surely helps to clarify things but as a religion the final word belongs to Oliver. He's the one who got the idea and he's the one who can say what belongs and what does not to Dudeism. Let's just hope he's immortal even if he's not able yet to walk on water.  

And I know Oliver would disagree completely with you as well.

Oliver is not the Pope. His was the idea, but the religion has become much more than the idea.

Much like the "problem" you alluded to recently:

It might be that I'm strange, or uptight, but that's how I see things. As an example some time ago on the forum there has been some flames going around: from the everything is cool point of view everyone involved was a dude but imho from the point of view of Dudeism it was not. I don't know if it makes sense but sometimes I just hope to know English better than I do. Oh well.

I personally consulted Oliver with my own concerns on the problem. His response was suitably Dudeist but none interventionist.

I think it is important to understand Oliver is not the Headmaster.

Notice how infrequently he posts as Forum Dude.

He is happy for us to regulate ourselves and for DB and CC to administer the site, and leave the legislation to those of us who have been here for a while.

That's his attitude to the religion as well.

If you doubt me, just ask him yourself.

[apnp]

Here's a rule:  bend it.



If the rule don't bend, then it's dudencity is in question.  Yes?

Kinda like the bodhisattva rule of having eventually to break your ownmost cherished vow.  Only, rather than cherishing the rule, and thus making it unbendable (ergo breakable), one learns how to flex with the flow.

In short, don't rely on linguistic contrivances; there ain't no answer worth absolutely swearing upon, there's just the question of the quest...

Laziness applies its own form of effort, even as the limp noodle does not break when dropped.

[meekon5]

You're right meekon, I messed up things a little, thanks for the clarification and for the link to the Tao.

Actually Andrea it's a common mistake, not a problem with the way you were presenting the idea here.

[milnie]

i always enjoy reading posts like those that have gone before as it fills me with a joy that any member of our community can pitch in with simple thoughts and get  profound results.

dudeism is an idea and like any idea is open to free questioning with no dogma to tie it down.

you can skim the surface or dive deep down to find the answers. in tbl, you have walter who is a deep downer, donnie who skims the surface, and the dude who,,,well who knows  where the dude floats.

i hope as i write more on these pages my insights may become more involving but for now i think i will stay at the top and surf the waves like donnie. keep it simple. which is what i think the donnie character was about. the embodiment of simple, an important part of the dudely way.

enough from me, i'll catch the next wave to the beach and order an oat soda from the bar 

take it easy guys

[Andrea Da Fino]

M5, I don't doubt you, and I dig the way the forum is organized. Works pretty well. The point was that without common ground, accepted features, tenets, etc., (I don't have a big enough vocabulary, pick the definition you like most ) everyone can say I'm a dude, which is not. Like in your example of the dudeist cannibal or dudeist pederast. We talk about being dudes, but the world isn't full of dudes, it's full of nihilists which would be very pleased to screw our asses.

As for Olly, he's surely able to take care of himself. And as regards the philosophy of Dudeism you're probably right, it belongs to everyone. But no one would take the place of Lao Tzu. He laid down part of the principles of Taoism, he and not someone else. And, even if as a philosophy is universal dudeism as an organized-disorganized religion has a head of the church which is Olly.

He's not the Pope but I see things this way. He's the boss, well, sort of.
It's a bit difficult to put together the concept of a group of free thinkers with being under the same umbrella but that's a feature of Dudeism. If we go on each one having his own idea of Dudeism we'll arrive nowhere. I mean we'll help ourselves but little more. And if we think that dudeism could help more people than a common agreement and sort of effort is needed.

I think that Dudeism needs to be loosely organized and as an organization the boss is Olly. Not me and not anyone else.

Actually I'm having a bit of language difficulties explaining my opinion. To give an example Jedi Knights are pretty much walking their own way within the Force but they follow the advices of Yoda as a group.

Or, said differently, you can be a dudeist living the way of the Dude (not the movie character though, the dude way as we see it) your own way or you can be a Dudeist Priest and you belongs to a religious organization whose "boss" is Oliver. That's how I se Dudeism.

My personal point of view on Dudeism anyway.