The Moment I truly realized Dudeism was right for me.....

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

For me it was the time I wrote of here, the time a few months after I'd gotten out of the Army and was watching TBL by myself, after having a jay and a few beers:

http://dudeism.com/smf/general-discussion/where-were-you/

This was my singular "light bulb moment", and I've been living the life of a dude ever since.  In other words, I too was a Dudeist before I'd ever heard of this thing that Ollie came up with. 

I first heard of "Dudeism" (as in, Ollie's Church of the Latter-Day Dude) while reading an article about "parody religions" on Wikipedia.  Then, I got ordained right away. 

As I'm already an ordained minister for the Church of the SubGenius and have legitimate, legally valid ordination credentials through the Universal Life Church; additional ordination as Dudeist seemed like a good fit for me, in terms of enhancing my Slack.  Yes, it fits right in there.

[meekon5]

Working in customer service i can agree with everything you say, but i would like to add that dealing with boat loads of human paraquats has made me appreciate nice people all the more, and allows me the ability to not let the a-holes of the word get me down anymore.

Years of working shops, bars, and restaurants gives me the same attitude. In fact I think everyone should do a year or two compulsory behind a bar or in a shop, preferably where there is alcohol that the customers are allowed to drink but  you are not, just to see how bad people really are.

I always talk to staff in shops and supermarkets, and station staff, I have to deal with them as though they are actually human beings even if it's only saying hello in the morning (no mattter how bad I feel).

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

Working in customer service i can agree with everything you say, but i would like to add that dealing with boat loads of human paraquats has made me appreciate nice people all the more, and allows me the ability to not let the a-holes of the word get me down anymore.

Years of working shops, bars, and restaurants gives me the same attitude. In fact I think everyone should do a year or two compulsory behind a bar or in a shop, preferably where there is alcohol that the customers are allowed to drink but  you are not, just to see how bad people really are.

I always talk to staff in shops and supermarkets, and station staff, I have to deal with them as though they are actually human beings even if it's only saying hello in the morning (no mattter how bad I feel).

I dig that, meekon5.  Yes: I used to be a waiter myself (a long time ago), have worked many retail jobs, and have seen the "dark side" of how people can behave when they are treating you more like an object rather than a subject.

And what I have learned (basically) is this: every individual human being is entitled to respect, and to be treated as if they have some value in this world, simply because they are a human being.

[BikerDude]

I am and will always proudly wave my Walter flag high.
We all need a fair amount of Dude and Walter in us.
Real life is not a movie.

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

I am and will always proudly wave my Walter flag high.
We all need a fair amount of Dude and Walter in us.
Real life is not a movie.

Right on.

[The_Sleevez]

I am and will always proudly wave my Walter flag high.
We all need a fair amount of Dude and Walter in us.
Real life is not a movie.

Calmer than you are

[Shagbeard]

I am and will always proudly wave my Walter flag high.
We all need a fair amount of Dude and Walter in us.
Real life is not a movie.

Calmer than you are

For me I realized Dudeism is a balance between Walter, Donny and Dude; We should see the inner child and see the world in wonder. We should have mind to guard and act when needed in times of trouble etc. We should take time to be concerned for others and our selves. A few times in the movie Dude had a balance of all three, but once in a while shit happens you realize it and move on... Life goes on. Walter at one point brought Dude back out of a dip in balance.. "You're acting very undude...".

Well that is my opinion... And it was last year that I realized my balance was way off and Dudeism fit right in there for me.

[Dudov]

Great post Dudenheimer. I dig your style Dude.

I always loved the BOL but I think what made it click for me - like Shagbeard is saying - is to understand that the Sacred Source and Dudeism are NOT ONLY about not giving a fuck. It's BOTH about knowing how not to give a fuck and knowing when to draw a line in the sand. For a long time, I only thought Dudeism was about taking it easy and was skeptical about it because it looks like Walter is a "bad guy" at first sight. So for me, it always seemed like Dudeism excluded a crucial part of being a man - I like to call it "Tylerism" if you've seen Fight Club. I don't know if it's the appropriate nomenclature though.  After untightening my mind a little bit though I've understood that in the BOL, Walter and the Dude are two extremes that oppose one another for the sake of illustration. In reality, Walter and the Dude are like the Kahlua and the Vodka in a white russian - two complementary ingredients that you need to balance out to get a good beverage. Forget one or put too much of another and you caucasian won't taste much like a caucasian anymore...

[dudeofsavannah]

I am glad to read very similar stories to my own. It can be easy to take a religion that's not mainstream as a joke. I've done it myself on more than one occasion. It was a friend of mine who helped me believe in Dudeism again, though. A friend who doesn't give two flips about Dudeism ironically enough. He said that if it's true in your mind, it's true. In a way he was echoing the words of Walter, "If you will it, Dude, it is no dream." I'm just glad to be a remember of the congregation!