dudeism
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The sixth world religion
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Touch of Jesus: Jeff Bridges as “Dude” in The Big Lebowski.
Foto: Universal Pictures/dpa
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Like Buddhism, but with a “D”: Dudeism combines wisdom from ancient Greece and the Far East with the cult comedy “The Big Lebowski”. Hundreds of thousands are taking part – and creating the nicest corner of the internet along the way.
Little was further from the Dude than to found a religion. He just wanted his peace. But that’s not just what the fictional main character of the feature film “The Big Lebowski” (1998) longs for, but half the world. The old hippie from LA, who prefers to commute between the bathtub and the bowling alley, has to do even more than all of us: He is kidnapped several times, attacked by German nihilists and a nasty ferret, his apartment is demolished, his car is stolen and set on fire, he wins and loses a suitcase containing a million dollars. One of his bowling buddies suddenly pulls out a gun while practicing, another dies from a heart attack in all the excitement. And when the dude wants to scatter the ashes of the deceased into the Pacific, the wind blows them in his face.
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The Dude – type: no appointments and easy to sit – this stress doesn’t suit him, but what can you do? “The Dude abides,” he says simply at the end. “The dude can handle it,” says the rustic German translation of the film, while the Austrian newspaper “Presse” wrote more elegantly about “continuing”. The expression “abide” connects enduring or persevering with the stoic acceptance of what is to come. The message is: sometimes you are the dog, sometimes you are the tree. Take it easy. “The true dudeist knows when to act and when to do nothing,” says Oliver Benjamin, the founder of dudeism. This is the most radical form of the prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Merely reduced about god. In other words, the Californian “Take it easy” is not far from Cologne’s “Et es wie et es, und et hätt noch emmer jot jejange”.
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The core of the Dudeist cult is the almost superhuman composure of the Dude played by Jeff Bridges. The Dudeists see him and themselves in the tradition of Lao Tse and Heraclitus, Buddha and Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi and Snoopy. According to their own statements, Dudeism has more than 600,000 followers, whereby in the spirit of egalitarianism all believers are also priests. In many countries around the world, dudeists actually perform ceremonies, especially free weddings.
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For many, the whole thing is still fun, similar to the religion-critical “Pastafari” movement, which pays homage to a “Flying Spaghetti Monster” – or pretends to do so with a grand gesture. But Oliver Benjamin, who founded Dudeism in 2005, means it seriously: He sees it as a modern form of Taoism, the ancient Chinese philosophy of constant change in the world, which one may not surrender to, but at least surrender to.
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Oliver Benjamin is the founder of Dudeism.
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Photo: Ged Murray
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Author and psychologist Benjamin (54) was disgusted by the materialism of the yuppie age as a youngster – and spent a decade backpacking around the world. “I studied yoga in India, Buddhism in Thailand, mysticism in Java, but didn’t find a worldview that I think fits modern times.” Then he saw the Coen brothers’ film, which initially flopped at the box office – and felt it was a parable about how all problems are relative. “At its core, ‘The Big Lebowski’ is a story about living your life, dealing with conflict and maintaining peace of mind in a world gone mad.” Acclaimed Zen master Bernie Glassman saw the Dude as an enlightened counterpart, as did others Authorities are full of praise. “The dude is authentic and happy with a comfortable life away from consumption, possessions and status,” said philosophy professor Peter Fosl to the magazine “Brand eins”.
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The Dudeism unintentionally created by the Dude – in the border area between pop culture and practical jokes, lifestyle and philosophy, has long since fulfilled a real pastoral function: In Dudeist Facebook groups, many share their worries: from lovesickness to bullying to unemployment, bereavement, alcohol and alcohol abuse drug problems. They never get malice as an answer, often appropriate, encouraging quotes from the film – and almost always detailed, empathetic answers from people who feel or felt the same way. For many, the groups are sources of strength and comfort. In fact, there is nowhere cuter on the web.
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What defines a dude is evident early on in the film: the dude has barely returned home from his purchases – he had bought a carton of milk in his bathrobe and paid by check for the sake of convenience – when two gangsters attack Dude’s hovel while searching after the big bucks. One pees on his carpet, the other repeatedly dips his head in the toilet. The dude shakes his head, puts his sunglasses back on with a sigh and explains to the thugs that he was obviously mistaken for a multi-millionaire of the same name. The next day he calls on his namesake to have the carpet replaced. He immediately makes it clear that he doesn’t want to be addressed by his real name Jeffrey Lebowski: “I’m the dude.” The word from surfer slang means something like “guy” or “man” or “age”. and yet a whole attitude towards life is hidden in this little word. Some Californians use it to describe everything and everyone, from their best mate to their mother, to their pet, to their chair. And the president, the queen or the emperor of China even more.
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Because so much egalitarianism angers the millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski, the Dude whistles with a mild smile that he can also be called “His Dudeheit” if necessary, “or El Duderino, if you don’t like short names”. A little later he is thrown out – and swindles a replacement carpet from the butler (Philip Seymour Hoffman!). Benjamin draws attention to something else: the dude would have been spared most of the ever-escalating anger if he had completely renounced materialism and forgotten the defaced carpet. True to the motto: The smarter ones give in.
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Now the turning away from worldly goods is standard program in practically every belief system, Dudeism would not have needed it. Benjamin argues that the major religions have outlived themselves and cannot be reformed. Atheism cannot “serve with anything that fills the gap”, and esotericism is certainly not a solution. Dudeism therefore collects core religious messages and cleans them of dogmatic and “superstitious” elements. Only “the relaxed, useful and empowering parts” remained. Of course, every follower would be free to remain Christian or Buddhist, Hindu, Jew, Muslim or whatever.
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The dude – who is outwardly reminiscent of the usual depictions of Jesus – is on the one hand “the greatest imaginable hero, because he feels absolutely comfortable in his own skin.” On the other hand, one should not take him as an example, his alcohol and marijuana consumption for example, you may replace it with hobbies of your choice. Whether you listen to whale songs like the dude and hate the rock band “Eagles”, wear torn clothes and flip-flops, swear a lot or go bowling at every opportunity is completely irrelevant. “The point is that he’s true to himself and immune to status angst and societal pressures.” In doing so, he values humanism over hedonism. When his landlord shyly invites him to his highly experimental dance performance, it’s a point of honor that the dude goes.
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In dudeism, human fallibility is priced in from the start. And the real enlightenment, perhaps, is the realization that enlightenment is overrated. Dudeism is essentially an incentive for self-love in the here and now with tolerance for all other life plans that do not harm anyone.
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Speaking of which: Benjamin is exceptionally specific on one point: One should refrain from any attempt to refuse a vaccination with reference to the “priest’s certificate” available online and alleged religious reasons.
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The dude didn’t like that at all.
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