There're two sides to everything, a good and bad side. BUT even then, there's light in the darkness and darkness in the light. What I'm saying is, when there's something good, there's going to be something bad, when there's something bad, there's going to be something good. Take the good with the bad and the bad with the good. That is how the wheel of life is able to keep spinning. And, as I sometimes say, some shit will come along, then it will leave, then some more shit will take its place. Just like a breeze, coming and going.

She said last week that her she's not physically attracted to her fiance, this week she wants me to perform her wedding. Would the Dude abide?

https://preview.redd.it/pk9541aq44yd1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4695f2966d68549e8664d53c04c228b4ac3398b8

Is an act of courage. Depression is a bummer, dudes. As someone who has struggled with depression and self-deletion thoughts, this quote is a bright but small light in the dark tunnel that is life. Albert Camus, a French Algerian philosopher, said that the call of the void or, L'appel du vide in French, is the moment of true freedom. Combining the Existentialism of Camus, and the Stoicism of Seneca, we see the truth, or a truth, in the myriad chaos that is ultimately life. To hear the call of the void, and to accept that we are free to do whatever we want, and then to realize that living is true courage, and even then, heroic, can lead to a life free from illusion and serenity.

TLDR; We are free to end it, but we should live in a rebellious act against the void's call.
Sorry to go dark but, just wanted to drop some more philosophy.

Right?

For those times when the budget be tight n the stresses of finances and "keepin' up with the Joneses" be breathing down our necks, remember this: if you're able to scroll online n see this, you're financially better off than at least 75% of the rest of our species. So take a moment, count those blessings, and know that it's gonna be ok.

N' when the shit hits the fan so hard you know you got a week's worth of cleanup, remember that your fellow Dudes are right here with our proverbial Js n mellow support vibes. Love y'all n y'all be loved.

Abide n' let slide
~A Dudeist Priest

Howdy pards, I've been abiding with these 2 books for a good old long while and I tend to revisit them every year or two.

This year, since it was 50 years ago that Robert M. Pirsig first published Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I went all in and read both plus the VERY good Guidebook to Zen... as well as the underrated Zen In the Art of Archery and even the possibly overrated Lila's Child (nah, it's good too)

Well, here I am blathering on.

I just wanted to share my love of all things ZAMM and Lila (excellent riot grrrrl band name / weird Disney movie idea).

Two reasons for them that want them?

1. In ZAMM we read that Quality is any rug in the house, so pick one that ties your room together
2. In Lila the author character who we think from book number 1 is this sad square nerd suddenly goes on a long boating holiday, picks up chicks in bars, takes drugs, and talks to a Wilson head (I always have to pinch myself to check I'm dreaming when I explain book 2)

If you're a brother Shamus like me and tend to overthink things, it's really helpful to have someone on hand to help you find the zen within all that thinking about the case that seems oh so up together - until it's not

Seneca, a stoic philosopher, once said, we suffer more in imagination than in reality. And it's true... given the whole estimated scale of the observable universe, which is 93,000,000,000 light years across. That's billion. And even then, the estimated size of the whole universe, is said to be 150, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000 light years across. That would basically be like thinking that the observable universe is the size of a large boulder, but then finding out, that the boulder is actually, a super super super small grain of sand. We are so unbelievably small, dudes. So just remember, compared to the entire size of the universe, your breakups or divorces, or annoying neighbors, don't really matter, and you can't be worried about that shit, life goes on, man.

this is something i wrote up a few years ago. kind of my attempt at looking at Catholicism through the dudeist lens. i mean, say what you want about the tenants of christianity, at least its an ethos dudes.

There once was a man,  well, we cant quite call them a man, more of a deity, well to be Frank, The deity. And he was and still is the God for his time and place.  

Now I've never been to mecca,  and I missed Notre dame in France.  But I have seen the Pope in his funny hat,  and I'd assume the queen was wearing her undies.  

This story isnt about God per say,  it's about the guy they called God,  Jesus Christ,  and let me tell you that dude sure knew how to roll. But before we get to that we have to go back always,  back when God was kicking back in his bungalow in the clouds and spoke into existence the world.   

When god created the world he created all thing on it.  And in that wonder he created the first dude, adam.  And from his rib God fashioned him a special lady friend whom he was to help conceive a child.  This was a time before you had to worry about being seen socially mind you. When sex and vaginas didnt make most men uncomfortable, despite constant reference to ones dick, rod or Johnson.  

No, vanity was not a weakness in this time, only ignorance. Because the Big GD so decreed,  eat not the fruit of the tree of knowledge.  And why would they? Free to eat, fuck, sleep all day?  Walk occasionally with dad when he was bored of creating miracles?  Sounds pretty good if you ask me

But then this snake slithers in and starts talking to eve,  starts saying this like, it can be better!  You can have more! Just listen to me and I will give you everything!  So eve,  naive as she was so created,  eats the damn fruit. As if the whole world has gone crazy, no one gave a shit about rules.  And so the sin that would cause so many good men to die face down in the muck before their ti… sorry dude, lost my train of thought, and probably for the better,  sometimes I can be real reactionary. 

An observation on Dudeism.

Sometimes there's a man. I'm talkin about a dude here, not necessarily the Dude, but definitely a dude. Sometimes there's a man that, uh, well, generally takes it easy, or at least tries to give off a relaxed vibe. But sometimes the dude just gets real uptight. Sometimes the case he is working starts to feel complex. There's a lot of ins and outs, and it gets to makin the dude feeling really un - dude. But then again the dude remembers that he needs to keep mind limber. Maybe do a J. Get a drink. And then take a warm shower. Pretty soon he starts to unwind. Realizes that nothing is fucked. Realizes he cant be worried about that shit, man! Its all good. Like, for real - it's all good man. Pretty soon he realizes he's still in the shower. Wonders how long he has been standin there thinkin about how the whole durned human comedy really is kinda funny if you think about it.

Probably was in the shower for quite a while, but I kinda just lost my train of thought and zoned out man. Nothing is fucked. Its great, man. Hakuna matata, dudes.

Zen Master Roshi said, "A nice, plain, simple, direct life is best." The Dude said, "Just take it easy, man." We find these two statements in Zen Buddhism, Stoicism, and Daoism. One way you can work with this, and I've seen this actually in a cartoon, believe it or not, lol, but if you remove the things blocking your energy centers in your body, either through meditation, yoga, tai chi, chi gong or what have you, you can live a very peaceful direct life, and a happy life at that. Now, in a practical and stoic view, you can do this by removing the trivial, non-sensical, dare I say stupid, and meaningless stuff from your life. Especially things like celebrity worship, the desire for wealth acquisition, and materialism in general, it's all just blocking the river to the crown, dudes. But, this is just my opinion, man.

Well...

In the extras of my Coen Bros boxed set from the early 2000s, I got me some innerviews where the Bros themselves state that the Dude is based on an actual dude they knew.

Has anyone maybe hired a brother Shamus to go track this ur-Dude down? Is he innersting?

As an ordained minister, can we marry people, is there a conception of matrimony within dudeism. And if so, could we officiate and marry a couple would it have any validity? I have a couple of friend that are atheist, but are asking me if I could officiate their wedding, also any previous ceremonies to work based on?

??

Do we have any dudes in Denmark, besides myself?

Do we have gatherings? Are we big in this small country? Where do you live man? Do you try to live like a dude? Do you wear like a dude?

Its for my college sociology class the paper is on diffrent religions than the big 6

Just curious to know how everyone gets through the day peacefully. It could be anything like a dudeist morning routine, cultivating mindfulness, or remembering to kick back at simply be. Anything you want to add please do, would love to hear from everyone.

Hey Dudes!

I’m reading through Oliver Burkeman’s “Meditations for Mortals” in which he makes a great point about information overload. Due to how connected we all are, there has never been a time in the past when so many people have been asked to care about so much, so often, so passionately.

Since the algorithms driving much of the news depends on our attention, there’s competition for our hearts and eyeballs like never before. And since the rate at which new shit comes to light is not conducive to reflection, the swiftest response is usually anger or outrage. Anger and outrage are also great feelings to feel if one’s not in a position to change anything but wants to feel like they’ve done something. The world ain’t changed but an angry person’s disposition, friendships, and way about moving through the world is.

It’s enough to make a Dude say “Fuck it”. I get the impulse. And yet, there’s a part of me that wants to stay engaged, in a way that maintains my sanity. Here’s what I’m trying. It’s not original. Many learned Dudes have said as much. I’m just adding my Dudeist take to it.

1. “Well Dude, we just don’t know”: Embrace Doubt and Paradox:

Certainty is the killer of sanity. Knowing I’m so damn sure about what’s going on will lead to hot takes that can bite me in the ass later. Instead, I’ll try to stay curious. What don’t I know? What could I be wrong about? Who knows more than me about this, and how can I learn from them?

2. “The Dude does mind, man”: Give a Damn about Something:

The cure to giving too many fucks isn’t giving no fucks; it’s giving the right amount of fucks to what matters to you. That’s a personal call. I care about education equity, my friends and family, and not being the guy with a cleft asshole. Everything else is the sideshow. Misspent fucks spell dissipation and doom.

3. Abide:

This one’s simple, but it’s not easy. At least for me. Choosing to give a fuck about a few things means you have to be cool with not giving a fuck about other things, and to accept the consequences that go along with that. Some people might look at you aghast for not caring about [issue x]. You might lose friendships or, at the very least, feel out of the loop. But if being out of the loop means one no longer has to spiral, I’d say that’s worth it.

Well Dudes, I’m ramblin’ now. Hope there’s something useful in what I posted above. If not, well, it’s just like, uh, my opinion man.

I appreciate you all. Hope yer abiding as well as you can,

Rev. Ross