Dad Stuff: The Abide Guide
November 13, 2011, By Jack Heffron 2 comments
A good buddy of mine is an ordained minister in The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. He recently told my fiance and me that he can legally marry us. We're still debating, but sort of leaning toward someone with a bit more official standing.
Not to discount Dudism in any way. Since the Coen Brothers' film "The Big Lebowski" premiered in 1998, it has been revered by an ever-growing cult of followers—not just movie buffs but people who embrace the slacker, Zen-like lifestyle and beliefs of The Dude himself.
And where there are followers, there is an equally large contingent of people trying to sell them stuff. At least once a year, believers (known as "Achievers") gather at Lebowski Fest, a two-day bacchanal of bowling, drinking and celebrating all things Dude held in major cities throughout the country. A quick online search reveals Lebowski posters, playing cards, action figures, bobbleheads, calendars, costumes, coffee mugs, t-shirts, bowling shirts, bowling shirt patches, bowling towels, sunglasses and books. Lots of books.
The latest one is "The Abide Guide: Living Like Lebowski," by Oliver Benjamin, who founded The Church of the Latter-Day Dude, and Dwayne Eutsey, the Arch Dudeship. They go beyond the pandering kitsch of much Lebowski-ana, beyond catchphrases about bowling and drinking "Caucasians." Not that they're particularly serious in their approach. Not at all. Lots of yucks here for those who have seen the movie, even more for those who have seen it a dozen times. But the book also is sort of a half-tongue-in-cheek self-help guide to the Dude ethos—Jeff Lebowski's laid-back approach to life, free of the toil and boil of deadlines and status-seeking and acquisitiveness. Funny, yes. Silly, well....
Something about The Dude's holy simplicity strikes a chord in those of us—and that's most of us—struggling to keep up with the daily grind. In "The Abide Guide," you learn how to relax, to accept what life offers, to not be in such a rush or in such competition with the rest of the world.
In the introduction, the authors set forth their theme: "We hope this guide will be something like a GPS that helps you discern the Dude Way in your own life, only without that annoying prerecorded voice always telling you where to turn. Because we're not a bunch of Fascists here, man. We can't tell you specifically where to find the Dude Way. With that in mind, maybe this book is more like a 'GFS,' a literary device that reminds you to 'Go with the Flow, Slowly.'"
And what dad couldn't use a bit more of that attitude in his life?
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