The Dude’s whole ethos can be summed up in three words: “The Dude abides.” To abide is to accept and tolerate, to handle whatever comes his way with trademark cool. Those three little words ended up inspiring an entire religion, Dudeism, officially known as The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. The religion was formed in 2005 by Oliver Benjamin, a journalist who really loved the movie and its sweet stoner philosophy. The church has over 600,000 ordained ministers (myself included), and also has Abide University, giving out honorary degrees in subjects like “Leisure Studies” and “Simplicity Theory.” (I have a Master’s in Memetics from Abide U., because I’m an achiever.) While this is all just a bit of silly fun, the tenets of Dudeism actually have their roots in Buddhism and Daoism, and they promote tolerance and love for one another, along with free thinking, so who can be upset about that?
In a world where everyone’s worth seems to be derived from their ability to work themselves to death, The Dude’s way of living seems almost revolutionary. He knows who he is and isn’t bothered by what anyone else thinks about him. He’s part Bridges, part Coen brothers’ writing, but somehow managed to become a legendary man all of his own. The Dude is, well, he’s the man.