Life on the cosmic rug called Earth at best is humanly exhausting. On the journey to achieving self-knowledge of what condition our condition is in, we are inevitably going to face the emotional equivalent of The Big Lebowski: Treehorn’s thugs, Maude, Walter, and nihilists wanting to cut off our proverbial Johnson.
The philosophy’s that embody the Dude, Walter, and Donny when in balanced harmony, give us the opportunity to cultivate achievement, enlightenment, and act as a mirror to our own unique individuality.
From the Dude, I’ve learned to roll with the ebbs and flows of life and to abide and simply be the consistent Dad, husband, and Dude of my own present moment.
From Donny, I’ve learned to just be the rock thrower that leaves doubt, fear, and having to ‘know it all’ simply dead in the water.
However, it’s Walter that I genuinely learned the greatest lessons that have helped me strive to the semis of being my own Dude. While Walter had insight, he was arrogant. While he stood for the rules, he often broke more rules to justify his own ethos.
Most of all, in holding Donny at the parking lot before he died of a heart attack, Walter showed me that in split seconds of temporary anger being expressed, one can leave permanent words; carving a lasting impact in the lives of those I’d like to believe he genuinely loved and cared for.
It’s been a long personal journey towards Dudehood for me.
Each passing moment I try to embody the Dude unique to my nature as a human being. To say there are moments I don’t find myself being a bit Walter or Donny would be a lie.
But that’s ok Dudes, each served a specific purpose to the other as they do in our lives.
A wiser fella than myself once said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
All we can do is keep stepping forward to the present moment.
