The Big Lebowski isn’t just a movie, it’s a philosophy.
Through this movie a way of living, a lifestyle, and an attitude to live
by and approach life with is presented. The
main character, the Dude, exemplifies a philosophy, and through example,
provides us with tools to deal with life and a way to conceptualize the world
around us. It is through The Big Lebowski that the meaning and
rootlessness of life is able to come together and make sense. The Dude
provides an example, that if we could all follow, would lead to contentment,
understanding, and self-actualization.
The Dude’s story begins with the loss of his rug to vandals, a rug that
really held the room together. In a
way, we all have a rug that ties the room together.
There is something in our lives that brings together all the strands and
threads of our life. It could be a
person, it could be a thing, or an ideal. But
there is something in all of our lives that makes our lives what they are, or
brings the picture of our life into focus.
“They peed on my fucking rug.” –The Dude.
As the Dude can attest to, there are ‘carpet pissers’ out there.
There are people or events that will violate our rug.
When our rug, the thing that completes us, is violated, changed, or
damaged, pieces of our life can fall into disarray.
We become lost and confused, or hurt and angry.
It is at times like these that we need our friends and those closest to
us. As the Dude turned to Walter
and Donny to vent, be consoled, and get support, we too must turn to others for
support when we lose what grounds us. Though
these people can’t always fix our problems, they provide the safety, support,
and companionship we need until we are ready to repair or restructure the pieces
of our life, or start anew.
When we do react to the violation of our rug, it may not necessarily be
related to the area of offence. The
Dude first confronted Mr. Lebowski (the Millionaire) about the damage to his
rug, a person who had no part in that act.
Similarly the persons, situations, or events that we choose to confront
may not be the persons, situations, or events that altered or violated our
lives. If a loved one hurts us, we
may initially address work issues, or self-improvement/blame issues.
The area we choose to deal with may not have a direct correlation to what
happened to our rug. It’s not that we don’t know that these are not the
persons, situations, or events that caused us harm.
The Dude knew the ‘carpet pissers’ didn’t work for Mr. Lebowski, or
have any association with him. We
also know who or what is and is not responsible for what happens to us.
But when we’re acting from a place of hurt, confusion, or anger, we
make choices that aren’t logical or make complete sense.
One minute the Dude is laying safe and comfortable on his rug, listening
to bowling tapes. Then in a split
second, everything changes, the Dude’s rug is ripped out from under him,
literally, by Maude Lebowski. There
may come a time when the worst thing imaginable can happen, the thing that holds
our lives together, the thing that defines us, can be lost or stolen. A loved one may die, a job could be lost, or any number of
personal tragedies. The Dude never
sees his rug again and must accept the loss.
Similarly, what is taken from us, in most situations, can never be given
back.
Like the Dude, we may never get our rug back.
We may never find something that brings the threads of our life together
again. Our lives may stay rootless
and disjointed, and can stay so for years.
Like Humpty Dumpty, we may never be put back together again.
But as the Dude would say, “Fuck it.”
Damn right. How much better
off would we all be if we could follow the Dude’s advise, and just say,
“Fuck it.” Millions of people
suffer needlessly from anxiety, stress disorders, and other stress related
health problems. The Dude’s
ability to relax, take life as it comes, and move passed life’s problems and
disappointments is something we should all try to emulate.
“Fuck it” doesn’t mean we stop caring or give up.
It means we accept and deal with the things in our lives, and keep them
in proper perspective. It means
live and let live.
It is not accidental that bowling is a constant theme throughout The
Big Lebowski. Bowling is so
pure and simple, yet contains a brilliant analogy for life. The lives of The Big Lebowski characters center around
bowling, in fact the Dude is rarely seen with Walter or Donny outside the
bowling ally. Bowling is an
intricate
part of life for the Dude and the analogy of bowling and life is very relevant.
Bowling, like life, is a game of chance.
Once your hand leaves the ball you lose control and the hand of fate
takes over, and the outcome is one of random chance.
You can try to direct that ball as best you can and add speed or spin,
but there is always the point where you have to release your control.
All that skill, effort, and dedication may pay off, and you will get your
desired result. However, everything
can fall apart, all your skill and effort can prove to be fruitless.
Similarly, we can try to direct our lives as best we can with things such
as education, jobs, relationships, where we live, etc., but ultimately we are in
the merciless hand of fate and the things that happen and shape the direction of
our lives are often the result of random chance.
The careers we pursue sometimes don’t turn out and we could find
ourselves in career paths we never intended to be on, for good or ill.
The relationships we choose may not work out and we may find ourselves in
relationships that we never thought we’d be in.
Life has a funny way of working out.
The best roll may gutter, and a half-assed roll can strike.
In life, as is bowling, in the end; you are only competing with yourself.
Bowling is unique in this aspect. In
other sports there are different positions to play, often with or as a team,
football, baseball, hockey, etc. With
bowling there is no direct interaction with an opponent such as in tennis,
billiards, etc. When you bowl,
it’s just you and the lane. There
is no position in bowling where someone is backing you up, or helping you out. No one can roll for you; it’s just you and the lane.
Similarly, in life, only you can live out your life, only you can play it
out, no one can do it for you. No
substitutions, no pitch hitting.
Though occasionally we form teams, we make our own way through life.
And since each person’s life is unique and different, there is no real
competition with others. There are times of perceived competition with others in the
work place, or if you try to keep up with the Jones’.
But in reality we each set our own goals and standards of achievement and
satisfaction. We each have
different abilities and potentials. So
the only one we can really compete against is truly ourselves.
On the lane only you know if you scored your best, if you threw the best
you were capable of, and if you tried. In
life only you know if you’re living your potential, if you’re doing your
best, and what your abilities are.
Pairing the Dude with bowling shows the Dude’s acceptance and realization of the truth of life bowling reveals to us. The Dude’s bowling is an extension of his life philosophy and the way he lives his life. When asked about how life is going, the Dude simple says, “Strikes and gutters.” Is that not the perfect metaphor for daily life.
(RETURN)
© 2004, Dann Michalski, Th.D.