ART AND CULTURE.
Dudeism: the religion inspired by "The Big Lebowski"
All of you are almost certainly familiar with "The Big Lebowski", the Coen brothers' film released in 1998 and almost immediately became a worldwide cult. However, you may not know that there are those who take the lifestyle described by the film very seriously.
The film is about a former hippie who spends his days smoking, drinking White Russian and bowling, until he becomes involved in an absurd identity switch. In 2005, journalist Oliver Benjamin, born in 1968 in Sherman Oaks, near Los Angeles, decided to make it a real religion, which now has thousands of followers especially in the United States.
But what are the rules to follow if you want to worship the figure of the Dude? Find out with us.
Youtube frame/Wikipedia.org
Dudeism: the religion inspired by "The Big Lebowski"
All of you are almost certainly familiar with "The Big Lebowski", the Coen brothers' film released in 1998 and almost immediately became a worldwide cult hit. However, you may not know that there are those who take the lifestyle depicted by the film very seriously. The film is about a former hippie who spends his days smoking, drinking White Russian and bowling, until he gets involved in an absurd identity switch. In 2005, journalist Oliver Benjamin, born in 1968 in Sherman Oaks, near Los Angeles, decided to make it a real religion, which now has thousands of followers especially in the United States. But what are the rules to follow if you want to worship the figure of the Dude? Find out with us.
The Church of the Latter-Day Dude
From a mere movie film to a veritable cult. "The Big Lebowski," the brothers' masterpiece Coen, became a religion in 2005, thanks to the initiative of American journalist Oliver Benjamin, born in 1968 in Sherman Oaks, near Los Angeles. This secular religion, with the official name "Church of the Latter-Day Dude", is based on certain cornerstones, such as laziness, and seeks to divert people from contemporary frenzy and dissatisfactions.
Joe Poletta (user "vidmon" on Flickr) - Wikipedia.org
The Big Lebowski
For those who do not know, "The Big Lebowski" is a 1998 film by the Coen brothers that boasts a long list of stars in its cast, such as Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and John Turturro. The story centers on the character of Jeffrey Lebowski, known as "Dude", who suffers an assault in his own home due to a mistaken identity. His philosophy of life embraces nihilism but is much more complex, although in practice he spends his days smoking, drinking alcohol and bowling with friends. I mean, after all, he just wanted his carpet, right? It gave a touch to the environment.
Who is the originator of this secular religion, Oliver Benjamin
Oliver Benjamin, born in 1968, is a journalist who "grew up in the material illusion of the 1980s," and for a long time wandered backpacking in search of the meaning of life. While watching "The Big Lebowski" in a club at Thailandia, he had an epiphany about how the movie is actually a very valid way of living life, and decided to start gathering followers and financial resources. Even a few years later, two "holy books," two guides, on to best live Dudeism came out: "Dudespaper" the official text of Dudeism, and "The Tao Dude Ching", the holy book of the Church.
The religion of Dudeism
There is also an actual website, and the founder has told his story several times on CNN. The idea behind Dudeism is a mixture of the philosophy of Lao Tzu, Epicurus, Heraclitus, Buddha, and the pre-ecclesiastical Jesus Christ. Basically, says the founder, it is a kind of modern Taoism, which in its traditional form has virtually no dogma or rules. Corriere della Sera quotes a now obsolete Dudeism website, which reads: 'Life is short and complicated and nobody knows what to do with it. So do nothing. Take it easy. Stop worrying so much about going to the finals. Relax with some friends and a few beers and whether you strike out or gutters, do your best to stay yourself; which is to say, hang in there. Or bear it and smile."
The followers of Dudeism
To stave off life's difficulties, Dudeism suggests, small daily pleasures such as taking a bath, bowling and spending time with friends, the favourite habits of the Drugo from 'The Big Lebowski' (this example is to be extended to the pleasures of each of us), are enough. Today there are more than 100,000 Dudeist priests in the world. The majority are in the USA, but there are also many in the UK. The aim of this cult is supposedly to help its followers earn the most by working as little as possible. The journalist states that the religious movement supports itself with the modest income collected from advertising on the website and from the sale of products and gadgets promoting Dudeism.
Tablet computers and tech gadgets
Art galleries private collections
31/05/2023
On the Cariadeghe plateau in Serle, in the Brescia area of Italy, speleologists have unearthed a priceless find: a perfectly preserved ancient skeleton of a woman who lived during the Iron Age, between the 10th and 6th BC.
The woman, called Masha, was found in a cave at a depth of 12 metres, in a huge cavity probably used as a place for animals to hibernate. Along with the woman, the remains of a bear that had been extinct for 30,000 years were also found.
The Cariadeghe plateau had already risen to the headlines a few months ago, as various groups of speleologists were intent on carrying out expeditions to search for water in the area's complex of unexplored underground caverns, and also a way to utilise this water, which would solve quite a few of the region's water problems.
Art galleries private collections
30/05/2023
Egypt continues to unveil the secrets of its ancient history, and probably never will. At Saqqara, the necropolis 30 km south of Cairo, two of the largest embalming laboratories ever to come to light have in fact been discovered.
In addition to these two sites, which in itself would make the discovery sensational, two sarcophagi, one belonging to the Old Kingdom (ca. 2400 BC) and one to the New Kingdom (ca. 1400 BC), have also returned to the surface.
The region of Saqqara, where everything was found, is one of the largest royal necropolises in Egypt and home to the oldest stone building in history, the step pyramid of Djoser.
Art galleries private collections
Art galleries private collections
Tablet computers and tech gadgets
Creams perfumes lotions
27/05/2023
Scarlett Johansson took centre stage on the Cannes red carpet alongside her husband Colin Jost for Wes Anderson's star-studded film Asteroid City.
Scarlett Johansson wore a pastel pink dress created for her by Prada to which she paired star earrings.
The cast of Asteroid City for the red carpet at Cannes included Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, Rupert Friend, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Alexandre Desplat, Bryan Cranston, Maya Hawke, director Wes Anderson, Adrien Brody, Matt Dillon, Fisher Stevens, Steve Carell and Stephen Park.
Nature
26/05/2023
Data collected by the World Meteorological Organisation, which is part of the United Nations, on the direct effects of climate change over the last 50 years, from 1970 to 2021, have been released in recent days.
The data collected are truly frightening, and speak of more than 12,000 natural disasters specifically due to climate change, with more than 2 million ascertained victims and an economic damage that has been calculated, over the five decades, at 4300 billion dollars.
Island states and developing countries are most affected, and the figure could have been even worse had it not been for the help of early warnings, which still fail to cover a large part of the world's population.