Thomas Novelly

The (Louisville) Courier-Journal

LOUISVILLE — Metropolis has Superman. Gotham has Batman. And Louisville has ... The Dude, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.

While the fictional character played by Jeff Bridges in the cult comedy The Big Lebowski lacks superpowers and wears a bathrobe and jelly sandals instead of a cape and tights, he should be no less a hero for Louisville.

Hundreds of Lebowski fans, cleverly dubbed “Achievers,” will roll into town Friday and Saturday for the 16th annual Lebowski Fest — a weekend filled with bowling, trivia and costume contests to pay homage to the movie.

While it's always a carefree celebration, this year's Lebowski Fest comes at a time of high tensions and general dissatisfaction, not only within our country but also in Louisville.

Read more:

Lebowski Fest abides in Louisville

Jeff Bridges channels 'Big Lebowski' to honor John Goodman

Among all this chaos, the city needs a role model, a different mindset to help us cope with crazy times.

Enter Dudeism, a religion based on the The Big Lebowski and the mantra of The Dude.

Oliver Benjamin, who founded the religion, said in an interview that the movie has more philosophic and religious undertones than you’d expect.

“The movie is a perfect summary and encapsulation of a philosophy that has existed since the dawn of civilization, normally as an antidote to the problems inherent in society,” Benjamin said. “ ‘Live and let live,’ ‘Don't take things so seriously,’ ‘Turn away from conflict,’ ‘Don't worry what other people think about you’ — these ideas are all promoted in the film, just as they have been in Epicureanism, stoicism, early Christianity, transcendentalism, the hippie movement, etc."

Since creating Dudeism in 2005, Benjamin estimates that there are more than 450,000 followers worldwide. According to the website, notable Dudeist role models include Gandhi, Jesus Christ, and even Louisville native Jennifer Lawrence.

The tenets of The Dude’s philosophy have been accepted by rich and poor alike for the same reason: It’s a simple and easy way to live and profess peace.

In Benjamin’s 12-step Dude program, you’ll find the basics to embracing Lebowski’s lifestyle. The first step is perhaps the most important: “Admit that the whole world has gone crazy. We may be powerless over it. But we can take care of our own private residence.”

It's easy to be angry, jaded and tired of your city when there are all sorts of political, civil, and criminal issues surrounding it. But the mantra of the Dude offers an escape. It comes down to the individual finding peace within, not a solution to the chaos around us.

Benjamin said embracing Dudeism doesn't mean you just give up when trying to address problems or challenges in life.

"Dudeism doesn't advocate that," Benjamin said. "Rather, if you roll with it and try not to fight a problem head on, alternative solutions can avail themselves. Maybe if the city looked for more cooperative solutions rather than punitive ones the problems could be turned around."

Sometimes the only solution is to roll with it.

“The character of the Dude may not be perfect,” Benjamin said. “But he provides perhaps the best answer we have as humans to the problems of social and psychological friction.”

Maybe 2017 won't be Louisville's year, and that's OK. The Dude is the imperfect hero for an imperfect time in an imperfect city. He's just a man, a man who knows the only thing he can control in this world is his actions.

When Louisville embraces that notion, and looks to that mantra as a lifestyle, we'll see that there is a true freedom in that.

And if you don’t think that Lebowski can be Louisville’s hero, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

Follow Thomas Novelly on Twitter: @TomNovelly