By Rev. Kris Harrison, Orthodox Dude
Well there’s a fella I wanna tell you a story, fella by the name Friedrich Nietzsche. Now, Nietzsche, that’s not a name a fella would self apply where I come from, and to those of you who are unfamiliar with his work, well, you may not find anything every bit as stupefying as this-a-here story.
Many people know the name, but not many know the man. And well, sometimes there’s a man, sometimes there’s a man, and I’m talking bout’ Nietzsche here. Sometimes there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. However, Nietzsche, he was the man far ahead of his time and place, and didn’t quite fit in where he was. He was around right about the late 1800’s when Christianity was the rule and industrialism was just pokin’ its head in to the Protestant-Monarchism of Germany. Back then nobody fucked with the Jesus. Except for Nietzsche, that is.
Nietzsche was a man wise to the meddling of pre-fuckin-fascist Germany and all of its Anti-Semitic, un-abiding fucks down at the league office of the time. He was once a close follower of German composer Richard Wagner until he could no longer stand the aggression of Wagner’s Nihilism. It must have been exhausting. Nietzsche had an ethos, and he definitely was not threatening castration.
Nietzsche, like the Dude, took a lot of shit, when all he wanted was something to tie the existential room together, and in the end all he asked was to abide. He enjoyed getting high, though in the literal sense (he enjoyed climbing mountains), and overcame the strikes and gutters of a hardshipped life, often spending months in bed sick. He was fragile, man. There weren’t many bowling alleys to keep this dude busy, but when nothing was going his way he’d resolve it with a "fuck it, let’s go hiking." However, his philosophy proved how gutters only work to exemplify life’s strikes and was all too wise to all the whole durned human comedy. He saw what the next century was to unfold, with its fast pace, lack of leisure, and all around nay-saying to takin’ er easy.
"Even now, one is ashamed of resting, and prolonged reflection almost gives people a bad conscience."
Aw hell, I’ve introduced him long enough. So what makes Nietzsche a dude? Well what makes a man? Is it being prepared to do what’s right? Well Nietzsche would repeatedly ask "What is right, man?" Herein lies his dudely nature. Nietzsche never took anything at face value, he would not let anyone step over the line with the intention of taking all of humanity to the next round robin. He did not accept the status quo, or any quo or status for that matter. He was an advocate of individuality, personal evolution (overcoming), and taking life by the balls. He would not let anyone piss on his rug, and especially not any Nihilists. He challenged humanity to believe in something, even in the face of absurdity and dirty undies. To believe in "nossing" to Nietzsche would be to spit on life, to piss on one’s rug, to hurl the proverbial mug at one’s head. Basically, he was trying to keep everyone’s thinking from becoming too uptight,
Now, that’s something the Dude could agree with. Though Ol’ Freddy may be seen as a hardass by those unhip to his true vibes, all the man was looking for was a little peace of mind like the rest of us. His ideas aren’t for the timid, but never has there been a dude so hip to what was to come. Any man who spends his life focused on contemplation, personal growth, and not giving a shit about the fuckin’ rules is a damned fine dude in my book. Am I wrong?
Nietzsche inspired a slew of wannabe philosophers, religious nay-sayers, and even some very un-dude followers (he was very much misinterpreted by uber-paraquat Adolph Hitler), but in the end no one could touch Nietzsche’s insight into human nature and the value of our existence.
So I leave you with a quote.
"When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you. "
Is that some sort of eastern thing? Far from it.
Following along from Nietzsche’s philosophy, we propose the idea of the "Dudermensch"!—the überman for his time and place.
Far out, Rev Kris! I’ve always thought that it was too bad that Nietzsche has inspired some notable fucking fascists in the past, and has been so widely misinterpreted as a nihilist. Nice work.
I hope that you’ll eventually bring some new shit to light on Orthodox Dudeism. Sounds exhausting
Thanks for the compliment!
Orthodox Dudeism isn’t far off from its contemporary counterpart, it just implies a full commitment to takin’ it easy and the all mighty Abide.
Gotcha! I thought you meant some kind of eastern kosher thing with a strict dietary regimen, an uptight dress code, and what have you. Fuckin’a, man
It could also mean that you have nice soft pillowy inserts in your Doc Martins.
ba-doom ching!
wakka wakka wakka. thank you ladies and germs.
Tryin’ to prove those trolls right, Foz?
well written! I suppose i can aspire to Orthodox Dudeism in the future…once my little achievers are …well…abiding in their own private residences.
Nietzsche was no nihilist, but he was a moral nihilist…so there is a problem here….go back and re-read your Nietzsche….i don’t think he was a great dude at all…nor does he jive with dudeism….if by dudeism we mean, “to live in the way of the dude.”
Kierkegaard is way more of a dude than nietzsche…he gave a shit about the rules, but suspended them for something greater, like the next round robin or shomer shabbat…
In truth Nietzsche had no time for fascists either?And he never met the Nazi type bad guys man? We will never know what he was realy saying,though we know it was some pretty wild shit that did not jive with Dudeism.Because his crazy sister rewrote a load of his shit to get in with Hitlers circle, after Freddys death.Cossima Wagner did the same thing with Dicks music interpretations.Though i gotta say tht Richards views were so far right?He had to lean left to compensate for drift dudes?!This is realy deppresing so ime outa here!Abide fellow dudes!
@Jerry
Jerry, man. If Nietzsche was a moral nihilist then all dudeists, discordians, zen monks and taoists are also moral nihilists.
Nietzsche understood that morality is always based on force or coercion, whether it be coercing others or coercing oneself. Either the moralist criticizes and attacks others or he mentally punishes himself.
That’s why Nietzsche said that Christianity was ‘hostile to life’.
Without morality, men and women become free, happy and content. They are free from punishment and nagging, free from self-condemnation and as a result there is no desire for violence.
The happy, contented man has no need for violence as he has no need for morality. He feels good and therefore recognizes the good in others.
Dig?
In Bertrand Russel’s book, History of Western Philosophy, Mr Russel describes a what if? conversation between Buddha and Friedrich Nietschze and shows how there look on life would be completley different. Buddha was for universal love and Nietschze was not. Nietzschze did believe that the human race should beleieve in something he did believe that the powers of all should be laid into a few special human beings. Nietschze did believe in individualism, and beleieved we should all be passionate, chaotic, and free he did preach this but believed some should live by there own law which can be good or bad. Just depends on what you choose. So teachings are not all bad and they are not all good it just depends on what you choose to take from him.