Way out west, there was this fellow I want to tell you about. There was a lot about the dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Now, this here story I'm about to unfold took place back in the early 90s in Los Angeles. But sometimes there's a man. I won't say a hero, because what's a hero? But sometimes there's a man. And I'm talking about the dude here. And sometimes there's a man who, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there, and that's the dude. That's part of the introduction to a film I want to talk about tonight called The Big Lebowski by the Coen brothers from 1998. So I'll ask, how many of you have not seen the movie The Big Lebowski? OK. Only four? Is that true?

[01:02]

Come on. How many of you have not seen the movie The Big Lebowski? Really? OK. Well, were you guys in there? OK. So I will not give any spoilers to any plot. And in our discussion, please don't do that. I recommend the movie. This is a movie about the dude. and how the dude abides and how the dude is not in. It's a very funny movie. Jeff Bridges stars as the dude. He's an aging pothead in a kind of Raymond Chandler type private eye story. And he gets confused with a millionaire with the same name. I guess the dude's official name is Jeff Lebowski, but really the dude, the dude's name is the dude, or his dude-ness, or the dude-arino, if you're not into that whole brevity thing.

[02:13]

And the dude has a sidekick buddy named Walter, who's kind of this action hero type guy. And in all kinds of situations, he refers to all of his buddies who died face down in the mud in Vietnam. And he's always saying, this will not stand, because it's taking place sort of at the time of George Bush I and when he was attacking Kuwait. Anyway, so the dude is this laid back hippie, but he's kind of constantly freaking out. And also Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore and a bunch of other good actors were in this movie. Anyway, I'm going to talk about some Zen teachings and Zen slogans from this movie about the dude. And I'm going to speak mostly from a book called The Dude and the Zen Master. And I highly recommend this book. And there's a whole lot of stuff in this. Really, all the rest of you have seen this movie?

[03:17]

How many of you have read this book? Anyway, you should all read this book. It's a very cool book. And I'm only going to hit a little bit of what's in this book. It's a book of conversation between Jeff Bridges, who's the dude, and Bernie Glassman, who's his then teacher in the Mizumi-Roshi lineage. Bernie Glassman's a very cool guy. And he founded the Zen Peacemaker Order. I went to a conference, spoke at a conference in summer of 2010 at Bernie's, well, Bernie moves around a lot. He had a place back then in Western Massachusetts. And Jeff Bridges was there too, talking. So I got to see them in action together. Okay, well, there's a whole, there's a bunch of slogans and a bunch of themes, and, you know, I was gonna skip this, the first part of what they say in this conversation, but I guess, you know, then I realized I just couldn't skip it, because one of the main kind of contexts for the movie is bowling.

[04:24]

Now, I haven't been bowling since I was a teenager. How many of you have been bowling in the last year? All right. OK. Anyway, Bowling is kind of a metaphor for the dark alleys of film noir. A lot of stuff happens in the alleys, and a lot of weird dark stuff happens in the bowling alleys in this movie. But anyway, I'm going to do a lot of reading of stuff that Bernie and Jeff talk about in this book. This book is basically just transcripts of these great conversations these guys have. So Jeff is talking about bowling. And he said the Coen brothers who made this film, Coen brothers make a lot of great films, the Coen brothers hired a master bowler to teach. Oh, Walter is played by the great John Goodman. And as I said, Steve Buscemi's in it also. The Coen brothers hired a master bowler to teach John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, and me how to bowl. This is a little bit long, but I realized I couldn't skip it.

[05:27]

The master bowler is a world champion. He brings his assistant along. So I asked the bowling master, and this is Jeff talking, how do you think the dude might bowl? Does he prepare for a long time? Does he have to get his mind set? So I'm like, the dude is this total stoner and slacker. Does he have to get his mind set? Or is he like Art Carney in The Honeymooners? Whenever Art Carney would be asked to sign something, say a document, Jackie Gleason would tell him, Signed there, Norton, and Carney would start twitching, fidgeting, carrying on for so long that Gleeson would finally yell, sign the document. So I asked the bowling master if the dude might be like that. His assistant starts laughing so hard he just about pees in his pants. The master bowler shakes his head and rolls his eyes, looking embarrassed. So I asked him, what's going on? Oh, nothing, nothing, the assistant says. The master says, go on, you can tell him. The assistant says, no, you tell him. Finally, the master tells his story. It seems that years ago, he tried to bowl like in the book Zen and the Art of Archery. That book teaches the student to completely let go of his ego in order to hit the bull's eye.

[06:32]

If the mind is settled and clear, the pins are practically down before the bowler pops his hand back to throw the ball. So the bowling master tried to get into that mindset and ended up like hardcore. He had certain tics to release tension in his body, and he'd do this little stress-relieving dance that would go on five, 10 minutes, all in the middle of a tournament. Meantime, his teammates are sitting on the bench doing their version of Jack and Gleeson. Just throw the ball. Things got so bad, he couldn't throw the ball at all. He would not release it from his hand because he couldn't get into the right mindset. Finally, he went to a shrink, and they worked it out. So what do you do now, I asked him. I just throw the fucking ball, I don't think. I dug that, and isn't it interesting that after all that, I never once see the dude bowl in the entire movie. And actually, there's all this bowling stuff going on in the movie, and Jeff Bridges never bowls in the whole movie. So is thinking the problem? We're so good at it, our brains are set up to think, man. So Bernie says, thinking's not the problem.

[07:33]

We freeze up because we expect a certain result, or because we want things to be perfect. So I thought that was pretty good. And then there's a little bit more about this. Jack Bridger says, this happens in movies, too. I'll often worry for a long time about a big scene. I'm not going to do this. Meantime, there's another little scene I'm not concerned about at all. I'm sure I know what to do there. Now comes the day when I'm filming, and the big scene is a snap, while the little one is trouble. And I'm reflecting. All that time, we were worried about the wrong thing. Mark Twain said, I am a very old man and have suffered a great many misfortunes, most of which never happened. So Jeff says, if you're going to wait to get all the information you think you need before you act, well, never act because there's an infinite amount of information out there. So anyway, this is just one of these bits of great wisdom.

[08:33]

about Zen and slogans and wisdom that's in this book about the dude. And there's a few really great Zen slogans in here, but the next section I want to talk about has to do with Zen and jazz. So, Well, this is Bernie talking. No, this is Jeff talking. He talks about his mom telling him when he was a kid, remember, have fun and don't take it too seriously. So he's talking about playing and working. So I have this word for much of what I do in life, plorking. I'm not playing and I'm not working. I'm plorking. You know, play doesn't have to be a frivolous thing. You may think of a Beethoven symphony as something serious. But it's still being played. I think Oscar Wilde said that life is too important to be taken seriously.

[09:37]

So there's this thing that Bernie says, and I think it's, to me, it's totally important. To me, all performance is like jazz. you know, acting, which Jeff talks a lot about in this movie, and giving dharma talks, and doing zazen. It's all improvised. So Bernie says, I just let it all be, bear witness, and get into the swing. I love Ellington's tune. It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Just let it be, bear witness to the voices and the instruments, whether it's a jazz band or life. and move with them, flow with them. If you can't do that, then you'll be... If you can do that, then you'll be a lot happier, because in life you're always in a band, and you're always swinging. You're not forcing anything, and you're not being forced, you just flow.

[10:41]

And then... There's this wonderful acting... Jeff Bridges gives. So I just pulled things out for this from different parts of this book. There's so many great things in this book that I didn't get to. But Jeff Bridges talks about how Kevin Bacon and I recently worked on a movie together. Just before we begin a scene, when all of us would feel the normal anxiety that actors feel before they start to perform, Kevin will look at me and the other actors with a very serious expression on his face and say, remember, everything depends on this. It will make us all laugh. On the one hand, it's not true, of course, but on the other, everything does depend on this, just this moment and our attitude toward this moment.

[11:48]

So there's an old zen haiku by William Carlos Williams, Everything depends on a red wheelbarrow in the sun. So everything depends on it. And in acting, in performing, in jazzing together, it's like that. For me, it's doing what comes up, like the jazz band. It's not just you or me. It's not just everybody else. It's the vibe of the whole scene. But you're your main instrument. You're doing your thing completely. You're not thinking twice. You're not saying, hey, I shouldn't play this riff, or I got to think about it. You're jamming. Things happen. Life happens. And you're jamming. So this is what Zim's about, just jamming. How do you? be in this situation, in the world of your mind, in zazen, in the world of your body, whether it's some ache in your knee, or whether it's some distracting thought, or whether it's, you know, during a day of sitting as the servers are coming in.

[13:10]

How is it that you express Buddha in your mind, in your body, in this moment? So now we're getting to the real stuff. So one of the slogans in the movie, one of the great Zen slogans that comes up in the movie is, the dude abides. So they talk about that. And Jeff says, according to the official dictionary, to abide means to wait patiently for something, to endure without yielding, accept without objection. That's no easy feat, especially in a culture that's success-driven, instant gratification-oriented, impatient with others. True abiding is a spiritual gift that requires great mastery.

[14:13]

The moral of the story for me is, be kind. Treat others as you want to be treated. You never know when the stranger you meet on the road may be an angel or the dude in disguise. I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least among you, you did not do for me, according to Gospels. Or merely a kind-hearted loser. We should treat him as he treats us, with respect and compassion. We should all treat everyone you encounter as a righteous soul, on account of whom the world abides. That's very dude. This is objective. So, you know, part of the dude abides is... The dude endures. We live in the Saha world, according to ancient Buddhism, the world of endurance. The dude abides. The dude just rests. But also he abides all kinds of stuff. We endure, we abide. And in the movie, and I won't say what happens with it, but one of the main things in the plot has to do with a sacred object in the dude's space.

[15:26]

And he says it ties the room together. And things happen with that. And it's kind of the key of the plot. Just like in our Zenda room, we have the Buddha in the center, which ties the room together. How do we abide with that which ties the room together? And then this, well, the thing about the dude abides. As I mentioned, and Jeff talks about it here, the dude abides. And there's this whole scene with Walter where the dude's freaking out, and Walter says, just take it easy. No, the dude's freaking out at Walter. Well, you just take it easy. And Walter says, I'm calmer than you. And Jeff says, well, people think the dude is so unflappable and calm, but in that scene, he's really uptight.

[16:30]

In fact, the whole movie is about this loose, relaxed, Dude who gets all upset by life. He's not embarrassed about it. He's not trying to live up to some persona. He's always just a dude. I relate to that because I really did comfort, and part of being comfortable is living up to others' expectations of you. For instance, many people think I have this persona, that I'm the dude, but that's not who I am. I've got some dude in me, but I'm more and other than that. The dude abides. How do we be the dude and how do we freak out and not be embarrassed about it? And they talk about, and Bernie talk brings up this thing that's really interesting that has to do with the dude and the dude abiding. And he talks about this thing from Jewish mysticism. Some of you may know about this. There's this story in Jewish tradition about in Hebrews, Lamed Vavneh, this idea that there are 36 just people or righteous people in the world.

[17:35]

This goes way back. These people are simple and unassuming and they're so good that on account of them, God lets the world continue instead of destroying it. But no one knows who they are because their lives are so humble. It might be the pizza delivery boy, the cashier on a Chinese takeout, the window washer, or the woman selling you stamps in the post office. So this is a wonderful book called The Last of the Just, I think it's called. author's name. Anyway, the whole world survives according to this story because there's these 36 people in the world and they don't even necessarily know that they're one of those 36. But they're there and they just practice hidden functioning secretly like fools there it is. And because of them the world continues. So the dude abides like that.

[18:37]

So one side is that the dude abides. The other side is that the dude is not in. So they sort of go together. So the dude has this phone message machine which says that the dude is not in, leave a message. So they talk about that too. talking about this, the dude is not in, a phone message. Bernie says, abiding nowhere raised the mind of compassion. The dude abides nowhere, which is the same as saying the dude abides everywhere. The dude's not attached to some self-image, identity, or a life narrative. Since he abides nowhere, he's free to abide everywhere.

[19:42]

So this, the dude is not in, means we can let go of who we think we are. So there's a lot in this movie, and this book just, you know, it's very dense, and there's a bunch more things that I was going to read from it, but I always want to have time for discussion, and I think maybe we'll manage that. But talking about this other side of the do-to-bys, so these slogans from the Big Lebowski that are really Zen slogans, So Bernie also says, the dude is not in, leave a message. That's our life again. We're not in. Everybody's leaving messages. Not being in, not being attached to Jeff or Bernie or whoever you are, is the essence of sin. When we're not attached to our identity, it allows all the messages of the world to come in and be heard. When we're not in, creation can happen.

[20:44]

So this is a really interesting thing, which most of you have seen this movie. But I never thought about this aspect of the dude is not in till I read this book. The dude is not in is about creativity. It's about how we allow creativity in our life. Of course, there's the dude abides. staying and enduring, and Dogen talks about abiding in your dharma position. Just being in the situation you're in. How do you manage to stay there? But then there's this other side, and they go together. The dude is not in. This is Jeff. When you do the unexpected, everyone starts wondering, what else can happen? They start reassessing all the givens of that moment. What's great about movies is that all of this is totally allowed.

[21:50]

It's even encouraged. Creativity is what's called for. The idea is to get empty so the thing can come through you, you know? What I try to go for in acting is that thing you're talking about, the dude's not in. I'm taking advantage of everything. I'm letting it rip. Letting go. Emptying myself is such a strong force for me, almost like gravity, that it does me. I don't do it. When the dude is not in, life just blossoms. It's like zazen. We don't do zazen. Zazen does us. When you're not in, something can happen. Life just blossoms. So there's these two sides, and it's interesting how they fit together. The dude abides. The dude is not in. So maybe that's the main thing to remember. But then there's these other couple of slogans that I want to share that kind of come along with it.

[22:52]

And I don't know exactly how it all fits together, and that's OK. But there's this other, and again, I don't want to talk about how they fit in together in the plot of the movie so much. At some point, the dude says, well, that's just your opinion. You know, and Bernie says, a lot of old Zen masters talk like, they say that in order to get enlightened, in order to experience the oneness of life, you have to drop body and mind. And of course, Dogen says that famously. But Bernie says, there's an easier way out than that, and that's to realize, oh, that's just your opinion. Which is what the dude says in the movie. That's your opinion, man. When you say that, there's a way out. If we take certain things to be the truth, we're going to fight and kill for them.

[23:54]

But it's hard to battle over an opinion. It's kind of cute. So later on, I'm talking about that again. What did I say? Who is this? This one is... Yeah, this is Brenner again. He says, it's more important to work with what happened rather than with your opinions about it. So if a voice says, I should have done this, I can say right back, that's just your opinion, man. So we can say that to ourselves, you know, oh no, I should have done that. And Bernie says, it's just an opinion. There's nothing true about it. One of my Japanese Zen teachers, a famous and highly respected master, used to say, that's a nice way of looking at it. So we can hold on to some ideas. Oh, that's it. That's the truth.

[24:54]

But hey, man, that's just your opinion. Can we just see that there's these opinions about what's going on? They might be good opinions. You might think you have an opinion, So that's another one. And then I want to say a little bit more about Jeff and Bernie. But there's another one that comes up in the movie. And again, there's so much more in this book that I really recommend this book called The Dude and the Zen Master. At some point in the movie, and there's all this kind of puzzling around about, as most of you know, about what's going on in the plot and all this.

[25:54]

And there's new twists and turns about what happened in the plot. And as the dude says, new shit comes to light. And he ends up saying that to various people involved in the story. Man, this shit can't just come to light, you know? And when it does, you pick it up again. So this is Bernie talking now. As the dude says, new shit comes to light. When it does, you pick it up again. You wait for the grain to go in the directions we want to go. And then we move with it. But new shit keeps coming to light. Things keep on changing. We run into another knot in the wood. So we wait again. We have a little patience. And Bernie again says, the grains in the flow of life are always there. At certain times, they're unexpected knots. But the grains are still there. One of the key messages of Shakyamuni Buddha was that everything has changed.

[26:57]

That's why the phrase, new shit has come to light, is so important. So, you know, we get new information. You know, it's just your opinion, man. And new information comes up. Oh, okay. What do we do with that? And everything is changing. So, you know, this is... Again, these slogans and this information about the dude abiding and the dude's not in are Zen slogans for how to deal with all this stuff. And there's a kind of corollary that usually comes to light. This is from Jeff. Sometimes I feel, and he saw him talking to Bernie, because Bernie's a really pushy guy. Sometimes I feel you're out there pulling on the grass to make it grow faster. I have a slower gestation period. I need downtime, because I don't want to give in to my manic impulses. The things that I really want to nurture are slow growing.

[27:58]

They need space and time so that they can flower and mature. So, you know, work with our opinions. So I want to just, before I finish, there's one last bit I want to talk about. But just to say a little bit about these two guys. They're both kind of activists in ways. Jeff talked about this at this conference I went to. He's involved in this hunger project. working at, and he's been doing it for a while, working at actually trying to end hunger in the world. And he's really working with people who are working on, you know, how do we, it's not really necessary for there to be hunger in the world, given the resources on the planet and so forth, and how do we redirect that.

[29:01]

So that's huge. It seems like a huge order, but anyway, Jeff Bridges is actually working on that. Bernie Glassman has this Zen Peacemakers Order. It's a little like Buddhist Peace Fellowship that we have this chapter in Buddhist Peace Fellowship that meets here. It's a monthly meeting that some of you are involved with. A little different than Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Buddhist Peace Fellowship is more like involved in working at systems changing in terms of the systems of injustice in our society. Zen Peacemakers Order is more about caregiving. Both parts are parts of engaged Buddhism. One of the things, so there's a whole lot of stuff I could say about what Bernie does. One part of it is, one thing he's been doing for a long time, which is very impressive, is holding annual sessions at Auschwitz. He brings Well, many people come, but including descendants of survivors and victims of the concentration camp at Auschwitz, but also descendants of the guards at Auschwitz.

[30:16]

And they sit there in the middle of that horror. And anyway, it's very powerful. I haven't done it, but I've talked to people who have. And I'll just mention three tenets of the Zen Peacemaker's Order that he talks about, which are kind of related to what he's talking about, about the Big Lebowski. The first is just not knowing, and that's like the dude is not in, not holding on to some idea. The second is bearing witness, which is to not back away from what we see as suffering in the world, or the joy of the world. And the third is just to take loving action, which he says means including all viewpoints to see all the perspectives. Anyway, there's a lot more to say about what Bernie does and what Jeff does.

[31:21]

Bernie also does clowning as a kind of application, like with a big red nose and clown school and all that stuff. Anyway, the last thing that I want to talk about that they talk about that comes back that goes, well, I don't know how much of it goes to the Big Lebowski movie, but they get into this talking about stuff from the Big Lebowski, which has to do with perfection. And just to say a little bit about this. So this, again, is from their conversations. And then I do want to have time for discussion. other comments on the dude, whatever. Jeff tells a story, and I'll just, I'll shorten it, but he talks about a singing class he went to. He starts off by saying, well, they're talking about all the different kinds of personalities and how wonderful they are.

[32:25]

appreciating the differences. And Jeff says, you know, we're all basically the same, wanting to be loved and wanting to love. And he talks about the singing class that he went to, where everybody's encouraged to sing, even though, you know, even if they think that they can't because they were told they can't as kids. And he talks about, I learned that it's not about hitting a note sharp or flat. Sinatra would sometimes hit a note a little flat, too, and that imperfection made the sound even stronger. It's not about perfection, it's about authenticity. So I thought that was really great, that it's not about perfection. He talks about this in terms of movies, too. Movies throw together all these different kinds of people who are trying to do their art, and it's all workable. The weirder the approach sometimes, the groovier. Like the bit of sand on the oyster that creates the pearl.

[33:31]

If the grain in the wood is perfect, it's not as interesting. When you get a pearl, for instance, God, it's wonderful. So they were talking about woodworking earlier. I've talked about this a lot, that our ideas of perfection get in the way that we're actually enjoying ourselves and working together. And I'd like to quote my favorite American yogi who said, if the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. So here's Jeff saying, it's not about perfection. It's about authenticity. And I'll close with an example of that, that in Japanese culture that Germany gives. He says, there's a whole style of Japanese pottery where the accidents that occur are actually relished by the potters. When you care about perfection, you care about an expectation.

[34:32]

But there's also caring for where I am right now, for what's happening right now. So to, and there's a line in the Precious Mara Samadhi we're going to be studying that talks about cherishing mistakes. So anyway, there's so much in this book and there's so much about the dude that is so cool. And so I wanted to share that with you. And that was a lot of stuff. And it took most of the time, but I do want to have some time for any comments or responses. So please feel free. Any other comments on the dude? Jim? This is still absorbing some flavor.

[35:38]

It's just your opinion, of course. So it gives a certain likeness, and a sort of automatic, easily reached disengagement. Slight degree of disengagement, just enough.

[36:40]

Yeah. But in the movie, the dude says it to this person in authority, he says, that's just your opinion, man. But they turn it in this book to, hey, we can say that to ourselves, too. Other comments? Yes, Jim. I have this idea of what a Zen master is. And in the beginning of that book, I think it's Bernie Glassman who says that some people think that the dude is a Zen master. And I think it's really nice for me to read this book because And I think of the dude, I think of someone who shows a little, sometimes I feel like it's a little bit of apathy and he gets rattled by his friends and he gets rattled by situations. And my idea was to imagine someone who never gets rattled by anything. Ha. Yeah. It's very nice to read this book and really, you know, understand the authenticity of what the dude portrays.

[37:52]

how just not in he is at some points where he's just totally rattled, and he totally is, you know, acting. And there's a part in that book that they talk about not cornering the rat. Oh yeah, yeah. Where even though he's rattled, and even though all this stuff's happening, he doesn't put his friend down. It's obviously out of control. So all of you have seen the movie. Any other thoughts or comments just from the movie? Jen? I have a friend that people say to him, you're just like the big Lebowski. And this was what compelled me to see the movie. So I actually rented the movie so that I could see it. And I was... I was really surprised at how I didn't really like the dude.

[39:06]

I really thought he was over the top. I can't remember what maneuver he tried to do with the rich guy. and see the movie again, because apparently I'm missing it. I've seen the movie now many times, and every time I see it, I watched it again last night, and every time I see it, I see new things in it. But actually, it's not clear who the Big Lebowski is. Yeah, it's part of it. It could be that Richard, right? So you don't know which one is the Big Lebowski. Yeah, there are several Lebowskis in the movie. But yeah, so the whole idea of identity is, and also, you know, I sometimes think this is a guy's movie in some ways, because in some ways it's about, you know, what is a man?

[40:19]

Actually, there's a whole discussion of what is a man when one of the characters talks to a dude about that. But, you know, there's stuff about women in it too, I guess. But he's the dude. And yeah, he's not always good. But yeah, that idea of Zen masters being perfect or unflappable or, you know. What good would that person be? Other comments, or a little bit over, but that's OK. They're just responses. Or things in the movie that you want to respond to.

[41:23]

Without giving away plot things. Well, I can't help but wonder what people who are in a sundial for the first time in their life and thought they were coming for a talk I'm just wondering what your thoughts are. Not what I expected. I saw it online actually just before I came over here. So I thought it was so nice. You've seen the movie then?

[42:32]

I have. And I felt the same way. So many people loved that movie and so I felt like I had to see it. I didn't care for it that much but I think it's Hopefully now when I see it I'll have a whole different perspective on it. I wasn't that crazy about it the first time I saw it. You have to watch it repeatedly. Check out the book though, whether you're going to eat well. Probably you should see the movie before you read the book, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. In fact, I don't know if I've talked about a movie like this before. Usually, often we talk about more regular Buddhist so-called stuff. Yes, Ken. I have a question. Go ahead. I recall one time, I think I read something where you said your favorite movie was Casablanca. Yes, absolutely. Is this your place, Casablanca? No. But this is one of my top five. I guess for me, a lot of times, I'll go to the Shambhala Guru, in Justin Roberts' part.

[43:40]

But anyway, that's not the point. The point, the part that I really like is, and this is particular to the movie itself, but when you said it's about authenticity and not perfection, and what really stuck with me about that is, So I actually tried out, and I wasn't really good at it. And I had a daddy who was able to explain it. And so because I wasn't good at it, I just wasn't allowed to play. I tried out. And it kind of took that to mean that I was supposed to do things that I wasn't supposed to be well at. And so a lot of times, I grew up with that. But when I got to college, wanted to play. So I found a group of people that just wanted to have fun doing it. And that's how, and even now, because you have competitive sports and you have competitive teams, but then you have the ones that just, you know, kind of get you, and you have to know which team you're trying out for.

[44:48]

But the point is that, you know, if I had continued to always try to be perfect at it, then, or if I, when I avoid things because I don't think I'm losing, I'm missing the fun of it. Yes. And for me, it's just, you know, because I know me and I know my limitations, I can join teams and have a community of people that are just having fun with it and not miss out on an experience. And sometimes I regret not learning that earlier. It's just having fun with it versus trying to be the perfect guy. Yeah. Well, we learn that whenever we learn that and then, you know, go for it. But yeah, the story about the singing that Jeff Bridges talks about, where they're challenged, that people often are told when they're kids that they can't sing or something like that, and in this class, they're encouraged to sing. And it's like that, yeah. And you can enjoy things whether or not you're quote, unquote, good at it. Yeah, good, thank you. Yes, Jen.

[45:52]

I just read something today that came from the Whitney Wisdom column in the Week magazine, and what it said was, and I can't remember who they were quoting, but it said, there are so many people that never gain wisdom at all, it doesn't do you any good to regret that it comes so late. And I thought that was I think a lot of people like the character a lot because he's always Myself included, wish they could be like that. And even a lot of characters in films and fiction, they live in their mind a lot.

[46:58]

The dude is always just wherever he was, that's where he was. Yeah, the dude abides. He's just there being a dude. Yeah, right. That's, yeah.

[47:12]

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