The Dude Testament

7. Take the road less rambled.

The Dude takes Walter’s advice and visits the millionaire Lebowski. Before the meeting, the millionaire’s toady assistant Brandt takes the Dude on a tour of Mr. Lebowski’s “various commendations” hanging on the wall of his office, all of them expressly mentioning the word “achievement” in one way or another. This is obviously in stark contrast to our non-hero Jeffrey Lebowski’s life of non-achievement. However, instead of feeling blue about it, it’s clear that the Dude couldn’t care less. Despite this rare opportunity to see what vast riches and honors he might have accrued had he applied himself in college instead of smoking “Thai stick” and “occupying various administration buildings,” the Dude seems pretty content with his choices. Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” suggests that life is full of forks in the road and that we have to be happy with the choices we’ve made. It is an attitude of nearly Nietzschean integrity, one that few of us are düdermensch enough to actually pull off.[11]