The Meaninglessness of Life

Who really is the Big Lebowski? The one who cowardly sits behind a desk, concealing his true self from the world, while emulating a false perception of success to those around him? Or is it "The Dude", who shamelessly lives his life as a bum, without the slightest hint of false perception? The Dude doesn't care about how others perceive him, or fame or fortune, or any of that other bullshit for that matter. Rather, he lives his life to his enjoyment, acting on every whim of his subconscious mind to fulfill momentary happiness, and essentially, The Dude lives his life in the moment of Happiness itself. Perhaps it is this shamelessness that makes The Dude the bigger Lebowski, at least in a figurative sense. Not the Lebowski who fakes an aura of excellence and uses money that is not his, to portray himself as one living in the American Dream.

Perhaps, the difference in the two Lebowskis' lifestyles stems from how they handle the meaninglessness of life. One Lebowski can't fathom the fact that there isn't any more to Life than to just live, and so he feels the need to give his life a purpose. As a result, he strives to give his Life meaning by drowning himself in self accomplishments, all in the name of achieving the American Dream. But the American Dream is just a product of society's inability to accept the meaninglessness of life. In a sense, it cannot be attained because of the very nature of the dream itself. There will always be a desire to be fulfilled, something more to strive for, and ultimately, it is merely human nature to never be content with what Life has handed us.

On the other hand, I think The Dude has accepted the meaninglessness of Life and this is what makes him the Big Lebowski. He realizes that in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter what he has accomplished in life. He lives in the moment, satisfying one whim at a time, and doing whatever it is that will bring him happiness or contentment for that moment. That is the key to life and maybe there is something that every one of us can learn from The Dude after all.