It was almost closing time. The neon sign was flipped to read "closed" just after I entered the door and took my seat at the table. I felt special to be the last customer in the joint. I was tired and decided to stop for a bite to eat and treat myself to a cup of coffee with hopes of warming up my weary soul.
It had been a long day. It felt good to sit back and relax as I let out a sigh and reflected upon it. I fumbled with my cell phone and gave a half glance upward as the waitress delivered my food and coffee. I hadn't really noticed my surroundings until now. I gave a brief nod, and inevitably a stare at The Dude whom I could not disengage from, though I wanted to. An uncomfortable silence ensued. I thought to myself something seems very different about The Dude. Then I thought The Dude might not be much different than me. But then again, this whole thing does seem rather silly.
The Dude wanted to know my name, why I came and where I was from. I was a little skeptical to let The Dude know details about who I was. It seemed revealing anything about myself might be delving into matters too personal to discuss with such a peculiar stranger. Besides, I'm sort of a loner as The Dude also seemed to be.
As The Dude asked me personal questions, I drew a blank stare. As I listened, I remained skeptically attentive, yet still very drawn towards The Dude at the same time. There was a mysterious vibe about The Dude. And The Dude was sweaty and greasy. I was not quite able to grasp the mysteriousness of The Dude, though I was curious about The Dude's intrinsic nature. What was The Dude thinking? How was The Dude feeling? Was The Dude bothered by something? I sat and pondered this before I asked a few background questions like where he was from. He told me this was The Dude's country, that he had happened himself upon a Blizzard and was supporting himself with the bread of two companions. One wore heals, the other wore a bun as he described. He went on that he was caught in a dilemma between both, as well as a few other "ripe items", referring to the dressing. I took another sip of coffee and downed a few fries. And The Dude cooled down next to the Blizzard.
What is this knowledge you speak of? A virtue?" I asked.
"We shall consider it bites of knowledge," replied The Dude. I sat skeptically waiting for The Dude to explain.
"Bites of knowledge, eh?"
"Precisely," explained The Dude. "Allow me to start with the facts. I would first like to dispel the myth of Immanuel Kant, the philosopher who claimed that we animals have no ability to reason like humans. If this were true, we would not be having this conversation, now would we Ben?"
"Granted," I said. "But are we having this conversation?"
The Dude seemed to grow irritable and asked, "I don't know, are we?" I was thinking of an answer when The Dude interrupted and began, "Take it for what it's worth. You can chalk it up to struggling with your emotional intelligence, your hyperactive imagination or a struggle within your ethical conscious. In fact, I don't care if you choose all of the above as long as you listen. What I have to share with you is important and if you listen will make the world a better place where there is less suffering. I see you're burdened by the way you've perceived me, treated me and taken away my rights." A frown came over my face and I began to realize...
I said, "I never even considered your rights. But now that I have, I know I don't want to take them away from you or any other Dude in the future."
"Splendid!" exclaimed The Dude. "It seems you are on the right path to enlightenment. Now if you can justly lead the way with what I'm about to say, you can really make an impact on the future of other Dudes by reducing the amount Dudes suffer before they arrive at Dairy Queen to be ordered by fast food customers like you who are gracious enough to order The Dude."
"Well, tell me." I said.
The Dude replied, "Insofar as my ability to feel pain, I am just like you. In fact, all other animals can feel pain just like you. By hurting me, you are committing a morally wrong act. In fact, by hurting any living thing you are hurting another individual's Self."
"I see," I replied. "But I didn't hurt you directly."
Then The Dude went on, "I know you're not the same individual who strung me up by my hind legs and cut my throat with a dull knife. I know you're not that burly guy who told a joke about stupid cows as he filled a bucket with my oozing blood. You're not the one who tormented my soul whilst I hung from ceiling shackles as I faded in and out of consciousness; bleeding and dying slowly. But you are contributing to the treatment of other animals by supporting the consumption of Dudes such as my Self."
The concept of supply and demand seemed absurd as my heart dropped to my stomach. And I hurriedly asked, "How do I change?"
"Simple," replied The Dude. "One should adhere to the principle of Ahimsa. Ahimsa is the principle of not harming any living being. And by the looks of you, you could start by going vegetarian. Eating me has had a bearing on your conscious. You see, Ahimsa applies to every living being including you. By eating me, you have harmed your conscious and your Self. Ahimsa starts with not harming your Self, but along with this reasoning comes not harming other beings, too, because it causes suffering. Thus it is morally wrong. Do you see?"
"It has become clear," I said. "I have now been enlightened by your wise bite of knowledge. And though I will now eat you, my vision for the future has changed. I will apply this principle of Ahimsa to every facet of my life, every decision I make and especially everything I eat. I will, on your behalf and from now on, commit no action causing, directly or indirectly, another being to suffer. I will lead the way in supporting groups such as PETA and those who support inhumane slaughtering of animals who suffer as a result of unethical treatment. I will set an example for others who have not heard your voice and I will speak for you in order to convince others that eating meat causes suffering. And I will be compassionate insofar as I will suffer with you, for your cause and to reduce the amount of suffering in the future. And after I eat this final burger, I will only eat and promote the consumption of meatless burgers. This is my vision."
I stared at The Dude returning a look of blankness. "Do you have any other words of wisdom to share before I eat you?" I asked.
The cash register closed as I heard the clank of the side door lock. I looked at my watch and it was 10:15 pm. "We close at 10:00, sir." said the manager. I pondered my new state of enlightenment and how beneficial my new vision of practicing Ahimsa would be to me and others, and how excited I was to share this ethical principal. This, I thought, is invaluable knowledge that I will share with many people in the future, setting an example by doing!
Word Count - 2,119
[1]http://www.portlandground.com/RosewayMadisonSouth/2004-10-30-DairyQueen-82nd0.jpg[7]http://blogs.trb.com/entertainment/urbanite/blog/zen1.JPG
As The Dude asked me personal questions, I drew a blank stare. As I listened, I remained skeptically attentive, yet still very drawn towards The Dude at the same time. There was a mysterious vibe about The Dude. And The Dude was sweaty and greasy. I was not quite able to grasp the mysteriousness of The Dude, though I was curious about The Dude's intrinsic nature. What was The Dude thinking? How was The Dude feeling? Was The Dude bothered by something? I sat and pondered this before I asked a few background questions like where he was from. He told me this was The Dude's country, that he had happened himself upon a Blizzard and was supporting himself with the bread of two companions. One wore heals, the other wore a bun as he described. He went on that he was caught in a dilemma between both, as well as a few other "ripe items", referring to the dressing. I took another sip of coffee and downed a few fries. And The Dude cooled down next to the Blizzard.
"You know", I said. "You really shouldn't describe those supporting you with bread as 'ripe items'. Essentially, you're objectifying those to whom you ascribe such connotative terms."
The Dude scoffed and replied, "You don't quite understand. I'm the object of objectification--the epitome. Besides, this is my last night here. You seem intuitive enough to know that within a few moments, I'll be long gone. And you'll probably never remember our encounter, nor will you ever hear from me again."
I slumped in my chair as the reality of The Dude's words sunk in like words have never sunken in before. I sipped on my coffee attempting to bring about a more pleasant sensation than the one I was experiencing. Thoughts of guilt crossed my mind that I could not stop pondering. I stewed over them as I sat next to The Dude. The longer I thought, the colder and colder The Dude seemed, and the colder and colder I seemed. I sat there listlessly, feeling conflicted.
My mind fluctuated back and forth thinking about why it was I had really entered the restaurant. I came in here with seemingly good intentions. Yet, at the moment, I didn't feel so good about being here or my intentions.
Then The Dude said it, "What are you waiting for? You've already gotten me in this predicament between this bun and this heal. I didn't ask to be here. In fact, to the contrary, I felt very opposed to the matter. But here I am just like you wanted me--fried, battered and between a heal and a bun."
My eyebrow raised. "But I never thought about your feelings."
The Dude replied, "That seems to be the case with so many of your kind."
I sat in agreement. "But I never meant to hurt you," I replied.
The Dude sat still while many moments passed and the guilt that came over me became deeper and deeper. I started to get up from the table as The Dude whispered sternly, "Wait. If you go now, it won't make a difference. And my life will have been for naught."
Confused I asked, "What do you mean?"
The Dude said, "Look, I can sympathize with your dilemma. But have a seat before you go. Before I go, I'd like to share something with you in hopes it will make a difference and may help you along your journey through life."
"OK", I replied. The Dude said, "I'm inclined to agree with you when you say you didn't mean to hurt me. But by saying you didn't mean to hurt me doesn't change my current dilemma, now does it?"
"Not quite," I responded.
I stared down at The Dude and realized The Dude was much like me. As each similar attribute crossed my mind, I began to feel like the lowliest creature on earth--worse than scum. I had taken for granted The Dude's feelings; the fact The Dude could feel and the fact that The Dude could think. I felt so terrible that I wanted to run away. I took a bite of The Dude and chewed and chewed and chewed. And gulp, I swallowed. It was the only way I could cope with the overwhelming sense of guilt. I felt a sense of urgency and began to take another tasty bite.
"Wait!" The Dude exclaimed. "Not so fast!" I paused, startled. "Look," said The Dude. "I can see you're struggling with your ethical consciousness. You're doing your Self no favors by continuing to live this way." Again, The Dude convinced me to pause. He asked, "Might I share something with you that may find valuable after I'm gone?"
I contemplated silencing The Dude in one bite, but the combination of my conscious coupled with my curiosity led me to pause my jaw just before I bit down. I made sure no one was looking. The red Dairy Queen light dimmed and quickly turned off. I took it as my cue to hurry things up. And I was tempted to comply with the workers' gestures begging for my riddance. My hunger was beginning to override my conscious and The Dude seemed more and more tasty and less anthropomorphic by the second. But curiosity caused me to pause and think about who The Dude was.
The Dude scoffed and replied, "You don't quite understand. I'm the object of objectification--the epitome. Besides, this is my last night here. You seem intuitive enough to know that within a few moments, I'll be long gone. And you'll probably never remember our encounter, nor will you ever hear from me again."
I slumped in my chair as the reality of The Dude's words sunk in like words have never sunken in before. I sipped on my coffee attempting to bring about a more pleasant sensation than the one I was experiencing. Thoughts of guilt crossed my mind that I could not stop pondering. I stewed over them as I sat next to The Dude. The longer I thought, the colder and colder The Dude seemed, and the colder and colder I seemed. I sat there listlessly, feeling conflicted.
My mind fluctuated back and forth thinking about why it was I had really entered the restaurant. I came in here with seemingly good intentions. Yet, at the moment, I didn't feel so good about being here or my intentions.
Then The Dude said it, "What are you waiting for? You've already gotten me in this predicament between this bun and this heal. I didn't ask to be here. In fact, to the contrary, I felt very opposed to the matter. But here I am just like you wanted me--fried, battered and between a heal and a bun."
My eyebrow raised. "But I never thought about your feelings."
The Dude replied, "That seems to be the case with so many of your kind."
I sat in agreement. "But I never meant to hurt you," I replied.
The Dude sat still while many moments passed and the guilt that came over me became deeper and deeper. I started to get up from the table as The Dude whispered sternly, "Wait. If you go now, it won't make a difference. And my life will have been for naught."
Confused I asked, "What do you mean?"
The Dude said, "Look, I can sympathize with your dilemma. But have a seat before you go. Before I go, I'd like to share something with you in hopes it will make a difference and may help you along your journey through life."
"OK", I replied. The Dude said, "I'm inclined to agree with you when you say you didn't mean to hurt me. But by saying you didn't mean to hurt me doesn't change my current dilemma, now does it?"
"Not quite," I responded.
I stared down at The Dude and realized The Dude was much like me. As each similar attribute crossed my mind, I began to feel like the lowliest creature on earth--worse than scum. I had taken for granted The Dude's feelings; the fact The Dude could feel and the fact that The Dude could think. I felt so terrible that I wanted to run away. I took a bite of The Dude and chewed and chewed and chewed. And gulp, I swallowed. It was the only way I could cope with the overwhelming sense of guilt. I felt a sense of urgency and began to take another tasty bite.
"Wait!" The Dude exclaimed. "Not so fast!" I paused, startled. "Look," said The Dude. "I can see you're struggling with your ethical consciousness. You're doing your Self no favors by continuing to live this way." Again, The Dude convinced me to pause. He asked, "Might I share something with you that may find valuable after I'm gone?"
I contemplated silencing The Dude in one bite, but the combination of my conscious coupled with my curiosity led me to pause my jaw just before I bit down. I made sure no one was looking. The red Dairy Queen light dimmed and quickly turned off. I took it as my cue to hurry things up. And I was tempted to comply with the workers' gestures begging for my riddance. My hunger was beginning to override my conscious and The Dude seemed more and more tasty and less anthropomorphic by the second. But curiosity caused me to pause and think about who The Dude was.
What is this knowledge you speak of? A virtue?" I asked.
"We shall consider it bites of knowledge," replied The Dude. I sat skeptically waiting for The Dude to explain.
"Bites of knowledge, eh?"
"Precisely," explained The Dude. "Allow me to start with the facts. I would first like to dispel the myth of Immanuel Kant, the philosopher who claimed that we animals have no ability to reason like humans. If this were true, we would not be having this conversation, now would we Ben?"
"Granted," I said. "But are we having this conversation?"
The Dude seemed to grow irritable and asked, "I don't know, are we?" I was thinking of an answer when The Dude interrupted and began, "Take it for what it's worth. You can chalk it up to struggling with your emotional intelligence, your hyperactive imagination or a struggle within your ethical conscious. In fact, I don't care if you choose all of the above as long as you listen. What I have to share with you is important and if you listen will make the world a better place where there is less suffering. I see you're burdened by the way you've perceived me, treated me and taken away my rights." A frown came over my face and I began to realize...
I said, "I never even considered your rights. But now that I have, I know I don't want to take them away from you or any other Dude in the future."
"Splendid!" exclaimed The Dude. "It seems you are on the right path to enlightenment. Now if you can justly lead the way with what I'm about to say, you can really make an impact on the future of other Dudes by reducing the amount Dudes suffer before they arrive at Dairy Queen to be ordered by fast food customers like you who are gracious enough to order The Dude."
"Well, tell me." I said.
The Dude replied, "Insofar as my ability to feel pain, I am just like you. In fact, all other animals can feel pain just like you. By hurting me, you are committing a morally wrong act. In fact, by hurting any living thing you are hurting another individual's Self."
"I see," I replied. "But I didn't hurt you directly."
Then The Dude went on, "I know you're not the same individual who strung me up by my hind legs and cut my throat with a dull knife. I know you're not that burly guy who told a joke about stupid cows as he filled a bucket with my oozing blood. You're not the one who tormented my soul whilst I hung from ceiling shackles as I faded in and out of consciousness; bleeding and dying slowly. But you are contributing to the treatment of other animals by supporting the consumption of Dudes such as my Self."
The concept of supply and demand seemed absurd as my heart dropped to my stomach. And I hurriedly asked, "How do I change?"
"Simple," replied The Dude. "One should adhere to the principle of Ahimsa. Ahimsa is the principle of not harming any living being. And by the looks of you, you could start by going vegetarian. Eating me has had a bearing on your conscious. You see, Ahimsa applies to every living being including you. By eating me, you have harmed your conscious and your Self. Ahimsa starts with not harming your Self, but along with this reasoning comes not harming other beings, too, because it causes suffering. Thus it is morally wrong. Do you see?"
"It has become clear," I said. "I have now been enlightened by your wise bite of knowledge. And though I will now eat you, my vision for the future has changed. I will apply this principle of Ahimsa to every facet of my life, every decision I make and especially everything I eat. I will, on your behalf and from now on, commit no action causing, directly or indirectly, another being to suffer. I will lead the way in supporting groups such as PETA and those who support inhumane slaughtering of animals who suffer as a result of unethical treatment. I will set an example for others who have not heard your voice and I will speak for you in order to convince others that eating meat causes suffering. And I will be compassionate insofar as I will suffer with you, for your cause and to reduce the amount of suffering in the future. And after I eat this final burger, I will only eat and promote the consumption of meatless burgers. This is my vision."
I stared at The Dude returning a look of blankness. "Do you have any other words of wisdom to share before I eat you?" I asked.
The cash register closed as I heard the clank of the side door lock. I looked at my watch and it was 10:15 pm. "We close at 10:00, sir." said the manager. I pondered my new state of enlightenment and how beneficial my new vision of practicing Ahimsa would be to me and others, and how excited I was to share this ethical principal. This, I thought, is invaluable knowledge that I will share with many people in the future, setting an example by doing!
As I drove home from Dairy Queen, I could not bring myself to eat The Dude. Yet The Dude remained silent as though I had permission. When I arrived, I found the Dude had made such a great impact on my vision of leadership and set such a positive ethical example that I had to find closure. So I mourned and grieved. And I felt bereaved enough to bury The Dude in my backyard under a peach tree. And at that same moment, I buried my willingness to ever eat meat again.
Word Count - 2,119
[1]http://www.portlandground.com/RosewayMadisonSouth/2004-10-30-DairyQueen-82nd0.jpg
[2]http://www.dabbledoo.com/ee/images/uploads/gamertell/dq_blizzard.jpg
[3]http://media.houstonpress.com/moovin-on-up.113560.51.jpg
[4]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/2909696586_724df64c1e_o.jpg
[4]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/2909696586_724df64c1e_o.jpg
[5]http://www.worldproutassembly.org/images/cow-tongue.jpg
[8]http://www.algi.qc.ca/asso/zami/tombstone%20cartoon.gif
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![[5]](http://www.worldproutassembly.org/images/cow-tongue.jpg){kind=link}
![[7]](http://blogs.trb.com/entertainment/urbanite/blog/zen1.JPG){kind=link}
![[8]](http://www.algi.qc.ca/asso/zami/tombstone%20cartoon.gif){kind=link}
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