Dude-jitsu, the most laidback martial art?
If you haven't heard of Dude-Jitsu it appears in the rather splendid Abide Guide book written by the Dudely Lama Oliver Benjamin, and his royal Arch Dudeship Dwayne Eutsey.
"To redirect the force of an uptight person's attack in a chilled manner."
Dude-Jitsu: The Way of Peace (or something like that)
Having practised Aikido for around ten years, I totally dig Dude-Jitsu. I was thinking about Dude-Jitsu while throwing my compeers around the holey rug/dojo mat, wondering what if we could use Aikido techniques verbally to redirect the force of an uptight person's attack in a chilled manner that puts their aggression back at them, without being aggressive?
So, yeah, that's pretty much Dude-Jitsu. Here's what the Abide Guide says about it:
"In a world full of too many hee-roes dying face down in the muck, we believe the time is right to turn you on to this nonviolent practice (or non-practice)... as the world's laziest martial art, this form of self-defense is usually nonphysical and a lot more passive than that." - The Abide Guide
They claim that all a person needs to do to practise this art is to "take it easy".
Nice.
"Who the hell do you think you are? I don't know, man."
It's About Being a Dude, Simple
Keeping a limber mind and abiding with the flow of good and bad, or, the strikes and gutters that life throws our way is central to being a Dude.
Some of what life will throw at you will appear as aggression.
The Dude, gracefully practising the art of Dude-jitsu will use "an uptight person's un-Dudeness against them to throw them off balance mentally and then to flip them off verbally before they even know what's happening." - the Abide Guide.
Normally, uptight energy comes our way in the form of some type of aggression, and this quickly presses the big red buttons of our tension, and we normally either run or meet force with force. A Dude-jitsu practitioner might say (the flip-off) "Well, like, er, that's just your opinion man" and shrug their shoulders.
Someone might say "Who the hell do you think you are?" and the Dude might answer "I don't know, man" and recline back returning to a beverage that is in serious need of some attention.
Is this Simply Passivity Disguised as Being Dudely?
Maybe, but the power behind this is a) it shows an uptight person their uptightness, and b) it leaves them with nowhere to go. Their force has gone, and in case they don't like the answer...
"You don't know who you are! Well, let me tell you who the hell you are..."
The Dude, totally unbothered by all this shit, and remaining cool in the flow of the Dude Way, knows that the more tense a person is, the more easily uptight they become, and the less Dude-like they get. And the Dude knows that if he or she becomes uncentered, that they are less able to take that force with the gentle power of flow and deliver a flip-off from the position of no-ego.
The limber mind side-steps, deflects their negative energy which is rooted in their sense of ego, and flips them off-balance with an unexpected taking-it-easy mantra flowing from the deep waters of the Dude Way.
To finish, let's return to what the Abide Guide says...
"The more these practices become an integral part of your routine, the more your consciousness will loosen up and float along with the Dude Way's flow."
So, if I was stuck for an answer, sometimes I would simply ask "What makes you say that?" or, I would repeat what the person said to me in a questioning way.
This was often enough to calm the fire because a person would either have to think about why they said something and then justify it (which takes a little bit of the fire away from the energy of aggression) or when they hear what they said they realise how uptight they sound.
It is the unbalancing of the force of aggression that prepares for the flip-over. I found that asking such a question as an immediate reaction often gave me a second or two to compose myself and get a grasp of the situation.
"When you look at the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back." - Yoda, Star Wars
As a Dude, we see the dark energy of aggression a little differently than most. We see it as unDudeness.
Like the laidback sandal-wearing Christ once said, "Forgive them for they know not what they do," it is the same here; the Dude understands that the world is full of unDudeness, and this naturally makes us tense. And in that, we find forgiveness, and gentleness, and understanding.
Not that we need to.
Just that this naturally occurs from a limber mind.
Thanks, folks.
Keep an eye on the blog - there's more to come :)
Peace.
Rev. Thomo.
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