The Dude has been a part of the SABRE Posse since 2006. His unique approach to spirituality, dedication to skateboarding and unmatched positivity make him a true one of a kind. Earlier in the year we sat down with The Dude to discuss skateboarding, time and the universe. The story ended up featuring in Volume 8 of our SABREZINE, which can now be found on the ZINE section of this site.
SABRE: Where did your nickname The Dude come from?
THE DUDE: My nickname The Dude Came from one of the owners of Sabre. Sabre’s “The Dude” sunglasses worked for me.
SABRE: What’s your real name?
THE DUDE: Neal is real, I think. Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists, herein lies the peace of god, from a Course In Miracles.
SABRE: You’ve got some pretty far out ideas regarding time, space and the universe. What’s your theory on how it all started?
THE DUDE: It starts with the big bang which happens NOW always, and before that there was the ONE and the one diversified into the many.
SABRE: So where are we headed?
THE DUDE: We are headed for the Unity or the unification of the self you know with the ONE, the infinite, the quiet one. Silence is where you go to listen to the quiet one which is our destiny. Why do you think people like to shut up and skate? What does shut up mean? It’s what happens naturally when you’re in the middle of a dangerous trick! Shut up and skate right! When will our universe hit the wall? I’m not sure! I think that wall has a lot of give to it though. Sorry, for the extra answer.
SABRE: Is time real?
THE DUDE: Wow beautiful question, I love that! Here it is, the analogy. Is your car real? Well your car gets you from point A to B, right? But the earth is spinning and hurling through space at thousands of miles per hour! Point A to B becomes meaningless in light of this. So time also loses its meaning when a broader perspective is considered. Here is the test I personally love. Look at your timepiece (machine-it-is) and it must have a second hand, and ask what time is it and notice the second hand, it wont stop! What time is it? Well, the time is NOW and always will be. Be here now! Time is the tool for planning in this specific dimension but it is not ultimatly REAL.
SABRE: Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the world, like you have no control over anything?
THE DUDE: Well if I think of the world in those terms I definitely do. Now consider this, science is making some amazing new discoveries, you can’t even look at a piece of matter without changing its location. Our focus effects matter itself. I don’t think that the universe or the world can even exist outside of our mind, or minds. If you want to change the world or the universe then change your thinking! We effect our world whether we know it or not, I think our own thinking decides which parallel universe we wake up in each morning!
SABRE: When is the last time you felt brain drain?
THE DUDE: Well I lost my phone last night at the Volcom skatepark. It sat on the toilet paper canister for at least two hours before I discovered it missing at my home sweet home. Wow, freak out time, or brain freeze, a great time to reflect on what is real and relevant. My phone decided to hang with me a while longer. Get quiet and no more brain freeze maybe!
SABRE: Considering most people your age have 9-5 jobs, mortgages and families – is it difficult maintaining friendships with people in your age bracket?
THE DUDE: No I don’t think so, but because of my new awarness about friendships I make a conscious decision to maintain certain relationships. I just lost my best friend and life partner of 13 years to her appointment with the infinite. Her death opened up a friendship with an old friend that I maintained contact with. My life partner was 8 years my senior, and my new old friend is my same age.
SABRE: Other than skateboarding, do you partake in any other sports?
THE DUDE: Hmmm, well yes. Surfing, Skiing and Mind Melting.
SABRE: How different do you think your life would be if you never found skateboarding?
THE DUDE: I think I would still be making the same points but through running. I knew at the age of nine that I wanted to show the world that aging is not all it seems and that you can maintain great strength until you drop dead at two or one hundred. At that time I thought I would have to run ten miles a day to maintain my strength, but then I did remember skateboarding which I started at five years of age and knew I could accomplish my said goals through skateboarding. I love to shut up and skate.
SABRE: What sort of books do you read?
THE DUDE: I will just mention a few! Charlie The Lonesome Cougar, my first one ever. Sexual Energy and Yoga by Elizabeth Haich; Running From Safety by Richard Bach, and all Richard’s books including Illusions and Jonathan Livingston Seagull; A Course in Miracles; The Bible; Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda and I’m currently re-reading Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts, just to name a few.
SABRE: Have you got heroes? If so, who are they?
THE DUDE: Rodney Mullen, Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, John Haglen, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Guru Dev, Parmahanaa Yogananda and Avatar Babaji, my mother and my Joan.
SABRE: Final words / an excuse to say anything you’d like…
THE DUDE: Thank you for asking these questions, for in the answering of them I get clear on what I want to do with my life when i grow up.
