Calvin & Hobbes - An Ode

Something I wanted to share, with whoever happens to be reading this.

Sometimes life can be best explained by cartoon characters, namely an extremely sarcastic and adult 6 yr old, and his pet tiger. This is my ode to Bill Waterson, who I think is a genius.

Below are some of the lines used in this comic strip, that explain life in such an awfully simple way, it makes you realise, that in the end, maybe its just our fault that life gets all complicated!

1) "In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside.
In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become a genius.
But in the very long term, I know which will make better memories"

I love this particular line, just a simple comparison, between study and play and yet different aspects of this same comparison come into play at all stages in life, the difference between what I should do and what i so want to do.And how sadly for most of us, the 'what I should do' side always wins!

2) " I don't understand it. What makes some people so greedy and mean? Why is that some
people don't care what's wrong and right? Why don't people try to be nice to each other?
-The problem with people is, that they are only HUMAN."

How could she say that about me? Why does he not understand me? What I did was right, why are my friends then mad at me that I did it?
Its almost like a mantra that you should repeat at night everyday : I love my friends, they are nice people, but sometime or the other they are going to disappoint me and not react the way I expect them to because they are HUMAN, HUMAN,HUMAN.

3) "We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy
where we are"

Stop, Look, Feel. Its not always about what I have lined up for tomorrow. Why do I feel like I am in this big rush to get through life? And where the hell am I in such a hurry to get to anyway?

4) "Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?"

The one line that explains it all without even trying to.

5) "Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches
of boring routine, and valleys of frustration and failure."

Remember, remember, remember. And sometimes, even flat stretches are fun! We just fail to notice. It gives you a chance to notice the world thats passing you by!

6) "These are interesting times. We don't trust the government, we don't trust the
legal system, we don't trust the media, and we don't trust each other! We've undermined
all authority, and with it, the basis for replacing it! It's like a six-year-old's dream come
true!"

Very suprising, we still haven't decided to just cordon ourselves off on individual islands and stay there. Afterall we don't need anybody : our government sucks, the legal system doesn't work, and the media, bah- just a group of liars and who on earth could love their neighbour anymore..
*sigh*.. sad times we live in.

7) "There's an inverse relationship between how good something is for you, and how much
fun it is."

Chocolates, cheese laden pizzas, creamy gooey cakes, Gawd its a long list...

8) "Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation,
corruption, and destruction of man?"
- "I'm not sure that man needs the help."

Enough said.

9) "Do you realise, we have evovled in such a way that we laugh at absurdity. We actually
think that stupidity is funny.
- If we couldnt laugh at absurdity there would be a lot in life we couldn't react to."

Laugh, laughing is good. Its our best reaction to a whole lot of things. An outlet. To most things in life we just cant understand.

Mr. Bill Waterson Sir,
I hope I have done full justice to your excellent writing. I have picked up the quotes I liked the most. But point is, I could go on and on.
To all those who read this blog and who love it, read the Calvin & Hobbes books.

Till then, and my next little bit of nothing.
z.