6/3/13 10 Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

www.policymic.com/articles/42731/10-life-lessons-from-calvin-hobbes 1/8

Search for articles, pundits, or topics Log inPOLITICS WORLD CULTURE MILLENNIALS MORE

10 Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes is a deeply

rooted part of our childhood. Richly realized

and poignantly written, Watterson’s wistful

comic strip always had something to offer: It

entertained me on long car rides, expanded my

vocabulary (transmogrify, duplicate, intrepid —

as in the intrepid Spaceman Spiff), and

provided me with comebacks that no one in

second grade,including me, understood

(“Sinister fiend!”). And unlike other artifacts

from my childhood (like my retainers or my

misplaced obsession with Lance Bass … boy was I wrong on that one), Calvin and Hobbes has

stayed with me through the years, and imparted upon me 10 invaluable life lessons:

1. Make Your Own Rules

Life often doesn’t make sense. Assholes get promoted, the wrong people are pretty, that car never

inches far enough into the intersection when making a left, and there’s always that one idiot who

hears your hilarious joke and just says it louder. I HATE that guy. But I digress. Life often doesn’t

make sense. So whenever life throws you a spitball, just remember Calvinball. Yes, Calvinball, the

glorious game with only one rule: You can’t play the same way twice. Much like life, in Calvinball,

a lot of things don’t make sense, you have to make up rules as you go, and the score really doesn’t

matter (unless you can tell me who’s winning in this Q to 12 scenario). When life is rough – and

even when it’s not – remember Calvinball, and don’t be afraid to make up rules and embrace the

insanity of it all. It doesn’t always have to make sense, it doesn’t always have to be so serious, and

sometimes there’s a sweet relief to that surrender.

2. Embrace Your Weirdness

Katie Kirnan in Culture 2 weeks ago

4343 39441 1328 31

10 Life Lessons from Calvin amp Hobbes

Katie KirnanKatie Kirnan is a writer living inLos Angeles. She likes dogs,frozen yogurt, Calvin & Hobbes,and awkward moments, and feelsa little bad f...

Latest Article: You Know You're Almost 30When ...

MOST MIC'D IN CULTURE

MOST MIC'D ON POLICYMIC

What the 6 Most ProfitableWhat the 6 Most ProfitableMovies Of All Time RevealMovies Of All Time RevealAbout AmericaAbout America13 Mics13 Mics

1

Is George R.R. MartinIs George R.R. MartinGame Of Thrones' BiggestGame Of Thrones' BiggestThreat?Threat?9 Mics9 Mics

2

What Happened Last NightWhat Happened Last NightOn GoT That Caused aOn GoT That Caused aTwitter Meltdown?Twitter Meltdown?9 Mics9 Mics

3

Meet Kristin Beck, TheMeet Kristin Beck, TheFirst Transgender NavyFirst Transgender NavySEALSEAL22 Mics22 Mics

1

9 Things You Need to9 Things You Need toKnow About the TaksimKnow About the TaksimSquare ProtestsSquare Protests21 Mics21 Mics

2

The Most HeartbreakingThe Most HeartbreakingPhoto: A Police DogPhoto: A Police DogPawing His Slain Owner'sPawing His Slain Owner'sCasket At the FuneralCasket At the Funeral14 Mics14 Mics

3

6/3/13 10 Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

www.policymic.com/articles/42731/10-life-lessons-from-calvin-hobbes 2/8

Oh man, I wish I could tell my high-school self this one. No one should deny themselves their own

weirdness. Calvin is never afraid to boldly declare his weirdness, even when doing so results in his

classmates ostracizing him and his teachers and parents disciplining him. To act any other way, to

be any other person, is an option that never even enters his head. And in my experience, the

people that bring out my weirdness are the ones I hug the hardest.

3. Perception is Reality

People debate if Hobbes is actually real — is he Calvin's conscience? His subconscious? But the

only thing we can know for sure is that Hobbes is real to Calvin. And if he’s real to Calvin, then

Hobbes is real on some level, even if it’s a level that we can’t access ourselves. Watterson has said

that "Calvin sees Hobbes one way, and everyone else sees Hobbes another way," much like how

Calvin’s view of the world often differs from everyone else’s. Reality is in the eye of the beholder.

When it comes to dealing with people, everything's easier when you remember that a person’s

entire world is based on their perception of reality. Therefore, their perception is their reality, no

matter how objective they try (or don’t try) to be. Whether their perception is that your email was

snarky or that a stuffed tiger can come to life, simply acknowledging that their perspective exists

can do wonders. You can acknowledge someone’s viewpoint and still disagree with them … and

then of course think inside your own reality what an idiot they are for misinterpreting your emails,

which are really just concise and don’t contain a million exclamation marks. (Note: The only

MOST SHARED

FEATURED STORY

4 Hilarious Fake Trailers That You TotallyWish Were Real

6 Life Lessons Every Girl6 Life Lessons Every GirlShould Learn FromShould Learn FromDaenerys TargaryenDaenerys Targaryen30 Shares30 Shares

1

5 Things You Didn't Know5 Things You Didn't KnowAbout Hashtag RapAbout Hashtag Rap25 Shares25 Shares

2

Why is the Workplace SoWhy is the Workplace SoUnsafe For AbortionUnsafe For AbortionProviders?Providers?15 Shares15 Shares

3

6/3/13 10 Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

www.policymic.com/articles/42731/10-life-lessons-from-calvin-hobbes 3/8

exception to this "perception is reality" rule is Rihanna, because I will never understand why her

reality includes a clause stating that Chris Brown is remotely datable.)

4. Boys Flirt Weird

Whether you're 7 or 27, this is always a good reminder. The boy on the bus who would always

wipe his boogers on you was actually struggling to say that he kinda really liked you. He just

hadn’t developed the emotional vocabulary and self-awareness to express it. By the time 27 hits,

boys have evolved into fully formed adults with an impressive capacity to say what they mean and

mean what they say!

No, I’m kidding. Actually not much has changed at all. True, they don’t wipe boogers on you

anymore (although it’s possible they’ve just mastered the more subtle art of “The Flick”), but their

flirting now consists of hovering their mouse over the “Like” button on your most recent Facebook

status before deciding that clicking is way too obvious, or sending confusing texts. Does anyone

know what a sad winky face means?

5. For the Most Part, Your Parents Did Their Best

It's amazing the new appreciation you can bring to these pages once you move out of your

parents' house and start wiping your own ass. While Calvin and Hobbes primarily deals with the

adventures of the two title characters, Watterson also offers poignant reflections on parenthood

from the perspective of Calvin’s nameless parents. Yes, your parents will always be your parents,

and you'll always be their child, even when you're no longer a child. But at some point you also

realize that your parents are not flawless. They make mistakes, and — spoiler alert! — they made

mistakes with you. They're not infallible, but even through their faults, they’re still teaching you.

So now that you’re a little older, give them a break. Maybe give them a call. And as the phone

rings and you’re waiting for them to pick up, just remember that you cried nonstop for, like, the

first year of your life. That definitely caused some resentment.

6. There’s Never Enough Time to Do All the Nothing You Want, aka SummerWill Always Go By Too Quickly

6/3/13 10 Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

www.policymic.com/articles/42731/10-life-lessons-from-calvin-hobbes 4/8

Summer is the perfect metaphor for childhood — golden, intangible, fleeting. When I was little, I

used to put my hand out the car window and try to “grab air.” I really believed that I could hold

onto a piece of air, but inevitably it would always slip through my hands (look, I never said I was

smart). Even to this day, I sometimes find myself with my hand out the window, reaching for

something but grasping nothing, still believing that I might be able to hold the air, even for just a

moment, always forgetting that you can’t hold onto that air any more than you can grab hold of a

moment. You just have to be in it, and embrace the only thing you can embrace: that the moment

— like summer, like childhood, like the time to do all the nothing you want — will slip right

through our hands.

7. The Most Important Things You Learn Aren’t From School

8. A Good Dance Party Solves Most Problems

Especially when those problems are things like "My phone is so slow" and "They didn't have my

6/3/13 10 Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

www.policymic.com/articles/42731/10-life-lessons-from-calvin-hobbes 5/8

hummus at the supermarket."

9. Go Outside, Sunshine Makes Us Happy

Easy to say when you live in LA, but seriously. Sunshine is amazing. It’s also amazing how easily

we forget that. When my family got digital cable, I didn’t go outside for a year. There were just so

many channels. Now that I’m too old, I know better. Plus I have DVR.

10. There’s Treasure Everywhere!, It’s a Magical World, Let’s Go Exploring!

It may not always feel like it, and it may not always be easy to believe, but it’s true. There is

treasure everywhere and it’s a magical world, so let’s go exploring!

Picture Credit: Flickr

Sign up to join the discussion

4343 39441 1328 31

The Discussion

Great writing! For your summation of this particular subject matter, I feel like you deserve a

medal, or a salary, or some kind of wage

Jocelyn Purgavie 4 days ago

xAdd PolicyMic to your News FeedAdd PolicyMic to your News Feed

PolicyMic

Like 18k