Calvin & Hobbes used to be our favorite comic strip. A preternaturally bright 6-year old with his imaginary stuffed tiger taught us many important things about life, even if we didn’t understand those while reading, but now, when we are at the doorstep of our ever-changing life and challenging career, things stand true to a high extent.
1.On luck:
Calvin: You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.
2.On why darkness seems gloomy
Calvin: I think night time is dark so you can imagine your fears with less distraction.
3.On Education:
Calvin: As you can see, I have memorized this utterly useless piece of information long enough to pass a test question. I now intend to forget it forever. You’ve taught me nothing except how to cynically manipulate the system. Congratulations.
4.On humor:
Calvin: Isn’t it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humour? When you think about it, it’s weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it’s funny. Don’t you think it’s odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?
Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.
Calvin: (after a long pause) I can’t tell if that’s funny or really scary.
5.On general life:
Calvin: Life is full of surprises, but never when you need one.
6.On random art:
Calvin: People always make the mistake of thinking art is created for them. But really, art is a private language for sophisticates to congratulate themselves on their superiority to the rest of the world. As my artist’s statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance.
7.On Aliens
Calvin: Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.
8.On our future:
Calvin: Trick or treat!
Adult: Where’s your costume? What are you supposed to be?
Calvin: I’m yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet, raised to an alarming extent by Madison Avenue and Hollywood, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you’re old and weak. Am I scary, or what?
9.On change
Calvin: You just go about your business and one day you realize you’re not the same person you used to be. People change whether they decide or not!
10.On our actions
Calvin: Hobbes, Do you think our morality is defined by our actions, or by what’s in our hearts?
Hobbes: I think our actions show what’s in our hearts.
By: Archa Dave
