The Simpsons

[the following is my first Volante article - 3/23/05]
“How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?”
Leave it to Homer Simpson to express the feeling of every college student on campus. Every time I try to cram another Epoch of the Geologic Time Scale into my overloaded brain, I forget really simple information, like my phone number.
It seems that the long running hit ‘The Simpson’s’ doesn’t just have a lot insults from various characters-it has a lot of valid lessons. Sometimes, Homer’s off the wall view on something so ordinary pinpoints exactly what is wrong with our lives. And Homer isn’t the only one trying to teach us a lesson. One of Marge’s comments could help us in our search for what we’re trying to find in life.
“You should listen to your heart and not the voices in your head.” These voices in our heads could be figments of our imagination, or they could be views of friends or family that hinder our own thoughts (or some of us could be schizophrenics). Most commonly, these negative voices are society, saying ‘you have to be more pretty, skinny, smart, rich, popular than you already are. And you have to do anything to get this way.’ Hard work pays off, but I wouldn’t suggest ignoring ethics to gain success.
“If you really want something in life, you have to work for it.” Homer advises this as he is hopefully watching for the night’s winning lottery numbers. He’s on the right track. Why slide through college on a 2.6 GPA, hoping that you might finally pass that science class on the third try? I am surprised at how many college students are really lazy. I’m not talking about the laziness that sets in around 11pm when your favorite episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air comes on. I’m talking laziness that overtakes a person’s complete motivation.
Homer has some more good advice: “Well crying isn't going to help. Now, you can sit there feeling sorry for yourself or you can eat can after can of dog food until your tears smell enough like dog food until your dog comes back, or you can go out there and find your dog.” A confusing take on the ‘no use crying over spilt milk’ advice. Failed another science test? Suck it up and actually study for the next one. Hearing people complain constantly about classes they are failing gets old when they don’t make attempts to succeed.
The lessons that these yellow-skinned, four fingered people continute to teach us really can be applied to our lives. Even though many of the characters continue to make the wrong choices episode after episode, we can see that they really do have good intentions at heart. Except the mean-spirited C. Montogmery Burns, a character you probably shouldn’t take advice from. “What good is money if it can't inspire terror in your fellow man?” After sixteen years, (and hopefully many more) it’s evident that the Simpson family loves each other in their own warped way.