Calvin & Hobbes is just funny; I think Bill Watterson, the mysterious author who created it, is a comedian—an artist not devoted to any viewpoint but devoted, ultimately, to comedy. He uses his character, Calvin, to find what is funny. He occasionally also finds what is poignant and moving and profound, but he constantly returns to funny—it is like the True North that he re-orients himself to.
I say this not having recently done any deep reading of Calvin & Hobbes; I’ve just been following some of these accounts that re-print old C&H comics. But as I do so, and as he makes me laugh, I find myself wondering what is behind the jokes—what is the viewpoint of this joke, or that joke? Is it liberal or conservative? Is there a general theme? But overall, I don’t see one.
And I find this somewhat surprising; I hold him in such high regard that I guess I assumed that he had to be something more than funny. When I thought of his comic I didn’t think just “comedy” … I thought of its other attributes. But I think that is just what happens when an artist stays true to his art—the audience starts to trust that comic. His integrity allows him to accomplish much more than what he originally intended.
So with that great compliment—to Calvin & Hobbes in particular and great comedians and artists in general—I can now address the above strip in general and what it has to do with my own interests. I find myself, of late, posting videos about books that could be described as self-help books. M. Scott Peck, David R. Hawkins and up next, Eckhart Tolle—they all write books with the rather grandiose aims of helping you live your life.
And yet, for all that, their authors seem humble and wise and … I don’t find any of them particularly grandiose in their style. Did I fall in to a trap reading self-help writers—am I, as Calvin jokes, addicted to self-help books? I don’t think so; I’m not really looking for new ones to read at the moment. And really, why wouldn’t any or all of us be interested in books about how to live one’s life. You start out living life on your own, but eventually, it’s probably good to seek help.
In schools, we just read fiction, because I guess no teacher or school wants to have to answer for having told its students how they should live. But teachers and schools ultimately do tell their students how they should live. Seems like they ought to be able to avail themselves of the work of published writers, men and women who have thought long and hard on the subject.
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