❄️ Freezethawed: The Newsletter #037 - Life lessons that cartoons taught me
Hello everyone!
Cartoons have been an integral part of our childhood, but I’ve recently come to realise that they have a spillover into our adulthood as well. They often serve as a talking point for many budding conversations and subconsciously, we even attribute our level of friendship with a person based on what cartoons they have liked or enjoyed. I have been fortunate enough to have been born during a time when there have been a plethora of cartoons on television, and quite frankly I’ve been spoilt for choice. Besides entertaining me plenty during my childhood, there have been some hidden life lessons they’ve tried to help me inculcate and here are some I’ve recognised (for better or for worse).
Pokémon
Lesson: “I want to be the very best, that no one ever was.”
The first line of the opening credits of Pokémon is one that every child had hummed along with, to say the least. It also summaries the entire series that follows a young kid who takes us along his journey as he is trying to do just this – be the very best. The series throws numerous challenges, both physical and mental, and in turn teaches us to give it our all and never settle for anything but the best.
Bob the builder
Lesson: “Can we fix it? Yes! We can.”
Literally the tagline of the show which throws the protagonist with a problem in each episode which he must solve. Bob the builder taught us that every situation can be fixed if we try hard enough.
Dexter’s Laboratory
Lesson: Nerdy is the new cool.
A show that broke stereotypes for the time. We all aspired to be the boy genius Dexter was. Math, Physics and Chemistry became subjects we wanted to study.
Tom & Jerry
Lesson: Living in harmony.
At heart just a cat and mouse tale that secretly taught us how no matter how different we are we can still live together in peace and consonance.
Scooby Doo: Where are you?
Lesson: Teamwork.
A show with the simplest plot, based on a semi-talking dog and his gang of investigative friends. However it hammered in the ideology of the importance of working together while solving a difficult task.
Ed, Edd n Eddy
Lesson: You can fit in anywhere.
Quite a dissociated cartoon based on three misfits and their friends. The goofy and the lighthearted playful nature of the protagonists bring home the message that society accepts everyone.
Rugrats
Lesson: Thinking big. Leadership.
A story of six toddlers and their elder siblings tackling literal life problems on a daily basis. Each episode is ambitious as it is inspirational. As kids we all wanted to think and act like Tommy.
Spongebob Squarepants
Lesson: Co-existence.
A show that deliberately did not take any of its lead characters too seriously. A story of the lives of a sponge, a crab, a squirrel and a squid which specifies light-hearted character traits co-existing and inhabiting the same space.
As adults we need a lesson from this show on the importance of co-existence.
Popeye the Sailorman
Lesson: Eat your greens, because they make you strong.
I ate my spinach after Popeye taught me the importance of it. I am sure a lot of mothers leveraged their kids to eat their veggies keeping the show running on the television. Popeye hammered in the concept that your greens make you a strong kid, which is too true.
Dragonball Z
Lesson: Constantly surpass your limits.
My favourite cartoon of all time tells the story of Goku, a Saiyan, who comes from a low class warrior race, spends the entire show proving to himself and us, that your background does not define you and destiny is yours to alter. The show teaches us that the only thing that matters in raising our own bar of performance and how we can always push our limits.
Have I missed any cartoon? Did I overlook any lesson? Let me know! Reach out to me at contact@anujeetpaul.com
Until next time!
Anujeet.
Anujeet’s book journey
This week I finished
The Courage To Be Happy – Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Currently I’m reading
The 5am Club – Robin Sharma
Aggregate, the weekly quote
Exceptionalism is a journey. Virtuosity is a voyage. The small, daily, seemingly insignificant efforts, actions and improvements when done consistently over time, yield staggering result. Keep going. Keep improving. See you at the top!
-Robin Sharma
Harmony, the weekly song
Riptide– Vance Joy
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