What Calvin and Hobbes Taught Me

My dad started reading Calvin and Hobbes to me when I was 6 years old, the same age as Calvin himself. It became a nightly ritual, I would get ready for bed and Dad would curl up in my bed with me and read the comics out loud until I fell asleep (or he did). 

Aside from getting a good laugh and important quality time with my Dad, I believe Calvin and Hobbes played a big part in why I am the person I am today. I was lucky enough to have a Father patient enough to explain the more complicated or deeper issues presented to readers of Bill Waterson's comic. I learned so much from them, but I think what stuck with me the most was; 

Question "Authority".

Not to say that reading Calvin and Hobbes turned me into a belligerent person with no respect for people in charge, but it made me think for myself. It made me really think about the power I let other people, or "Higher-ups," have over me.

Do they really have that power? Do I really have to do what they say? How important is it to know what they tell me I need to know? What information can I find for myself, and what topics need discussion with other people? 

Questioning doesn't mean disagreeing, which is something people often assume. Questioning, for me, means to think critically, and decide for my own self if I agree with what is being said or not. Stopping to think about a concept or principle leads to better understanding than just blindly doing as you're told.

Learning how to critically think about the power of other people at an early age is something I find very important, and my Dad reading Calvin and Hobbes to me definitely helped with that. I don't put much weight on what people deem "worthy" or "unworthy", or "low" and "high" art because Calvin didn't. If a six year old who thinks he can sell a swift kick in the butt for $1 has got this concept down, so can I.

He also taught me that imagination and child-like wonder is everything. Without that, all you have is math homework.