Life Lessons from "the Simpsons"

For those people who believe that cartoons have no kind of artistic or substantial merit, I have this to say - you could not be any more wrong. As the longest running, and possibly most beloved, cartoons ever created, "the Simpsons" has taught me more about life than life itself. Think I'm crazy? Let's take a look at some of the knowledge the four-fingered, yellow family from Springfield has imparted over the years.

**SPOILER ALERT!** This article contains plot summaries from episodes of "the Simpsons" as well as "the Simpsons Movie." I have referenced which episode the lesson appears in (or the movie in the first case) at the beginning of each section, so if you do not want a certain plot spoiled, you can skip it and move on to the next. Also, the abbreviation "S" stands for "Season" and the abbreviation "E" stands for "Episode". The numbers following are the season and episode numbers, respectively.**

In the end, some things matter more than ourselves ("the Simpsons Movie," 2007): After Homer unwittingly (isn't that always the case?) dooms Springfield and gets the entire town trapped inside a giant dome, the Simpsons family escapes and moves to Alaska. But after learning of a plot to blow up Springfield, Marge and the kids decide to go back and save the town. Homer is vehemently against the idea, prompting Marge, Bart and Lisa (and Maggie!) to return to Springfield and warn them, leaving Homer behind. After realizing that he misses his family, Homer sets out after them but is intercepted by an Inuit shaman (whom he so lovingly refers to as "Boob Lady") who tells him he must have an epiphany before he can save the town and reunite with his family. The conclusion he reaches is this: in order to save himself, he must first save the town. Essentially, the moral here is to not be selfish and learn to put other people's needs before your own. This is a simple, valuable lesson that sometimes only occurs once you've hit absolute rock bottom. But if you learn it now, you can save yourself the trouble of being dismembered by "epipha-trees".

Love can be found in the most unexpected of places ("Simpsons Roasting on An Open Fire," S1E1): Marge plans to take the kids Christmas shopping, and Bart sneaks away to get a tattoo that says "Mother." Marge then has to spend the family's Christmas money to get the tattoo removed, relying on the fact that they will still have Homer's bonus. Unfortunately, Homer hasn't received his bonus, but after learning about what happened, decides not to tell Marge what happened. Instead, with Barney's advice, he takes a job as a mall Santa to try to get some money for the family. When Homer gets his check, it is only $13, which Barney suggests he spend at the racetrack. Barney tells Homer to bet on Whirlwind, but he instead bets on Santa's Little Helper, believing the name to be a sign. However, SLH comes in dead last and is abandoned by his owner. The dog then follows Homer and Bart, and they decide to take him home with them. Marge and Lisa believe that Homer bought SLH as a present for the family and instantly fall in love with him. After the misfortune he suffered trying to ensure that his family would have a merry Christmas, Homer gives them a wonderful present entirely by accident.

Anything a man can do, a woman can do as well - and probably better ("Please Homer Don't Hammer 'Em," S18E3): Marge discovers some home repair books that Homer once purchased but never read and quickly becomes skilled in carpentry. She sets out to do some work for the citizens of Springfield, but none of the residents are comfortable with the idea of a female carpenter. In order to do her work, she has Homer pretend to be the one doing the projects, while she hides in a tool chest, but takes over once the client is gone. While she's out buying supplies one day, Mrs. Lovejoy and Lindsay Naegle believe that she is buying the supplies for Homer, belittling her as just his helper. Marge tells Homer that she deserves recognition for the work that she has done, but Homer refuses, and even mocks her skills to Lenny and Carl. This enrages Marge, causing her to quit and leave Homer to start doing the work himself. Homer is too stubborn and proud to admit he was wrong and takes on a project to fix the town's old wooden rollercoaster, "the Zoominator". He hires a crew but when they learn he knows nothing about construction and cannot pay them, they quit, leaving him to fix the coaster on his own. At the unveiling of the repaired coaster, everyone is impressed (except for Marge, who brings along a video camera to record her husband's humiliation), until Homer hits the coaster with a popped champagne cork, causing it to collapse. Not wanting to admit he did not fix the coaster, Homer jumps into one of the cars even though there are several pieces of track missing. Marge, realizing this is not what she wanted to happen, goes to work quickly and repairs the missing pieces of track before Homer goes over them, prompting him to admit that she was the one who did all the work. The crowd applauds Marge for her handiwork as the car comes to a stop back at the beginning.