Maize said that anyone could write about anything in an article so here it is.

I LOVE the Powerpuff Girls! But it isn't just because of the simplified, digitless animation style nor the cheesey references to American pop culture. I love the Powerpuff Girls because of a deep spiritual message that the cartoon conveys in almost every episode.

In case you are unfamiliar with the girls let me introduce you. Professor Plutonium mixed sugar and spice and everything nice to create three cute little bug-eyed girls, but then added a secret ingredient - chemical X. And thus the Powerpuff Girls were born! These kindergarten tykes with superpowers go about saving the city of Townsville from a panoply of villans by night and drawing with crayons by day. A difficult feat. How do they do it?

Well, first there's Blossom, the redhead with pink eyes and dress. She's the smart one - the one who formulates the plans and gives the orders. I can relate to that. But she also tends to be bossy and opinionated. I can relate to that too.

Then there's Buttercup, the brunette with green eyes and dress. She's the tuff one - the best fighter. She's quicker, faster, stronger and can really kick butt! But she tends to be a bit brash and impulsive, looking before she leaps and sometimes causing more harm then good.

Lastly, there's Bubbles, the blonde with blue eyes and dress. She's the sweet one. I mean really sweet. Like some people are so sweet that you're suspicious that they have ulterior motives and some people are so genuinely sweet that you just know that's how they really are. Bubbles is really that sweet. (She kinda reminds me of feathersinhair.) Bubbles (not feathers) sometimes gets teased for not being the strongest fighter and rarely are her (intellectual) opinions taken seriously.

Often the girls will bicker with each other, get in each other's way, even work against each other. Girls will be girls. But inevitably, they find a way to come together in the end. Only with all three girls working together do they beat the bad guys in time for bed.

So where is the spirituality in this? The Powerpuff Girls are an organic whole. I don't just mean that they're a team because even in a team its parts are often interchangeble. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are not interchangeable. Each one represents a specific, necessary attribute. Blossom is intellect/reason. Bubbles is love/faith. And Buttercup is body/action. They represent a trinity (of sorts) of head, heart, and hands.

The Zen philosopher Fa-Tsang once said, "Understanding without faith does not advance to practice." With one simple sentence he conveyed that all three - understanding/reason, faith/love, and action - were necessary and that they were mutually dependant upon each other. Only by engaging reason, love/faith, and action together is a person spiritually whole. One can spin cold theories that are sterile without love. One's emotions can be misdirected without the guidance of reason. And one can talk a bold plan or cry loud tears that are all meaningless without putting them into action. And one can act without either thinking or caring but that would just be an ugly mess. Only by engaging reason, love/faith, and action together is a person spiritually whole.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.
Head, Heart, and Hands.  

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Yes! My favorite!

That is a lovely and quite profound article! Thank you for sharing!