Ever since I have joined this forum, my avatar has been some version of Hobbes from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. It is one of my favorite comics of all time and I thought it would be fun to share my favorite parts. Also, I would like to answer the question: of all of the characters in the strip, why Hobbes?
It is no secret that I am big fan. I own the complete collection and my girlfriend made me a gorgeous crochet blanket depicting this scene:
For those who might not be aware of what this comic is about, here is an excerpt of a summary:
All of that aside, back to Hobbes...
Hobbes is Calvin's best friend throughout the series. He offers a humorous, playful counter to Calvin who tends to be spontaneous and often unaware of his own hypocrisy (he is a kid, after all). But what draws me to Hobbes the most is the way Calvin approaches their relationship. Remember, Hobbes, as portrayed in the comic when he is having discussions with Calvin, is purely from Calvin's imagination. That means, when Hobbes offers rebuttals and arguments to Calvin, Calvin (on a deeper level) is having rebuttals and arguments with himself. After all, Hobbes as we know and understand him from a realistic perspective is just a stuffed animal. He has no original thought of his own, it all originates from Calvin.
Hobbes stands as a metaphorical figure that represents the necessity to challenge ones own assumptions, positions, biases, and thoughts. The relationship between Calvin and Hobbes is much deeper than the playful comic leads us to believe. It demonstrates how important acts such as forgiveness, humor, and love are when we meditate on our own actions. It also illustrates how difficult that relationship is through conflict, arguments, and difficult decisions.
The relationship between Calvin and Hobbes is very complicated. It explores many layers of who we are, as people, and how we cope with the world around us. The frustrations expressed by Calvin are sometimes accepted by Hobbes and they are also rejected. Sometimes they are played off with a punch line, too. Hobbes, to me, represents how difficult it can be to cope with the world.
Hobbes is not infallible either, and he makes mistakes (which is important). This shows us that even in our best dialogues, we can still find ourselves on the wrong end of an argument or conflict.
I use Hobbes as my avatar at work, in my email, and on all forums that I participate in. Hobbes serves as a reminder to me to approach life as playfully as I can. Cheerfully calling my own assumptions into question to attempt to reason with the world in the best way I can. There is no malice in Hobbes and I attempt to ensure there is no malice in my approach, either. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail. That's okay, that is expected. What is important is to handle failures with grace and forgiveness. Hobbes embodies that in one of my favorite comics from the series:
Take care!
-Q
It is no secret that I am big fan. I own the complete collection and my girlfriend made me a gorgeous crochet blanket depicting this scene:
For those who might not be aware of what this comic is about, here is an excerpt of a summary:
All of that aside, back to Hobbes...
Hobbes is Calvin's best friend throughout the series. He offers a humorous, playful counter to Calvin who tends to be spontaneous and often unaware of his own hypocrisy (he is a kid, after all). But what draws me to Hobbes the most is the way Calvin approaches their relationship. Remember, Hobbes, as portrayed in the comic when he is having discussions with Calvin, is purely from Calvin's imagination. That means, when Hobbes offers rebuttals and arguments to Calvin, Calvin (on a deeper level) is having rebuttals and arguments with himself. After all, Hobbes as we know and understand him from a realistic perspective is just a stuffed animal. He has no original thought of his own, it all originates from Calvin.
Hobbes stands as a metaphorical figure that represents the necessity to challenge ones own assumptions, positions, biases, and thoughts. The relationship between Calvin and Hobbes is much deeper than the playful comic leads us to believe. It demonstrates how important acts such as forgiveness, humor, and love are when we meditate on our own actions. It also illustrates how difficult that relationship is through conflict, arguments, and difficult decisions.
The relationship between Calvin and Hobbes is very complicated. It explores many layers of who we are, as people, and how we cope with the world around us. The frustrations expressed by Calvin are sometimes accepted by Hobbes and they are also rejected. Sometimes they are played off with a punch line, too. Hobbes, to me, represents how difficult it can be to cope with the world.
Hobbes is not infallible either, and he makes mistakes (which is important). This shows us that even in our best dialogues, we can still find ourselves on the wrong end of an argument or conflict.
I use Hobbes as my avatar at work, in my email, and on all forums that I participate in. Hobbes serves as a reminder to me to approach life as playfully as I can. Cheerfully calling my own assumptions into question to attempt to reason with the world in the best way I can. There is no malice in Hobbes and I attempt to ensure there is no malice in my approach, either. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail. That's okay, that is expected. What is important is to handle failures with grace and forgiveness. Hobbes embodies that in one of my favorite comics from the series:
Take care!
-Q
