Life with Out Charles Schulz, The Creator of Peanuts

On February 12, 2000 the world changed. This was the day it was announced that Charles Schulz had passed away. Charles Schulz was, of course, the creator, illustrator, and writer for the immensely popular Peanuts comic strip. On a daily basis, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the gang would appear in the comic section of the local paper.

The real genius of Schulz lies in the manner in which the Peanuts characters approached and dealt with life. Growing up, I was introduced to Snoopy and the gang at an early age and have been a fan ever since. As with most, I was intrigued as to why Charlie Brown would keep on trying to kick a football which was constantly being pulled away at the last minute. Why was Lucy the way she was? She was pushy, arrogant, over bearing, and even rude but she was part of the gang and it wouldn't have been the same without her.

As I grew older, I began to realize that this was not a simple cartoon strip, but rather a commentary on life. Why did Charlie Brown continue to try and kick the ball? Because, as in life, even when we try to keep our eye on the ball, sometimes at the last minute things are pulled away and we fall flat on our back. But we can't stay down; we get up and try again. This is a testament to the human spirit. Failure is simply part of life. Thomas Edison tried over 2000 times to find the right process for making the first light bulb. When asked why he didn't give up after so many failures, he would respond that he had not failed; rather he had discovered 2000 ways to not make a light bulb.

Why was Lucy the way she was? Lucy was Lucy because there are Lucy's in life. Lucy, deep down inside, wants to help others. Sure she is rough around the edges, but in her heart she wants to help. She is also insecure about herself and feels the need to self promote to others. Know anyone like that in your life?