I've been watching a lot of Glee lately.
And by that I mean A LOT of Glee.
Originally I tried watching the show at its scheduled time but because I started halfway through season two, I had missed out on much of the backstory and just couldn't get into it. So I started from the beginning this summer and having completed season one this week, I have to admit I'm hooked.
Glee is more than just a bunch of high school students bursting into spontaneous song and dance. I've actually pulled out some valuable, relatable life lessons from the murky cloud of cheer and happiness.
First, after graduation, you aren't going to care about half of the people who were once so important to you. It's a sad fact that people move apart and go their own directions, and often those who you once told your most personal and private details to will no longer even have you on BBM. This change isn't because they will suddenly hate you, or that you'll both become drastically different people with nothing in common. Time + distance + new relationships + new opportunities = - past friendships.
This can be good too. In a positive way, losing touch with those who knew you in high school offers you the opportunity to "reinvent" yourself, or at least to start off without the personal baggage of high school. The drama you caused in Grade 10 when you wrote a note that was intercepted and read to your entire math class will no longer haunt you (unless of course it haunts you in your nightmares, which seems a bit drastic in such a situation). The people who once knew you so well will remain a part of the high school you left behind, as either happy memories to reminisce on, or negative horrors to discuss only with your diary or personal therapist.
Second, in the Lady Gaga episode, Kurt says, "I'm proud to be different. It's the best thing about me." This quote ties in with a recent article in Time magazine which explained that it is often the quirks that made one weird in high school that make one desirable as an human being following graduation. Kurt is absolutely correct in saying that his uniqueness is what makes him desirable, and once he leaves high school it will be these traits that set him apart from the rest of his classes, fellow employees and online dating site competitors. Those girls who always seemed so bland and similar in high school? Ya, they're still bland and similar in the real world.
Third, high school art programs are important. If Glee is to be believed, a meagre arts budget allows for a full-time band, unlimited costumes and endless pages of sheet music. This may or may not be true. In any case, programs like the glee club that draw students from all backgrounds and interests and unite them together on one single yearbook page are valuable. These clubs also provide a place for students who wouldn't otherwise be involved in extra-curricular activities. Athletics can only reach so many, and while I definitely think they deserve funding as well, I don't think athletics are more important than the arts, as Glee cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester constantly (and angrily) preaches. Many high school athletes are only ever going to be high school athletes, never advancing beyond the shiny wooden floor of the school gymnasium, just as many glee club performers are only ever going to perform in high school. Both experiences offer life-long lessons and the rewards of social interactions and connections. The arts are just as important as athletics and need to be treated as such.
Finally, everything that seems SO HUGE in high school is really just peanuts a few years later. That devastating break up that kept you in your room sobbing hysterically and eating only Rolo ice cream for four months? Likely not going to be the best or worst thing that has ever happened to you. High school becomes its own little universe and every minute detail from those four years is analyzed and milked for every ounce of pain, joy and drama. Then you leave and start to see the big picture. I think the Glee kids have a pretty good grasp of the big picture. Take Rachel for example. She gets dumped, mocked and slurpee'd all the time, but she remains consistently annoying because she knows that high school is small in comparison with the rest of her life. Gold star for you, Rachel.
I'll probably start season two right away here, because I'm starting to go through withdrawal. I don't know if it's because I just enjoy a good Gaga remix or because of the actual morals I seem to be gaining. The nice thing about Glee is that it doesn't beat you over the head with righteousness for an hour - lessons are spliced in among the torrid teen romances, faked pregnancies and power ballads. It's awesome.
