Outside Reading #1: Whimsy may be Wisdom

    As a 21 year old American college student, I spend a lot of time watching situational comedies on TV whether I'm not doing anything, studying, or hanging out with friends.  While all of the whole shows are aimed to be generally funny they always implant a character that is supposed to be the comic relief even though the shows themselves are often quite whimsical.  These characters sometimes get the reputation of not having depth, being too silly, or not contributing to the narrative.
    Whimsy portrays wisdom in many ways.  I'll look specifically at the television show, Parks and Recreation, and one of the main characters named Andy Dwyer.  Andy is designed to give off the impression of an unintelligent, incompetent, and silly character without any sort of depth.  Many people think that Andy is not a character with depth but he is actually rich with depth if one analyses his actions with intent of getting what is to get out of him.  Andy presents wisdom in his unconditional loyalty.  He will always stand by his friends regardless of the situation.  That quality makes him look like a pushover, but he just likes to stand by people he cares about.  Andy also presents wisdom in not taking himself too seriously.  Andy gives off the impression of being stupid and carefree but he truly just knows the wisdom involved in not being overly prideful and taking himself too seriously. 
    People often assume that whimsy is the antithesis of wisdom, but I feel compelled through whimsical characters that wisdom stems in a lot of ways from the whimsical.

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