The philosophy of Phineas and Ferb
Posted on: 12/1/2023
Phineas and Ferb embodies the antithesis of hustle and crunch culture because the fundamental lesson of every single episode is that your passions are no less fulfilling if they only last for one afternoon. You are no less passionate, just because you are passionate about a variety of things or even an entirely different thing every day. And your achievements aren’t worth less just because the fruits of your labor disappear. Even if there is no proof that you did anything, nothing to show what you accomplished, no material gain for all your hardwork; that doesn’t mean you left empty-handed.
The show’s very soul is that the joy of doing something is, in and of itself, enough of a gain. If you enjoyed doing something, if you found it fun or interesting for just an afternoon and then never wanted to do it ever again, that’s enough. That you found happiness, even if fleeting and momentary, is gain enough. You don’t need to have “something to show for it” at the end of your passions, you don’t need to have physical evidence of your work, the memory and the experience are the important parts and are the only parts you need to focus on.
And furthermore, relaxing or spending a whole day staring at something or playing video games or reading or even doing an activity that you didn’t enjoy but that you tried to see if you would: all of these things are shown as just as valid and important. If you spend an entire day staring at the sky, the show promises that you have accomplished the same goal as if you built a rollercoaster. If you get something out of “the doing” — and that’s if you get absolutely anything, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, Anything — then the activity was worth doing.
Phineas and Ferb says embrace your thirst for knowledge, dig depper into things that are absolutely meaningless in the so-called “real world”, share them with your friends and have fun. Delight in re-discovering your own notion of yourself, relish every moment you spend learning, and don’t feel terrible if something new doesn’t bring you excitement like you expected! You don’t have to make a career out of your passion. Your passion is enough, no matter how long it lasts, and simple joy is worth it.
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