On Friday, January 20, 2017 the popular television series "Girl Meets World" aired its final episode on the Disney channel. The show, a sequel to the 90's series "Boy Meets World," reunites the "Boy Meets World" characters in relation to a new generation. The current television series features two of the 90's show's protagonists, Cory (the "boy" in "Boy Meets World") and Topanga, as they parent their teenage daughter Riley (the "girl" in "Girl Meets World"). Both "Boy Meets World" and "Girl Meets World" are popular for their focus on deeper life lessons, which can be difficult to find in a show meant for a younger audience. When the show started, I was 17, and I can attest that the series has both taught and reminded me of crucial life lessons that have been relevant in the obstacles I have faced, even in college life, which I think is really rare to find in a show about middle schoolers and high school freshmen. My mom and I have watched the show together since its first airing, and have bonded over the relevancy of its lessons in both of our lives, despite our different ages. So, in tribute to "Girl Meets World" and its widespread impact, I decided to put together a list of "Girl Meets World" life lessons that will always be relevant, no matter your age. "Girl Meets World" taught me:
1. A greater understanding of both sides of the process of growing up and letting go.
When the first episode of "Girl Meets World" aired, it hit a little too close to home. While Riley's act of "growing up" involved her parents giving her a subway card to explore the city with her closest friend Maya, my act of "growing up" would all too soon involve me leaving my home for college. Watching the episode definitely gave me a lot of perspective and insight on how difficult my senior year of high school and its aftermath would be for my parents, which made me more consciously empathetic in my actions and words toward them. As for my mom, it served as a reminder that I was going to need space to learn and grow in this crucial time period of my life. As a result, we both learned to have a little more patience and understanding with one another, which I think is important to have in every relationship in every stage of life.
2. Communication is best served face-to-face.
In the episode "Girl Meets Boy," Cory, now a history teacher to his daughter and her peers, challenges the students to an evening of conversation without their electronic devices. The students and friends find out much more about one another during their cellphone-less time period, and they emerge with a new appreciation for the art of listening. The episode serves as a good reminder for everyone nowadays, since smartphones are quickly taking over face-to-face conversations and connections, eliminating so many possibilities for meaningful interactions between people.
3. You'll never be happy being anything but yourself.
More than once throughout the series, Riley and her friends tried to change themselves to fit some sort of social standard, proving each time that being true to themselves and supporting each other's personal truths was the only thing that actually made them happy. In the face of self-consciousness, bullying and identity crises, each character was at some point throughout the series reminded of the importance of true self, which I believe is a significant factor in everyone's struggles to meet social expectations at any stage of life.
4. Never forget those whose hard work improves your daily life.
In "Girl Meets the Forgotten," Riley and her friends are forced to work with the cafeteria workers and janitorial staff at their school, after disrespecting them. Once they see how hard the under-thanked workers' jobs are first-hand, they gain a newfound respect for those that are unappreciated for their difficult daily work. It's always good to be reminded of what and who you may be forgetting in the people and things you should be thankful for. The episode also serves as an incredible demonstration of walking in someone else's shoes to gain empathy for their lifestyle and its unique challenges.
5. A label does not and cannot define everything that you are.
In "Girl Meets Flaws," Riley's friend Farkle is bullied by a more popular student, causing everyone to focus on their most prevalent flaws. Riley asks the students to write their flaws, labels and misconceptions about them on their foreheads, in order to own their own flaws and take control over their self definitions. The episode reminds us all that self love doesn't mean loving only your best traits and brightest, shining moments, but also accepting yourself for your flaws, mistakes, failures and every part of you that comes together to make who you are. It also reminds us that friendship and love are the greatest healers and reassurances for our darkest, most self-doubting moments.
6. The secret of life is that people change people.
In "Girl Meets the Secret of Life," a old friend from the past of Riley's love interest Lucas emerges into the middle schoolers lives when he transfers to their school. This new character, Zay, to the extreme dismay of Lucas, informs their peers that Lucas used to be a trouble-maker when the two lived in Texas. Lucas reluctantly admits to having been expelled from his previous school, shocking all but Cory, though both he and Cory refuse to tell anyone what spurred the expulsion. Riley, furious about being lied to and determined to extract the truth from Lucas, spends the entire episode trying to determine whether or not Lucas is who she thought he was. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Lucas was expelled for defending Zay, who was always getting into trouble. When Lucas has the chance to cause trouble after Zay is physically threatened by another student, Lucas chooses to handle the situation calmly and quietly, without the use of physical force or violence. The refined actions of Lucas prove to the class the "secret of life" which Cory tells them is that "people change people." Lucas tells Zay that he is a different person than he was in Texas and confesses that he cares about his new friends so much that he wants to continually do right by them. This eventually inspires a similar positive change in Zay, who grows quite a bit as a character throughout the series. This lesson was one of the most impactful for me, because of its simple, yet powerful truth. People change people. The secret of life.
7. The importance of always dreaming dreams.
Riley's best friend, Maya, consistently struggles with having hope and faith, after her difficult childhood. When Maya was young, her father left she and her mother, Katy, who then struggled to provide for Maya. As a result, Maya doesn't have faith in much and she believes that hope is a waste of her time. In "Girl Meets Pluto," after Maya refuses to put anything in the time capsule that her friends are creating, Maya's mom tells the group to "dream dreams." Maya eventually drops a picture of her mother and Cory's best friend, Shawn into the time capsule when no one else is looking, muttering to herself that "hope is for suckers." When Maya later sees her mother talking to Shawn, she realizes that hope may not be for suckers. This is the first time throughout the series that you truly see Maya hoping for something. Later in the series, Shawn marries Maya's mother and decides to adopt Maya. All of Maya's struggles remind us to keep dreaming dreams, even in the darkest of times, when those dreams seem unattainable. It truly takes courage to dream and to hope. Dreams can become goals and goals can become realities with a little patience, persistence, luck and, especially, hope.
8. Your past shapes you. It prepares and leads you to your future, but it does not define your future.
In "Girl Meets Hurricane," Shawn's love interest from "Boy Meets World," Angela, resurfaces, threatening the hesitant relationship that is starting to form between Shawn and Maya's mother, Katy. Angela, in talking to Shawn, admits that she is now married and gearing up to start a family. She is worried that she may not be ready to be a parent and Shawn reassures her. She also advises Shawn to make his move on Katy and keep both she and Maya in his life, as the two are clearly important to him and they seem to have grown fond of him. Angela and Shawn thank one another for how important they have each been in shaping each other's lives. The exchange between the two reminds us that our future can be drastically different from our past expectations, but, simultaneously, what happens in the past is significant in its role of helping to shape who we are as people. Essentially, people change people, and the changes that people incite in you will always be a significant piece of your personal identity.
9. Unconventional is not the same as insignificant.
In "Girl Meets the New Teacher," Riley and her classmates receive a new English teacher, Harper Lee Burgess, who has an interesting style of teaching. She starts off her new job by having the class read the graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns." The principal of the middle school becomes angry about Harper's teaching methods and threatens to fire her. When Cory defends Harper, the principal threatens to fire Cory alongside Harper. When it is revealed that the students actually learned a great deal about the blurred edges between good and evil from reading "The Dark Knight Returns," which prepares them for a more complex discussion of human nature in their next assigned book, both Harper and Cory are able to keep their jobs at the middle school. It just goes to show that not everything can be judged at face value (if anything can) and that new and different ideas can be extremely valuable to explore.
10. It will always be worth it to fight for what you're passionate about.
In "Girl Meets Creativity," the art programs at the protagonists' middle school are facing cancellation. Maya is devastated by the turn of events, since art is her forte. Since the group of friends is passionate both about art and about Maya's happiness, they decide to fight the school board to keep art classes in the curriculum. The group attends the school board meeting, demonstrating the importance of all forms of art by first showing different aspects of art and then taking each type of art away from their audience. By coming together to fight for their beliefs and rights, the students are ultimately able to save the school's art program. The episode reminds us firstly, of the universal importance of the arts and, secondly, of the significance of standing up for your beliefs and passions.
11. You are uniquely yourself and you don't have to live your life in anyone else's shadow.
In "Girl Meets Cory and Topanga," Riley worries that she will never live up to the high standards set by her parents incredible achievements and widespread positive effect on every aspect of the New York City community. By revisiting her parents' past, she learns to see herself in them, as well as appreciate the qualities that are uniquely her. She realizes that she doesn't have to compare herself to her parents, as she is her own person, with her own ideas and her own journey. I think that it's important to remember that everyone has their own special and unique purpose that will reveal itself in due time.
12. Confide in your friends in your darkest times. They will be there for you without judgment, but with love and understanding in its place.
In "Girl Meets Rileytown," Riley is experiencing cyberbullying, which she hides from her friends and family. Instead, she takes out her fear, hopelessness and frustration out on her best friend Maya. All of her friends are concerned about Riley and wonder what they can do to help her. Farkle, having experienced bullying in a previous episode, recognizes what is happening to Riley. Maya eventually gets Riley to open up and she comforts her, restoring Riley's faith and belief in herself. All of Riley's other friends assure her that they are always there for her as a support system of people to talk to, which gives Riley the confidence to face her bully head on. Riley demonstrates her pride in her unique traits and qualities in front of her peers at school, which ultimately silences her bully. The episode reminds us that we are never alone, no matter the circumstance and that the best resource we can have is an amazing support system of people who lift us up and are consistently loyal, caring and understanding.
"Girl Meets World" has taught me so many life lessons that I have decided to split this article in two. Look out for part two early next week!
