I Like Charlie Brown

Here’s an essay I wrote several years ago and e-mailed it to several friends.  They encouraged me to try to get it published somewhere, but the best I could do was the college group newsletter.  People still stumble across this article from time to time and tell me that they still like it.  I’m just glad they read it.  I was originally going to post this on November 26th, on what would have been Charles Schulz’s 81st birthday.  But since I’m busy with my Grand Canyon Log entry, I decided to post this in the meantime.

I Like Charlie Brown

I like Charlie Brown.  You may say, “A lot of people like Charlie Brown,”  but what they mean by saying that and what I mean, I think are different in a way. Charlie Brown has always been known as the ‘lovable loser’ type, which may be a fair label to use on him.  But if that’s as far as you go there is so much more that you don’t see.  Comparing him one-on-one with the other Peanuts characters, there’s nothing outstanding about him.  He’s not as wise and worldly as Linus nor as talented and good-looking as Schroeder.  He’s not as athletic and confident as Peppermint Patty or as intelligent as Marcie.  He’s not half as shrewd as Lucy or as assertive as Sally.  In fact, he even plays second fiddle to his dog Snoopy who would murder him in a cool contest any day of the week. But to me, he is the most admirable and noble of all of them.  There is nothing false about Charlie Brown.  He works diligently and loves fully.  He serves humbly and speaks truthfully.  And although all the cards are stacked against him, he never compromises himself.  Heck, how would you feel if you were a kid and almost completely bald?  And have you heard him even once complain about it?

When all his friends are trying to see how much they can get for themselves or are caught up in what everyone else thinks is acceptable (aluminum Christmas trees come to mind), he swims upstream and does the right thing despite the risk of ridicule and rejection.  How many times has he tried to kick the football as Lucy is holding it in place for him, and how many of those times does he land flat on his back because Lucy pulls it away at the last second?  YET he still tries every time like the last time didn’t matter.  Is he stupid?  naive?  a victim?  I don’t think so… Idealistic? – maybe.  Steadfast? – definitely.

I think that growing up I felt so sorry for him.  I thought that if he would wise up and just go along with everyone else, he will be okay.  I thought that all the things I now find admirable about him were his fatal weaknesses.  God has a way of doing that whether it be in choosing a man with a speech impediment to lead His people out of Egypt, using an adulteress to humble the holier-than-thou Pharisees, or becoming a poor son of a carpenter born in a stable to save the world.  Now, Charlie Brown never went on to change the world per se, but I don’t believe that is ever the intent of good character – just sometimes a result of it.

I think that most people still feel sorry for him.  They don’t see that of all of the Peanuts gang, he’s the only one who really has it all together.  That little red-headed girl doesn’t know what she’s missing.  Don’t feel sorry for him.  He has something very few people in this world has.  Integrity.  Feel sorry for the rest of the world for not being more like Charlie Brown.  Mourn the fact that the Charlie Browns of this world are seen as weak.  I know that whenever I read the comics, I will tip my hat to a guy that I can only hope to emulate.  I like Charlie Brown.

Post Script:  On Feb 12th, 2000, just hours before his final comic strip saying “goodbye” to all his supporters over the years would be printed, the world lost a humble, God-fearing man in Charles M. Schulz.  I lost a hero.