1. Everyone is worthy of dignity and respect, no matter how self-centered, self-righteous, insane, dim-witted, unintentionally racist, or borderline evil they might be.
2. Understanding TV isn’t the same as understanding life, but it can prove useful nonetheless.
3. It’s not important to believe in all the same things as the people we care about, so long as we all care about each other, and stand by one another. Even when the people we love are doing something stupid.
4. There is no golden mean of normalcy or morality we should all be moving toward. We should all find our own paths and follow our own trajectories to become better versions of ourselves.
5. If we’re okay with who we are, we don’t need to be stubborn or uncompromising about the little stuff.
6. Most people who come across as bad are actually lonely and hurting on the inside, but that doesn’t mean they’re not also jerks.
7. There are no rules in paintball.
8. We don’t need shorter versions of Barenaked Ladies or the word “later.”
9. Sometimes, proving a point, even if you’re right, is less important than letting people be happy.
10. Glee sucks.
11. Be sorry about bad stuff before you do it, then don’t do it.
12. Don’t sue strippers. Life sued them, and they lost.
13. Eventually, inspirational speeches all start to sound the same, no matter how uplifting they might be.
14. Try to learn people’s names. Nicknames usually drive people insane.
15. Every time you roll a die, you are creating alternate timelines. Try not to end up in the darkest one.
16. It’s possible to have complex, interesting relationships with others and have little to no romance. These might not necessarily be healthier (though they usually are), but they’re far less cliche.
17. Trying too hard to have “real” conversations is just as fake as having “fake” conversations.
18. It doesn’t matter how far apart it happens; if you say his name three times, Beetlejuice will be summoned.
And finally:
19. You can create something beautiful, magical, and honest, and put your heart, soul, and tears into it, and TV execs will still find a way to screw you out of it.
20. Even so, you can leave behind a legend, something people will never forget, and will be quoting and analyzing long after the next flash in the pan is gone.