Who You Gonna Call for Life Advice? Ghostbusters!
If you “ain’t afraid of no ghost” then it’s probably because you grew up thinking you could just call the Ghostbusters when you found a poltergeist hiding under your bed. The widely-popular ‘80s movie Ghostbusters taught us several valuable life lessons, like the importance of teamwork, following your passion, and respecting the New York City library.
In fact, anyone who watched the library scene from the film and didn’t come out scarred forever about library visits, is braver than us! All we know is that if a ghost librarian tells you to “shhhh” then you better shut up and read that book with reverence.
Not only do we now hold all librarians (especially the ghost kind) in high esteem, but — thanks to the Ghostbusters like Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore — we’ve also acquired some other core principles to live by. Here are some of our favorites:
1) Find a Job You Love: Become a Ghost Hunter!
At the beginning of the film, the paranormal scientists Peter, Ray, and Egon are fired and then unceremoniously tossed from their cushy Columbia University jobs.
However, rather than feeling sorry for themselves, Peter encourages the group to throw caution to the wind and go into business for themselves.
There’s nothing better than following your passion and pursuing your dream job, right? Who wants to spend their day in a stuffy office having boring watercooler talk, when you can spend your days meeting folks like Gozer, Zuul, and Slimer instead? Who do we wanna be? The Ghostbusters!
2) Be Confident: Channel Your Inner God
It’s normal to feel insecure and question your own value sometimes; we get it, we’ve all been there. However, the Ghostbusters are here to remind us to grab life by the proton pack and strut our stuff with confidence. After their first official job as the Ghostbusters, the team asks for $5000 for capturing and storing the infamous “roaming vapor” named Slimer. Although the hotel manager refuses to pay, Peter does not back down (he even threatens to let Slimer free) to which the manager finally agrees to pay the asking price. Never back down!
The Ghostbusters understand the importance of knowing your worth and fighting for what you deserve. So, always remember the confidence boosting philosophy and Winston’s sage advice: “when someone asks you if you're a God, you say yes!" Don’t be afraid of no ghost and don’t be afraid to be your own biggest advocate too! You’re a god!
3) Think Outside the Box: Cross the Streams
Ghostbusters reminds us that it’s okay to be a little different and it’s more than okay to think outside the box sometimes (it might even make you a hero)!
Don’t let anyone tell you what to believe, what you can accomplish, or even what job to pursue. If you wanna believe in ghosts and become a ghost hunter, then believe in ghosts and become a ghost hunter, gosh darn it!
Plus, always remember that it’s okay to be flexible and that we grow and adapt as we learn new things. Egon repeats over and over again, “don’t cross the streams” but then — in the end — the only way to defeat Gozer and save New York City from fire and brimstone is to do that very thing. So, don’t worry if you end up having to “cross the streams” and try something a little different sometimes.
4) Don’t Let People Belittle Your Fears: Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Never let anyone make fun of your fears! Whether you are concerned about your future, or you’re just deathly afraid of crabs on the beach (I mean, they’re spiders with ARMOR!), anything has the potential to be frightening when viewed through the right lens.
Just look at Ray’s accidental summoning of an evil Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! Who would have thought a lovable childhood icon could become something so terrifying?
Ghostbusters reminds us that — even though we may not always understand them — we must always respect and sympathize with people’s fears. Channel your inner Ghostbuster with the mantra “we’re ready to believe you” and approach every situation with empathy.
5) The Truth is Out There: Ghosts Are Real
Ghostbusters views the paranormal through the lens of science and technology (and uses fancy words like P.K.E. meters and total protonic reversal) which can only mean... ghosts are real! No matter how you might feel about the supernatural, every kid who watched Ghostbusters left convinced that all libraries were haunted, Slimer was lurking in every corner waiting to slime them, and demons can live in your refrigerator. Thank goodness we now know who to call when we meet these nasty ghosts though!
Employ all of the new life lessons you’ve learned from Ghostbusters and use them to find yourself the best DBH Ghostbusters t-shirt that is haunting Design By Humans! Or — if you are actually afraid of ghosts — then check out the other Sony Pictures styles today!
