Andy's World

Andy Taylor has never made a mistake. At least he never made a mistake that made it into his television show. I have been watching the Andy Griffith Show for several years now. Of course, the show itself is over 40 years old. And in all that time there have been laughs and tears over and over again. This program consistently entertains year after year. In fact, it gets funnier the more often you see it.

The first good thing about The Andy Griffith Show is the characters. I do not mean Opie, Andy, Aunt Bea and Barnie. Yes, those are great characters, but I mean Otis and Floyd, Goober and Gomer, Ernest T Bass and Howard. These are the characters that make the show entertaining.

But there is a lot more than entertainment in Andy's World. There is a lot to learn as well. The Andy Griffith Show entertains because it is filled with funny characters, but it endures because it is filled with life lessons.

• Loyalty. It does not take long to realize that one of the great values that is shared in Mayberry is loyalty. Everyone, men, women and children, are loyal to family, friends and community. Promises get kept. Marriages endure. Children and parents love and respect one another. Commitment to loyalty is high.
• Honesty. Do not even think about lying to Sheriff Taylor. He can tell when you are not telling the truth and the consequences are great.
• Fair Play. Opie learns about fair play on a regular basis. You cannot cheat. You must not treat other people poorly, or take their things, or talk badly to them. Andy, the sheriff and Justice of the Peace, measures out justice in a fair and even-handed way for everyone. There is no prejudice in Mayberry.
• Kindness. This may be the most important value for us to learn. Be nice to people. Care for those you love, and those you don't even know. Treat everyone like you would like to be treated.

I certainly do not believe that if we emulate these values, even on broad terms, that we will live in a Mayberry-type environment. Mayberry is a made-up television town. No one should ever expect to have that sort of community. But I do believe that if more people took the lessons of Mayberry more seriously, we would all be a lot better off.