I know that most people think this show represents merely the epitome of silliness. And I know that contemporary critics called it the worst show ever made. But here's what I learned from this show.

• Loyalty to friends. Sherwood Schwartz said that the success of the relationship between Skipper and Gilligan depended on whether the actor chosen to play the Skipper could hit and abuse Gilligan and remain admirable. No better choice could have been made than Alan Hale, Jr. Despite the Skipper's almost perpetual exasperation with his dimwitted, clumsy first mate, he calls him his "little buddy" and sticks by him when it's needed. Hale once visited a sick boy whose despondent attitude was retarding his recovery. Hale told him, "Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right now. The Skipper's here." Of course it worked. What child who knows this show wouldn't believe it?
  
• The power of kind words. When Gilligan's diary is found and Mary Ann reads to everyone what Gilligan has written, we witness a group of humans forced to face their own pettiness, and we see penitence and forgiveness.
  
• Communal cooperation. As I grew up watching these seven mismatched people learning to work together to survive, it inspired me to be better than I am.
  
• Food preferences. I love coconut cream pies and juicy steaks "that thick," and I know from the classic radioactive-seeds episode that vegetables give you strength and good eyesight.
  
• Appreciation for everyday blessings. Speaking of Skipper's frequent longing for steak, this show instilled in me an understanding that many people in this world do not have what we take for granted. Don't wait until it's too late to appreciate what you have.
  
• An occasional bit of actual cultural trivia. The buss bar. Hamlet. Need I say more?
  
• The virtue of sacrifice. I believe television has never provided a more powerful dramatic moment than the time Gilligan breaks his straw (so he appears to draw the shortest) to risk his life during a monsoon while allowing his friends to stay in a cave with room only for six. The others file out one by one, mumbling excuses, but really simply unwilling to let Gilligan face the danger alone. The show delves back into absurd fantasy when lightning then strikes the hill and the shelter caves in. But it only needs to because the scene leading up to that moment is too solidly real for a supposedly light-weight comedy. So the young viewer gets an inspiring lesson and a funny ending. What could be better?