It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a quaint and happy show about five cunning and convivial friends from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that come together through thick and thin to make each other's dreams come true. There is a loving father named Frank, his caring daughter Dee, her modest brother Dennis, his larger than life friend Mac and their zany friend Charlie that has a charming will they or won't they relationship with a waitress that loves him back. The only problem is, everything that I have said up to now is a lie. The characters are five scumbags from Pennsylvania who spend their lives in a largely unsuccessful bar scheming their lives away to try to become rich and succeed. They will even throw each other under the steamroller if it comes to a chance of one of them finding success. The show has been called "Seinfeld on crack". I liken it to be kind of like Friends, if the characters on Friends were self righteous and uncaring jerks. So kind of like Friends. I have fallen in love with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia because it is a fun and unique show to watch. The characters always get in largely unrealistic schemes that often parody real life events. To top it off, the satire is original and intelligent, and usually parodies both sides of a particular issue. This is a breath of fresh air for most network shows, that try to cater to a particular audience and stick with one theme or message. It gives the show an aura of unpredictability and gives each episode a new excitement. Anyway, some people learn their life lessons and find strength and wisdom in shows about love and compassion. Here are six life lessons that I have learned from the most loving and compassionate show of all, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

1. You should never be an awful person.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the whole show is that the five protagonists are awful sociopaths who never succeed. One could argue that Charlie isn't a bad person, but he still associates with these people and participates in their misguided schemes. The reason that the gang never succeeds is because they can't coordinate their attention spans long enough to keep a plan going for longer than about five minutes. This is also a vital lesson to show the viewers because if the characters ever had any significant success, it would signify to the viewers that if someone acts like a completely awful person, then the tides will still turn in their favor. It goes along the same lines with what Werner Klemperer did in the old show Hogan's Heroes. He only agreed to act in the show with the promise that his character would never win. The It's Always Sunny gang always end up in debt, being humiliated, or in the hospital and what makes it so hilarious is that it is solely and completely their fault. They deserve everything that happens to them and that is part of the charm and novelty of the show.

2. Never associate with people who aren't good for you.

This rule references the Matthew Mara, better known as Rickety Cricket. Cricket started out as a newly ordained catholic priest, then left the priesthood at the pleading of Dee, who proclaimed her love for him. After he left the priesthood which he strived to join, Dee immediately rejected him. She told him he was "a great guy" and should just go back and join the priesthood again. This is because Dee is an awful person that cares about no one but herself and is arguably the worst and most selfish character on the show. Later, when Cricket just barely began to make it into the church again, the gang pulled him away for one of their schemes involving cocaine. He inevitably used some and since then had his life become a shoddy mess. With every subsequent appearance, his character becomes progressively worse and it is all the Sunny gang's fault. This includes having his eye scratched and blinded, having his neck cut open, having half his face covered in third-degree burns and more. He is a homeless drug addict. This all could have been remedied if he just learned his lesson the first time and chose to stay away from the Sunny gang. The fact that he chooses to return to them and get involved with them only goes to represent that we should not hang out with people that are toxic to our well being but we sometimes do. Cricket is the perfect embodiment of not doing that, because you will wind up a drug addict hobo who does, errrr, not so scintillating things to get by.

3. Never waste anything.

By far the most lovable character on the show is Charlie. He lives in utter squalor and has no sense of personal care, but is the nicest and most proactive character on the show. His apartment is small and only has one room, where he sleeps in the same bed with Frank, who is heavily implied to be his biological father. His apartment is such a mess that he actually showers using the sink in the bar and has a bathroom situation for his place of living involving buckets that have to be emptied. It's by no means a desirable lifestyle, but it does show an important lesson to make use of everything life gives you. Never take money for granted and use everything you have. Charlie takes this to a comical and absurd extreme when he eats month old dilapidated soup and moldy cheese sitting in mouse traps, but the sentiment is sound to me. Never let anything go to waste that can be legitimately used later on. Now, no one should eat month old soup or cheese, but that's not saying that you can't eat week old soup and cheese. Use common sense, people.

4. Do not let vanity become your reality.

All the characters on the show are vain in some way. Yes, that's what makes them human and relatable. Still, these characters have their flawed vanity control a sizable section of their lives. Dennis is vain in thinking that he is a "Golden God" that should be worshipped. He is constantly fretting and obsessing over his looks that he will fight to keep and go insane if they are ever challenged in the slightest way. He thinks women like him to the point where he becomes too forward with women, in what I'll describe as "the implication" and just leave that for you all to look up later. Frank is vain in always searching for money. While he is generally successful in gaining money, that is typically the extent of it. He never gets anyone to like him, even the other characters on the show. Mac is vain because he is convinced he is muscular and an expert in karate. This always causes him to get ahead of himself in thinking he can do any awesome thing that he sets his sights upon, only to cower in fear later when he realizes he is not capable of doing anything. Dee is vain because she thinks she is funny and a talented actress, when in reality she is unlikable and not very humorous. Charlie is vain in his relationship with the waitress. Though he legitimately his in love with her, she hates him. Because of this, he spends his time stalking her. Though this is creepy and misguided, he is not violent about it and merely tries to make her life more convenient. Despite this, she will most likely never return Charlie's feelings. The vanity contained in the aforementioned characters drives their actions on the show. It's what gets them into trouble and is the reason that they will never find happiness in life. It is also an accurate reflection of how detrimental vanity can be to one's personal well-being. It is beneficial to step back from life for a little bit and examine yourself. If you see that you are more vain than you are a good person, perhaps it is a nice idea to punch yourself in the face and change your life.

5. Make sure you find the right friends.

No matter how you look at It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it can be learned from it that finding the right group of people with which to associate is vital. On one hand, this group of people does nothing but bring each other down and hold each other back. On the other hand, these individuals are all hopeless losers anyway and are fortunate that they have each other. No matter what happens, they're always together in the end. Some episodes even resolve where they realize that they have lost everything they have gained throughout the episode, but their mood is lightened just a little bit when they realize that they have each other. Yes, this is masked and pretty rare, but it is a noticeable theme that occurs in the show. It's the reason that Charlie and Frank are such a great team that have each other's backs in times of trouble. It's also the reason why Mac and Dennis are great sidekicks to each other in all emergencies. It also happens to be the reasons why Dee always seems to be the odd man out and is the brunt of all the gang's jokes. Friends are indispensable in life and it is crucial never to take these allies for granted because in the end, there is a chance that they may be all you have.

6. Never fight the Nightman unless you are the Dayman and the Champion of the Sun, who also happens to be master of Karate and friendship for everyone.

Okay, okay. This one's put in here mostly because the Dayman versus Nightman concept is the best thing ever and there's no way I could write about It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia without referencing it. Honestly, The Nightman Cometh is one of the greatest blessings bestowed upon this Earth. The Nightman is a dangerous foe and only the Karate and power of the Dayman is capable of quelling such a force.

There are many other lessons to be learned from this show just as there are many lessons that should not be learned at all from it. The main purpose of this series is to entertain people and make them laugh or feel better about their own lives. Seriously, the only television program where you can feel better about yourself watching it over It's Always Sunny is Workaholics. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has many hilarious tropes and inside jokes contained within in it that keep its' cult audience satisfied to the core and make it have new life and energy every year it has been on since 2005.