I used to think that SpongeBob SquarePants was the stupidest show ever - until I had kids that started to watch it. I was amazed at the wisdom that show sometimes has. Yes, some episodes I still find very annoying - but I often find myself surprised at the truths I find hidden in this silly cartoon. So, this week I am going to do life according to SpongeBob. Here goes . . .
One of my favorite episodes centers mostly on Squidward. Now if you remember, Squidward is a very stuck-up sort that finds SpongeBob and Patrick to be extremely immature and annoying. They are happily oblivious to this and continue to invite him to be their friend and join them on their super fun adventures like bubble-blowing, jelly fishing and using their imagina- a-ations to turn a cardboard box into just about anything (a race car, a rocket ship, you name it.) So in this particular episode Squidward gets completely fed up with the two simpletons (again) after they have managed to destroy his house with their reef blowing antics. He decides to move "so far away that I will be able to brag about it. I would rather tear out my brain stem, carry it to the middle of the nearest four-way intersection, and skip rope with it than go on living where I do now." So he moves into a community called Tentacle Acres. This community is gated and secured from any non-desirables. Initially Squidward thinks he has died and gone to heaven. Everyone there is a Squid - just like him. They all love to do exactly what he does. They all have the same sarcastic humor that he does. They all are highly intelligent like he believes he is. He has a daily schedule that includes all of his favorite activities. He goes to dance lessons, rides his bike around town, joins a group where he can play his clarinet - scene after scene shows him going to all of his favorite activities day after day with Squids who think and act and laugh just like him. It is wonderful! - for awhile. At a certain point you can see his attitude changing about this supposed utopia. He begins to get frustrated with everyone being just like him and he begins to push the boundaries a bit. He becomes increasingly frustrated with everyone and everything being the same. Finally, one day he is out at a nearby park and sees an unattended reef blower. You can see him contemplating what he would like to do with it. Finally he grabs the reef blower and begins using it, but then he starts to get creative with it until finally he just goes crazy with it until he is laughing hysterically at the fun he is having. The other squids become extremely annoyed and aggravated with him and finally form an angry mob to chase him down. In the last scene of the show you see Squidward being corned by this mob of near-identical squidwards. SpongeBob and Patrick, who have come to look for Squidward and ask him to move back home are watching this craziness. They look at each other and SpongeBob says "Well, we know one thing: it sure isn't that guy!"
I think I love this episode because I can identify with Squidward so often. There are people all around me who just push my buttons. They don't see life the way I do and they can often be quite aggravating. They are the SpongeBobs and Patricks in my Squidward world. I have this place inside of me that dreams of a similar utopia to the one that Squidward went to. I think that a place where everyone thought and acted and enjoyed the same exact things that I do would be wonderful. We would all stay up late being creative together and then sleep-in in the mornings, get up and have a leisurely cup of tea. We would all be laid back and easy-going, seeing life as mysterious and wonderful. We would all have that dry but hilarious sense of humor that I love. I could see me going to a music practice with other passionate musicians and constantly talking about deep and inspiring topics. It would be wonderful! - for awhile. I think I would get very bored with this at some point though and I would need to push the boundaries a bit and be an individual. I couldn't stand being just like everyone else - I have to be different, even if it means going against what I would normally do. I would probably end up being just like Squidward and going a bit insane and being kicked out of my perfect community.
I guess the wisdom for me in this episode is this: Be content with where you are in life. Be patient with the SpongeBobs and Patricks in life and maybe even appreciate where they are coming from. Sometimes the simpler view of life is better. It doesn't always have to be serious and deep and complicated. Lighten up and learn to enjoy life. Stay away from people that are too much like you - they don't help you grow or learn. They don't stretch you. They just keep you stuck in your sameness. Learn how to be a little weird and make people give you funny looks every once in awhile and if you happen to get thrown out of a seemingly perfect community of people consider it a blessing and a new lease on life. Embrace diversity and learn from all the unique and yes sometimes annoying people who often drive you crazy. If nothing else, they will teach you patience.
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