Recently, I dusted off my old Playstation 2 and busted out some of my old favorites. I'm one of those firm believers in the fact that nostalgia is wonderful, but one should not let it fully become you: live in the past, forget to live in the now.
Anyway, I broke out “Battle for Bikini Bottom”, which I’d always enjoyed and just about beat with a few friends back in 2010 (also, it was unfair to have games before YouTube tutorials- you just gotta see how some levels are possible, right?)
With a little help from the tutorials, I got about 85% done with the game (excluding a few impossible boss levels and the dreaded SpongeBob's dream level). And even though at times I'd find myself stuck on a section for what seemed like eternity, SpongeBob never broke a sweat and shook off the negativity, making me remember what an optimist he always was.
On the show, there are countless episodes when only SpongeBob can see the positive side of things, and, very often, he'd get shot down pretty hard, some times reduced to tears, usually due to Squidward trying to one up him or steal his thunder because he himself had no thunder to speak of. And that's okay, because, as countless memes have accurately displayed, we are all Squidward: we like things our way, we hate interruptions, and we can't always handle people. But digging deeper, wouldn't we rather be SpongeBob? I think so. If being SpongeBob means seeing things always on the positive side, then I think we could and should all learn something from him. How? Let’s delve!
He cares about his friends and puts others first.
Like Leslie Knope, another favorite optimist of the day, SpongeBob was also always incredibly thoughtful- he always put his friends first. He never fails to help his friends when they’re going through a personal crisis, like when he tried to help Patrick out of his low self-esteem slump in “Big Pink Loser” or when he didn’t hesitate to let Squidward stay with him to get back on his feet in “Can You Spare a Dime?”- needless to say, it famously backfired, but he’s also not afraid to call people on their crap and give them a reality check. Bottom line: he’s the ideal friend.
He knows how to be his own best friend.
Remember the entire episode when he had fun with just a piece of paper? Or when an episode started with him playing with a rubber band (while Gary read the paper lol)? Or when he straight made himself his own bubble friend?? That’s an important quality that is not shared by humanity, and really should be. Being your own best friend and knowing how to entertain yourself is key, and SpongeBob is the master.
He makes every day a good day and faces it head on.
The little yellow guy is probably best known for his OG catchphrase that he sings while he runs happily to work: “I’m ready! I’m ready!” He also genuinely loves his work, and going to school: at work, he’s apparently the best in the business at what seems like the pretty menial job of fry cook- he beat Neptune himself at a cook off and won a golden spatula, after all. As for school, it’s something he tries and tries but never gets any result, yet he still goes in with a positive attitude and an open mind. He makes light of the two places we consider so dark and negative, and that’s really something to be admired.
SpongeBob is a deeper character than given credit for. He’s sweet, understanding, caring, musical, delightful, etc. little guy. We should all try to greet the day a little more like SpongeBob. Start every day being ready for whatever life throws at ya!
