SpongeBob: Neptune Lessons on HIDDEN ENEMIES, oceans, betrayal, fantasy, the guru, twin flame, delusion, illusion ("reality is an illusion but a persistent one"-Einstein):
There's an episode where Mr. Krabs (a fool so greedy for money that he's got a habit of acting out in strangely sociopathic ways when money is involved) sells SpongeBobs soul to The Flying Dutchman (Hades parallel) for a mere 62 cents. Now, SpongeBob is known for being a deeply loyal frycook to Mr. Krab's restaurant, The Krusty Krab. He shows up to work with his naturally ecstatic attitude everyday, repeating his mantra, "I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready!" A mantra that establishes a truth: SpongeBob is a student of life, and a devoted loyalist. In fact, he LIVES solely for the Krusty Krab! When he's told to take a vacation, he forces his way onto the premises to secretly work. SpongeBob adores his "work family" and considers his boss, Mr. Krabs to be a second father to him. The two have shared many meaningful moments together, and SpongeBob had been nothing but a dependable worker for the Krusty Krab, even going out of his way to fight countless wars with rival restaurant owners in order to protect the secret recipe of the Krusty Krab's specialty: the Krabby Patty. Aside from his dedication to his job, SpongeBob's natural march of life makes it quite clear (plain as day!) that he has nothing but pure and true nameless love for everyone he meets— but especially Mr. Krabs.
Upon discovering that Krabs sold Sponge's soul for SIXTY-TWO CENTS, SpongeBob is utterly destroyed—heartbroken. See, SpongeBob had been under the impression that he was equally loved and cared for by Mr. Krabs— who, when it was beneficial to his personal agenda, extended similar love and care toward SpongeBob. It's very clear that Mr. Krabs NEEDS SpongeBob, yet all the devil had to do was dangle a few nickels in his face and BAM— betrayal ensues.
What a jolting surprise when Sponge finds himself damned to hell (the smelly deep sea locker of Davy Jones, frontman of the 1960's boyband The Monkees.) over just SIXTY TWO CENTS. His LIFE wasn't even worth that to Krabs! How painful to realize after pouring your love into someone you trusted! Right? Although, Mr. Krabs doesn't exactly hide the fact that he cares about money more than he cares about other beings. So who is really to blame? Naive, happy, youthful, Sponge who radiates love and sees the world through rose colored scuba gear? Or, the blatantly greedy, insincere Mr. Krabs—whose own daughter, Pearl, comes second to money. Krabs' psyche has a defense mechanism where he is able to unconsciously distort his own perception and justify his greed by devaluing those around him, choosing to delude himself into no longer seeing their importance and inherent human value when it isn't beneficial for his personal experience of reality. Unfortunately that is very damaging to all involved.
One might argue, "Well, Pearl wants to kill herself anyway!" (She's a demanding, bratty, teen who melts down when she doesn't get her way)
And to that I'd say, ...you have a god complex.
To note:
Neptune rules delusion, one of our psyche's greatest protectors. I suppose being aware of his own shallow behavior could be jarring, maybe feel like an ego death, and force Krabs to reflect on himself and commit to changes. Why should he? He's happy getting what he wants through greed. This is an example of free will, though karma keeps it in check. Free will here goes deeper than freedom to choose your external choices, it also exemplifies our inner world process— Mr. Krabs used his delusion to block out truth, and he was able to live in his falsified version of reality, just as we all are doing. Where is the duality of falsified and truth when your perception is all you consider? This is why selfish people need not be in positions of power— they will lack morality and good judgment. A bit of Saturn structure for discernment is good. If not from the mind, then people with closed hearts should not be in positions of power either. Face your demons or don't face the public.
I digress. Ironically, even Squidward, (a squid who has a love-mostly-hate relationship with neighbor and coworker SpongeBob) feels it necessary to confront Mr. Krabs on that incredibly poor and selfish decision of selling Sponge's soul. Mind you, Squidward has been through the ringer when it comes to working with AND being the neighbor of this loud, annoying, yellow fellow. He has had his house destroyed, his privacy invaded, his peace disrupted, his life compromised, his music composer dreams destroyed, and even has lost friends as a result of SpongeBob's goofball existence! Squidward's mental health has also been eroded by SpongeBob's existence...he's had many mental breakdowns and bouts of extreme mania; another episode even alludes to Squid almost hanging himself! He's previously considered moving towns just to get away from the sound of SpongeBob's laughter or tears. So it's safe to say, Squidward has been indirectly victimized by the joy of the carefree Sponge, and holds plenty of resentment— yet, even he was just as much in disbelief over the double-crossing that Mr. Krabs committed. For 62 cents. Squidward, notorious for being bitter, still had an open enough heart and a strong enough moral compass to understand that someone's life and wellbeing will ALWAYS mean more than any material item could ever! Squid expressed his extreme disappointment and disgust for Mr. Krabs' shallow actions, which was ultimately what made Krabs snap out of his synthetic money-high and realize that—hey— If SQUIDWARD TENTACLES is upset at this, then the gravity of the situation must be pretty severe! This pause of self reflection (using Squiddy as his mirror for growth, even if it was a little hard) opens up the heart of greedy, narcissistic Krabs, after he realizes he sold his own son-from-another-one to the devil over practically nothing.
