5 Lessons on Self-Development from Squid Game
Squid Game.
If you haven't seen it yet, no worries. I'd bet you've at least heard its name in passing from a friend or somewhere in the time-vacuum we call the Internet.
Viewed by over one hundred million subscribers, the South Korean mini-series is now a worldwide phenomenon and has recently claimed the title of "biggest Netflix series launch to date." From Saturday Night Live parody songs to YouTuber Mr. Beast's recreation of the competition in Minecraft, it's become increasingly challenging to avoid Squid Games entirely.
Before we go any further—I went in knowing next to nothing when I first saw Squid Games, and I highly recommend you do the same if you plan to watch it. That said, some spoilers ahead.
Squid Game is essentially Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (by J.K. Rowling) meets The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins). Four hundred plus contestants, heavily burdened by debt, compete in a series of reimagined children's games for a high-stakes prize. The catch—only one of those contestants will leave the game alive.
After the first episode, "Red Light, Green Light," I was hooked. Desperate and beaten down by debt, our protagonist Seong (aka #456) enters the mysterious Squid Game for a chance to change his fate. But, unfortunately, it's in the opening moments of the first challenge the contestants realize that Squid Game is playing for keeps.
Each "game" tests the limits of the contestants' ingenuity to solve problems, their ability to work with others, and their will to survive.
Nine grueling, heart-wrenching episodes later, I walked away with five lessons on Self-Development from Squid Game.
Lesson #1 — The game is rigged against you.
I would typically consider myself an optimist, but Squid Game deftly articulates how life is unfair. Whether we believe we're destined for great things or something less grand, no one is safe from poor choices and bad luck. The game of life isn't trying to beat you down, but it's not trying to lift you up either.
It's up to you to face the challenges of your life and push yourself forward to reach your goals.
Lesson #2 — Use what you have to win.
No matter the challenge, you likely have the correct tool to succeed. That said, it's a matter of matching the individual skill to the exact challenge. For example, in one of the rounds, players are distributed into teams of ten. One of the teams is comprised of the physically strongest contestants left in the game. Another team is clearly not. The second team though has a secret weapon—someone with a detailed and tactical experience of the game at hand. Knowledge is more effective than any brute strength they might be able to muster. And so, the underdogs win to live another day.
It's not about what you don't have. It's about what you do have and how you use it that counts.
Lesson #3 — Be strategic, but be kind.
Two players, an older man (#001) and our protagonist (#456), become friends through their shared experiences. #456 looks out for the older man several times, most notably when the older man is left without a partner for one of the challenges. #456 knows it may be a poor strategy to pair with such a feeble partner, but he does so anyway. It evokes a kind and generous spirit. When the round begins though, it becomes clear that only one of the pair will make it out alive. As the round plays out, the older man sacrifices himself, allowing #456 to win and move on to the next round.
In a game built first upon the survival of the fittest, kindness saved #456.
Lesson #4 — Appearances can be deceiving.
In one of the great triumphs of the series, Squid Game manages to use misdirection and visual trickery to shroud the event in mystery. The Game Master, the staff, and the spectators wear masks at all times. A character in the competition itself (whose identity I won't reveal here because it's so good) infiltrates the ranks of the competitors and shares the burden of surviving the games out in the open. When this character's true identity is finally revealed, it is made clear to the audience that the games themselves are not what they seem. Even a player's number can hide their identity in plain sight.
Trust in yourself and know that many parts of life are not what they appear to be. All you can do is be ready for the surprises that present themselves.
Lesson 5 — Mental strength can overcome nearly any obstacle, but luck plays a role.
Each round of Squid Game is a psychological challenge just as much as it is a physical one. In a later round, each player must select the order in which they will play. None of the players knows what the order means, but once they set foot into the arena, the opportunity to play first clearly becomes the worst position of all. Moments prior, one of the contestants asked #456 if he would swap places, moving #456 from the first position to the last. This single act effectively saves #456 from probable doom. The other gentleman is not as lucky.
You can prepare all you want, but sometimes a little luck goes a long way. It's about being ready for what may come and accepting the luck that helps push you forward.
On the surface, Squid Game—a dystopian survival competition—may not seem to offer much that will help us develop our own lives. But for me, it was a reminder that, even in the most brutal of well-told stories, there are often valuable gems of insight we can uncover and apply to our personal journeys of growth.
Now, I just have to get the creepy Squid Game theme music out of my head. Ee. Ee. Ee. Ee.
📸: Netflix / Squid Game
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