This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stonehill chapter.
Just this past week, after the endless memes about children’s games like Red Light Green Light, and green tracksuits, I figured that I should check Squid Game out. I’m not even finished, but it’s the best show that I’ve seen in years.
Set in South Korea, Squid Game is a dystopian survival show of sorts – 456 debt-ridden Korean adults are invited to participate in various children’s games to win a cash prize of 45.6 billion won (approximately 40 million US dollars).
There’s a catch, though. If you lose, you are eliminated. In this case, elimination = death. But if we look past the violence, the sabotage, and the money-hungry players, there’s a lot of useful lessons that Squid Game can teach us if we are willing to listen.
- Kindness comes from the unexpected.
- In a bloody game of Red Light, Green Light, Seong Gi-hun, our protagonist, almost finds himself dead after tripping over a fellow player when “Red light!” is called. However, Abdul Ali, a foreigner from Pakistan, catches the collar of Gi-hun’s coat before any movement is detected. This kindness saved Gi-hun’s life. It’s a reminder to see the good in all people of all backgrounds, for you never know where kindness will come from.
- Again, money can’t buy you happiness.
- Even though Gi-hun’s pretty much at rock bottom by the time we meet him, the opportunity to join Squid Game isn’t much better. His attempts at gambling his money away to make more or taking out loans he knows he can’t pay back are futile and only leave him unhappier.
- Life is a marathon, not a sprint!
- The key to success is taking your time. We can learn this from the too risky players in Squid Game – their refusal to take their time ultimately leads them to their demises. It’s better to create a plan, find a few trustworthy friends, and then take action. Rushing into anything never works.