Is there a life lesson we can learn from a show that is filled with so much violence and so many deaths? As a Netflix series tagged with a 16+ maturity rating that includes violence, sex and suicide, Squid Game may not be your typical Christian choice for a binge-watch. Even for adults, this show could turn off many viewers who do not want to see the tragic deaths of many characters.
All of these, however, cannot say that there is nothing good to learn from this international hit. Even in darkness, there is much that we can learn about the light.
Here are some of the lessons we can learn from Squid Game:
1. Taking a life changes you
This is never more evident than in the character of Lee Myung-gi (333), the man who lost his money through a crypto scam and the ex-boyfriend of Kim Jun-hee (222).
The moment that changed everything was when he killed Thanos (230), the rapper and drug addict who blamed him because he also became a victim of the said scam.
From then on, it became easier for Myung-gi to kill his fellow players, including Cho Hyun-ju (120) the transgender who helped Myung-gi’s pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Even at the very end, Myung-gi doubted the intention of Seong Gi-hun (456) who only wanted to save his baby
Taking a life also kills your own soul. It kills charity (love) in your heart and makes you dead within.
2. Survival is not just about strength
There were instances during the entire run of Squid Game that showed how even those who may not be the strongest or the fastest in the group could still win.
Jun-hee (222) was already pregnant from the very beginning but she survived game after game, outlasting far stronger players.
The same is true with Jang Geum-ja (149), the mother of Park Yong-sik (007). She is a small woman who is older than most of the players, but she was still one of the survivors until the final season of the show.
In life, we should not despair even if we think other people are stronger, smarter or more skilled than we are. What we need is the firm resolve to not give up and just carry on with what we can do each day.
3. There are people who can help you along the way
One of the reasons players like 222 and 149 made it so far in the game was because of the help of other people, especially those like Hyun-ju (120).
Even when you think that everyone is out to get you, there are still people who are willing to go out of their way to help.
Be grateful for their assistance and never forget the sacrifices of those who helped you in times of need.
4. Quitting is sometimes the only way to win
There were so many instances when the players were made to vote whether to continue playing the game or not.
When you come to think of it, so many lives could have been spared had the majority only chosen to quit and end the game.
Greed, however, got the better of many players and so the game continued until only one player was left.
In life, we must remember that we can’t always win all our battles. Sometimes, we have to accept losing some so that we can win the more important ones.
5. Having a purpose empowers you in life
In the final season, we see how Gi-hun (456) almost succumbed to despair after blaming himself for the death of his teammates during their failed rebellion.
However, we see him alive again after taking on the responsibility of protecting Jun-hee’s baby.
He played the game again and gave it everything he got. He moved differently. It’s as though he rose again from the dead.
Having a purpose in life gives meaning to everything that we do. It empowers us and helps us endure the hard times.
The Tragedy of Despair
Many people say that despite all the tragedies, this series is like a mirror that reflects what happens in real life. Indeed, the circumstances, choices and outcomes in many scenes do show us and remind us of similar things that happen in life.
In a way, Squid Game shows us how darkness covers much of the world. People are in pain and they don’t know which way to turn.
Despair pushes many to think there is no other way to survive than to kill one’s conscience. It plunges people deeper into darkness rather than allowing them to see the light of hope.
Perhaps the only thing that this show failed to show is how true faith in God can make a difference in the way we live our lives.
Faith, after all, along with the hope it generates, is what can overcome despair.
In the first series of this show, there was a pastor who was supposed to be a religious person. Sadly, his faith was only superficial and he failed to reflect on what true faith can do.
Faith Over Despair
True faith is not only for show. It is not something that should make us feel more righteous than others. It should instead give us purpose and meaning, and a far greater hope than what this world can provide.
This kind of faith is the one that can make our humanity shine all the more even in the midst of the darkest times. It allows us to have compassion, to act selflessly and to believe that there is something more that awaits us aside from the material riches we can have.
Faith teaches us that there are worse things than our physical death and that sometimes, those who seem to lose more are the ones who gain the most.
In the end, faith helps us to reach our full potential and not lose sight of our God-given dignity.
In the words of Kang Sae-byeok (player 067) who saved Gi-hun (456) from the ruin of killing other people (and his own soul), “Don’t do it. That isn’t you. You are a good person at heart.”
In life, may we remember the same words whenever we are tempted to commit evil in our most desperate moments. May the light of faith bring us to a greater awareness of the “good” that we can be by the grace of God. After all, what matters most are not the possessions we get to claim, but the kind of person we become.
Jocelyn Soriano is the author of To Love an Invisible God. Is it really possible to love a God we cannot even see? Can we really love Him as we love another Person? A Person who can listen to us and respond to us? A Person who can know us far more intimately than any human being ever can?
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You may also want to read: Inspiring Lessons for Our Time From “All the Light We Cannot See”
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