6 Lessons to Learn from Netflix's Squid Game

Netflix's Squid Game is a survival drama series taking place in Seoul, South Korea. In the series, 456 players are challenged to play life-or-death, survival games. These are based on original children’s games but with a brutal elimination process – death. The players participated because they were debt-ridden and needed money to survive. The winner receives a cash prize of 45.6 billion won ($38 million).

Look beyond the game and bloody drama, and you’ll find that the series teaches educational, moral and life lessons.

1) Red light, Green light – Panic vs Determination

Players can move when the green light is on and must stop when the red light is on. If they lose, they’ll be brutally eliminated by gunshots.

Since this was the first game, the participants panicked when the first player got eliminated and killed. They started running desperately and couldn’t concentrate on the rules of the game, which lead to more players being brutally eliminated.

Lesson: Panicking is not a mindful response to a challenge

When we’re faced with stressful situations, we can transform our anxiety into courage and confidence to overcome the challenge. We don’t need to get nervous for passing our final exams, or feeling burned out at work if we simply stay focused and determined.

2) Sugar Honeycomb – Success is not rushed

Using a needle, cut out the shape in a honeycomb to a circle, triangle, star or umbrella. If the honeycomb breaks or cracks, the player gets brutally eliminated.

In order to win this game, the player needs to be patient and smart. The shape needs to be done before the time runs out. If you get stressed because others finish before you, it could lead to you breaking the honeycomb and being eliminated.

Lesson: Don’t compare yourself to others – you achieve success at your own pace

We tend to compare our lives to that of our friends, classmates and colleagues; your friend got married before you, the girl you hate in your class got A+ and you got a B-, your colleague Joe got a promotion and you didn’t… This way of thinking will not bring you any success, it’ll just lead to catastrophic actions. Instead, accept that your efforts and hard work will pay off when the time is right.

3) Tug of War – Everyone is talented

In groups of 10, pull the rope along with the players of the opposite team to your side until the flag crosses over the centerline. The losing team is killed by gunshots.

The teams were divided into a team of all men and a team of 3 women and 1 old man. Although the former had more power, the latter was the winning team. Using an intelligent strategy,the winning team outsmarted the losing team.

Lesson: All of us are gifted in our own unique way

Everyone has their own talent, ability and purpose in life. We need to recognize our capacity and develop our skills. Then, we can express our strengths to compensate for someone else’s weakness. We can all be successful if we cherish each other’s uniqueness and lift each other up instead of stepping down on one another.

4) Marbles – Treachery is your own enemy

Take all the marbles from your partner in 30 minutes, by all means necessary. The player who is left with no marbles will be killed.

In this game we witness betrayal and dishonesty amongst partners, where one tries to benefit from the weakness of another for their personal gain.

Lesson: Betrayal and dishonesty leads to your own failure

Some people betray others just to get what they want. We find betrayal everywhere; amongst friends, family, corporations, in politics etc. To trade your values for material gain will only lead to your own destruction. Instead of burning bridges think about connecting your consciousness with others.Selfishness, deception and betrayal are tools that you use to dig your own grave.

5) Glass Bridge – Being last isn’t bad

Players have to cross the glass bridge; one is tampered and one is normal glass. When stepping on normal glass it will break and the player falls down and dies.

Lesson:Getting left behind does not mean you’re unaccomplished

Don’t think you’re doing slow in life because others have finished something before you. Some people need more time to reach a goal, and that doesn’t make them dumb or weak. Graduating later than your classmates is still an accomplishment. Finding love at 40 is still happiness. Building a business at 50 is still successful. Those ahead of you could fail first, and you can learn from their mistakes while being better prepared and experienced.

6) The Squid Game – The journey is the destination

In the final round, players need to eliminate one another using any tricks they want in order to win the 45.6 billion won. The offense must step inside the squid’s head by running through the defense, who would do anything to prevent the offense from reaching the touchline. In this finale, two best friends had come up against each other, one would win, the other would die. The player who eventually won the game, might have received the big money prize and played by the rules, but in the end he is the real loser – he lost everything in his life, including his best friend. Now, he must live with the consequences of what he has done to win the game.

Lesson:The path you take to succeed is more important than the success

Towards the end of the series, we learned that the game itself was a lesson. Similarly, life itself is a lesson. Our experiences, wisdom and moral acts are invaluable to our existence. By being morally responsible people, not only will we succeed individually but also collectively. The positive attribute of kindness to others should not be seen as weakness or expressed as ignorance. We must always remember to keep our guards up, use our intellect and protect ourselves from any harm.

We should also grasp the idea that life is not a competition, and we are not here to compare ourselves to others. Everyone experiences life in a unique way, so we must cherish that, but also keep in mind that we’re not separate from one another, we are a whole. Resonating in this way, lets every individual reach their highest potential in life, and collectively, people construct stronger bonds to succeed together.

Bonus lesson:

All players who participated in the life-threatening game were indebted, which is the common reason why they got themselves in this dangerous game in the first place. This invaluable lesson teaches us that preparedness can help us avoid risky situations. Managing your resources and prioritizing your tasks will take you far. Some real-life examples of this are; preparing in advance for your school exams, managing your time so you don’t feel overwhelmed at work, and prioritizing your daily activities.

Recap: Squid Game lessons to learn

• 1. Panic vs Determination - Panicking is not a mindful response to a challenge.
• 2. Success is not rushed - Don’t compare yourself to others – you achieve success at your own pace.
• 3. Everyone is talented - All of us are gifted in our own unique way.
• 4. Treachery is your own enemy - Betrayal and dishonesty leads to your own failure.
• 5. Being last isn’t bad - Getting left behind does not mean you’re unaccomplished.
• 6. The Journey is the destination - The path you take to succeed is more important than the success.

What more lessons did you learn from the series?

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