Squid Game

Squid game is the number one Netflix series in the Philippines this week. Out of curiosity, I watched it. It is a series about how people survive games and in each game, there are persons who could be eliminated by death and a big amount of money is to be won by the last man standing. The characters in the series really face a lot of problems that could be solved by money.
Upon watching the series, aside from enjoying the thrill of it, I learned a lot of life lessons. Here are some of my takeaways from the Squid Game series:
Gamble. Our life is like a gamble; whether we trust ourselves for our bets or nothing. We can’t trust anyone in this world, except ourselves. When a problem arises, the only one who we can trust is ourselves. It is a bitter truth but we need to face the fact that we live in a world where the fittest is the one who survives. Like a student facing the online classes, the only person he can trust now is himself. Despite the sudden shift of learning approach, it is his trust in himself that he can surpass any challenges and finish his studies. It is the trust in ourselves that whatever happens, we will stick to our bets and that bet is to win against all the odds that we face.
Ace of this world is not money but fulfillment. Money could really blind a person. We could really see this in our real life situation. But, the series made me realize that a poor person has one similarity with a rich person, they both don’t know what to do with money. A poor person may bet all his money into gambling wishing that he could have more, on the other hand, a rich person may buy all the things that he want but the fulfillment never comes. It is not true that money could make the world go round because we may live with or without money, but we can’t sleep peacefully if the fulfillment in everything that we do is not there.
Mankind is reflected by the kindness we give to others and to ourselves. Kindness is everywhere to see, if you can’t have it, give it. We may live in a world where the first thing we need to think about is how we can survive but that should not be the sole focus. Do small acts of kindness, it might be small but it will surely stay in the hearts and minds of the people we helped. I thought kindness is just like helping other people, but the movie series made me realize that kindness must also be given to our selves. It is our kindness in ourselves that we may have the courage to continuously stand up and continue what we have started for ourselves. We might fail or commit mistakes but with kindness we know that we can be better or even the best.
Enjoyment and happiness could be seen in the face of all the people we meet every day, we just need to appreciate it. The world we live in is a bit harsh, but, like a game, we should live and enjoy it. Every person that we meet has a purpose or a lesson that we can learn upon. Every story of a person that we encounter has something that could make us stronger and wiser. Enjoy the things that we do, we might win or lose everything, but, at least we enjoyed and had fun.
As we face and conquer this pandemic, it is nice to watch and reflect on this kind of series. We may be disappointed or be happy on how it might end, but one thing is for sure: We can always learn from it. Living life in these circumstances is like living the life in the game. May this series remind us that life is like a game – a tough one, but, so are you. (RUTH ANN D. ROMERO)