You find inspiration, where you are least expecting
What can you learn about life from the Korean TV Series?
While I was in studying, I used to spend my time watching TV series, mostly Japanese. One day I stumbled upon a Korean TV series named Misaeng: Incomplete Life. I recommend this series to anyone who is having a bad day and struggling to make it through their lives.
Misaeng is the story of a boy named Jang Geu-Rae, played by I'm Si-Wan. Jang Geu-Rae is a go(board game) player who has been practicing the game ever since he was a child. Go is a board game that was invented in China 2500 years ago and it is a widely popular game in East Asia.
For some reason, Jang Gun-Rae has to drop his dream of becoming a professional Go player and start working in the corporate world. He has only got a high school equivalency exam on his resume but through some connections, he can get into the internship program of One International, a multinational trading company.
The story is about how Jang Gun-Rae faces and solves many problems to make his way into the corporate world.
Misaeng has been rated as follows i) IMDB: 8.6 ii) MyDramaList: 8.4
Why you should watch Misaeng: Incomplete Life?
Misaeng provides you an insight into what life is like in a South Korean corporation. The struggles people have to go through to reach the top are portrayed very well. Although, the story’s plot is about Jang Gun-Rae, there are other interesting characters with varied personalities working in One International. This show gives you a view of Korean corporate life through the perspectives of different natured characters.
Back in the days when I was studying in college, I was not able to relate well to corporate life but now that I work for a corporation, I can relate to things quite well.
We grew up with a perception that to do well in life you have to be good at studies. Korea is one of the toughest places on earth in terms of academics. The same mindset is what people carry from their academics to the occupation.
How often do we fail to acknowledge the geniuses amongst us that are different from the mass? In an era where society tries to produce machines that work like humans and humans that work like machines, there are people different from the rest, with their unique skills and minds. Jang Gun-Rae is a Go player who will use the principles he learned throughout his lifetime of practice to participate and excel in the ruthless corporate world of Korea.
The principles of life you can learn from a board game
Most people fail to realize that it’s the little things in life that make up the big things. The way you perform a small task is the same way that you are going to do something big. Similarly, the same principles that are applied in a board game can be applied across life.
Let me present some of the principles I learned about Go through Jang Gun-Rae:
1. Bad Intention
“There is no such thing as just that. Every attack needs to be planned.”
“There is never such a thing as a bad move. The reason you make bad moves is that you failed to see the intention behind the moves.”
On making a bad decision, we are worried that it might impact us badly but we must understand that we failed to see the intentions and make sure to learn from the experience.
2. The power of a Clever Move
“Clever moves are what you do when things don’t go as expected. These are the moves that can decide the fate of a game. One that commands these clever moves is the one who holds the upper hand.”
Similarly, there are situations in life where you can apply clever moves whenever you are stuck at something. One must be calm enough and think through any situation to be able to find that clever move. There are millionaires and billionaires in this world who were able to find their clever moves and breakthrough to become what they are today.
3. The meaning of courage
“Jumping down a bridge doesn’t mean you are courageous. Ignoring the path that makes you jump down requires courage too. It’s not smart to respond immediately when there is trouble”
Often the meaning of courage is misunderstood. Something that requires you to face your fear and make the best decision requires courage as well. Making the best decision doesn't necessarily mean facing something head-on all the time.
4. Your health is your number one priority
“If you wish to accomplish something, health should be your priority. The reason you lag behind, the reason you recover slowly from damage and the reason a mistake affects you for a long time is that your health is not at its best. When you are unfit, you want to be comfortable and you lose patience. Then you become tired, you don’t care about victories. If you want to win, your body should be able to withstand your challenges”
Willpower is nothing if you don’t have physical health. A study done by Harvard Medical School suggests that regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory and thinking skills. Exercise is something the Shaolin monks have been doing for millennials to improve their minds and body, as a study suggests. You don’t have to be a monk, you can just incorporate little changes in your daily routines and embrace the results that follow.
5. The importance of adaptation
“Why someone is not improving? When someone is too hung up on previous rules and examples. Learning and studying are necessary but a game does not only survive through unchanging rules. Breaking through the rules, breaking a formality, being radical. You can never excel if you don’t break a formality.”
There was a quote I read in this book ‘What I wish I knew when I was 20’. The quote said that rules are meant to bind those who are weak at heart. The ones who excel are the ones that know when to break a rule if necessary.
Darwin’s theory backs the concept of adaptation as a necessary means for a species’ survival.
The ones that don’t evolve with time are the ones that go extinct. This is nature’s law. One must be open to changes.
Bonus Quotes
Let me mention some of the notable quotes from Misaeng that portray things that are necessary in the real world.
- “There is no success. There are only doors we open in a game”
- “One v/s many or one to one, a pro always wins them all.”
- “The world is full of people that want to be seen. However, the winners and losers are easily determined. Either they attack or they retreat”.
- “Every stone is at war and every moment is precious. Doing your best in every move makes victory possible. Missing the moment means missing the whole and eventually failure”.
- “In a game, everything goes forward, even if it means hell at the end of it.”
If you are interested to watch Misaeng: Incomplete Life, it is available on Netflix.
If you like my observations, here’s one more article about some of the inspiring lessons you can find in a Japanese sports anime.
Thank you for reading.
