• Mikey Ryu
• April 24, 2024
• 0

The Cost Of Self-Improvement – Lessons From Media

Throughout our lives media and the people around us all talk about how great it will be if you become the best version of yourself, they all talk about how you could do this and that but no one mentions what you have to sacrifice to achieve these things. In this blog, we will dive deep into the cost of self-improvement by using familiar media such as Chugong’s Solo Levelling:

The “Job Change” Quest:

While many people see shows, books or video games as a way to “waste” time there are many things that go into making them and things that you can implement into your life. Solo Leveling is a prime example of how media can show many what to do. During the job change quest, we see Sun Jin Woo go through many different challenges fighting knights with strong armour, and stealthy assassins that can disappear without a trace, to which he replies “It feels like I’m revisiting old battles” it was this one line that made me think at what the show was getting at:

The Armour:

The armoured knights represent the instance dungeon that sun jin woo fought at the beginning of his self-improvement journey. It serves as the first hurdle and a test of his resolve and willpower. This shows the start it’s meant to be used as a sign of reflection to show one how far they’ve come.

The Mages:

This is a link to the people he had to “lose” during the first C-rank dungeon he went through. It shows that by becoming the best person we can, we leave those unwilling behind.

The Assasins:

This represents the unseen and the fight he had with the higher-ranking hunter. This fight represents the other side of self-improvement it’s the time frame when those who knew you begin to notice the effort you’re putting in.

Igris – The Knight who protects an empty throne:

This Knight not only represents what started it all but also what is stopping him from getting further. You see, the knight represents the beginning of the journey and what he has to go through to become something greater. Sun Jin Woo Says it himself, “This feeling, it feels just like that day”, the feeling of despair of being weak. It’s in this moment that the main character has to face everything he thought was behind him, in the past. Because to grow one must accept where they came from. The Empty Throne represents what our habits were leading us…to an empty throne.

The Takeaway:

Self-improvement is a process, not a result, and one day to continue you will have to face the beginning again and fight it to achieve.

The Cost Of Self-Improvement:

While it may be hard to understand, the one thing stopping you from becoming greater is yourself. The cost of your improvement is the you in the present, the one wishing for the improvement. So It’s time for you to take on your “job-change” quest and begin the second part of your “solo levelling” journey.

Good Luck and See you in the next blog!