Self-actualisation Through Work and Empathy

If there was a series that was as multi-faceted as "Start-Up", many of us today would be a part of revolutionising the world in our own idiosyncratic ways. Start-Up was somehow life-changing for me: the way in which is represented aspects of our life in such a realistic, touching fashion moved something deep within me. The colourful simplicity of this show was a breath of fresh air in difficult times. I would fully recommend that everyone watch this show as it has a gift for everyone; not a materialistic possession, rather something that will take its place deep within you. An inner motivation to achieve and create value, for yourself and the dear ones around you.

The primary reason this show is so treasured in my heart is because it helped me realise what it actually means to make a living. It does not equate to a gruelling day of monotony at a desk job, neither is it equivalent to manual hard labour. Instead, the act of making a living is to transcend value, by virtue of empathy and concern. Such is the world of start-ups themselves: a collective of minds, filled to the rim with innovative ideas and a passion to provide. In the show, a technological incubator by the name of "Sand-Box" gathers passionate start-ups to actualise their dreams by funding them and providing them with opportunities. It is a realm of little politics and greater excitement to revolutionise; a space filled with healthy competition and a good lack of unethical and harsh realities of systems like monopoly and unhealthy capitalism. Witnessing a system like "Sand'-Box" come to life, offering a place for anyone who is willing to work with dedication and grit to provide for the rest of the world was incredibly inspiring for two reasons. One being that an influential, wealthy individual is actively willing to invest in a project so selfless, that will continue to only catalyse the growth of our world. Furthermore, this individual is doing so at the expense of their own hard-earned wealth and ultimately, no personal gain in finality - this offers more faith for humanity itself. The second reason why an initiative like this one is deeply touching is for similar reasons, except with a different set of people: the entrepreneurs. There are a collective of humans who would like to change the world for the greater good, with no monetary greed driving them nor the toxic nature of fame motivating them. Ultimately, this collective wishes to provide to the disadvantaged and the truly needy. If this does not offer more hope for the future of humanity, little else does.

This show managed to both downplay and portray the importance of money, for the right reasons. This is truly important in our world today where monetary value is overvalued and prioritised over many other humane aspects such as health, relationships and happiness. Money, despite simply only being a medium of exchange, has become a source of vile behaviour and widespread sorrow. The show focuses on the importance of money within an entrepreneurship setting and specifically explores how the importance placed on money should be regulated and carefully segregated. An intelligent investor Han Ji-Pyeong (played by the wonderful Kim Seon-Ho) solely only values the monetary yields of a firm rather than opening his eyes to the broader world beyond paper notes: he fails at first, to recognise the impact of a firm beyond their sales revenue and profits. However, as the story progresses and his dear one begins to have her health being taken away from her, and a potential start-up could change her life, he realises how much entrepreneurship goes beyond unideal capitalistic values (of prioritising profit). His realisation mirrored my own as it helped me discover the nature of the human race: we only comprehend the value of something as we get closer to losing it.

On the contrary to what seems like a stone-cold investor, are the two passionate and deeply empathetic protagonists of Start-Up: Dalmi (Bae Suzy) And Dosan (Nam Joo-Hyuk). If every firm was run by individuals like these, it would be a better world to live in as the true essence of capitalism would be revitalised and manifested into a true sense of creating value rather than money. Empathy, or emotion in a broader sense, is disbarred in the realm of entrepreneurship. It is viewed as hindering the process of earning money - say, rather than investing in profitable business, you would rather expend on establishing a non-profit or NGO. However, in today's world, it is these very companies who put less importance on money and more on value, which have made a difference in our world today. Those entrepreneurs who have used money to achieve and create for the world, are the ones who place customer satisfaction on a higher pedestal and monetary profit. This show also brought another aspect of the nature of these companies: they are often driven by an individual(s) who has witnessed a loss and hence, is driven by the very loss to overcome it for other people. That's the beautiful irony of the reality of characters like Dalmi and Dosan. Dalmi lost her father to his intense passion to be a bread-winner for his own family and currently, faces her own grandmother losing her sense of sight, and so, she has a fire ignited within her to accomplish for her family. Similarly, Dosan who is constantly undermined by his family for earning no money despite being a high IQ individual, lowers his self-esteem to the point where he has no confidence in himself. Upon being handed a business to contribute to the success of, both these characters strive to claim what they have lost and if not, to at least help others achieve what they could not. From thereon, began their company which used AI to help the visually impaired find their way around their day-to-day lives.

Having said numerous things pro-entrepreneurship, I would like to say that not everyone has to nor should want to establish their own firm. Ultimately, starting your business entails various factors which you may or may not want handed to you: including, the handling of money. Despite having villainsed money, I would like to state how important money is to get started in a business. However, the point at which it becomes and obsessive toxic conquest is where a line must be drawn. Not everyone should start their own business because if everyone did, there would be no one to work for another. Working for another is often seen as discouraged however, if you think about it deeper - if your vision aligns with the firm you work with, what better way is there to provide? Moreover, without the excess burden of handling beyond what you desire.

This show underlined a few of the thought-provoking aspects I stated above, which completely dynamize the picture of what entrepreneurship meant in my own mind. It expanded the rigid, stagnant box in which I had placed entrepreneurship - simply a money-making machine - into a beautiful world which can be fuelled by empathy to make this dark world a slightly better place.

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Thank you for making it to the end of this read. I hope you derived something that you can remember for a long time and if you did, a comment would be loved. I would like to continue to articulate how much this show means to me - not only the life lessons and thought-provoking questions it yielded, but also how much of a delight it was to watch aesthetically, with compelling characters and a refreshing sense of realism.