The Changing Landscape of Passion in the Entertainment Industry

In the past, I often spoke to my juniors about the importance of 'passion.' During my time, we were taught that success in any endeavor required a strong sense of enthusiasm, and those without it were often dismissed as useless, much like an electric razor without power. Back then, working through sleepless nights, volunteering without pay, and expressing gratitude even in tough situations were all seen as signs of passion.

However, these days, I find it difficult to share the same message about passion with my juniors. It seems that those who are overly passionate often burn out quickly, and encountering someone with excessive enthusiasm can feel overwhelming. Observing successful individuals in society, I sometimes think, 'They didn’t just luck into that position,' but I also realize that graduating from a prestigious school and having a lot of passion doesn’t guarantee a high-ranking position. This realization makes it hard for me to encourage my juniors to fuel their passion.

In this rapidly changing world, I also hesitate to advise them to 'look far ahead.' In the past, trends would shift every six months or seasonally, but now they can change monthly, or even bi-weekly. What was considered 'the latest trend' last week can quickly become outdated, and discussing it in public might lead to comments like, 'That’s so last week!'

Moreover, with the rise of real-time updates on platforms like YouTube, we live in an era where we can instantly witness events happening across the globe. In such a fast-paced environment, relying on old tricks doesn’t work, and focusing too far ahead might cause one to miss current trends altogether, making it difficult to advise others to 'look far ahead.'

Similarly, I can’t encourage them to 'look closely' either. While I want to stress the importance of starting from the ground up to understand a field, the reality is that the foundational aspects of many industries can be quite grimy. I worry that if they look too closely, they might become disillusioned, which makes it hard for me to suggest they 'look closely.'

As a senior, I aspire to be a role model for my juniors, but navigating life is undeniably challenging.