What is my true self? Can’t I be more confident of who I am now? Let me trust myself
Korea marked its first Youth Day last September 19, and what would the event be without Korea’s most popular youth group, BTS?
As the audience led by President Moon Jae-in listened—this was before the Korean leader himself gave an emphatic but detailed speech—the seven-member group gave an inspiring speech addressed to the youth of Korea, basically addressed to young people everywhere.
“Today, we want to send a message to the young people who will be stars of the future,” said RM, the leader of the group. “I want to send a word of encouragement to all the young people of Korea who continue to pioneer new frontiers and live their lives to the fullest in all parts of the world,” RM added.
Each of the BTS members had his moment. Here are some of the memorable quotes from their speeches:
RM
“I’d like to tell the story of certain seven young men who are living dramatic roller-coaster lives. If you are facing hardship in your life, I hope you will draw some strength from our story.”
J-hope
“The path BTS was walking on became wider, brighter. We saw the happy faces of our fans, and we thought things will always be great. But just as we were showered with love and attention beyond our expectations, our shadows became longer and heavier. It began to press on our hearts that had only love for music.”
Suga
“Seven years ago when we debuted, BTS armed ourselves with drive, hubris, passion and grit. To walk a path where nothing could be predicted. We wanted to succeed more than anyone. Debuting under a small company and facing hardships and worries, we went on, sometimes recklessly, hardheaded, working hard and never looking back. We didn’t know what to do, but we kept telling ourselves, that this too shall pass, that these will become fond memories.”
Jimin
“It seems we ran without stopping; that we worked hard, but for a long time we were stuck. People who were by our side and helping us said, ‘We can’t understand everything but we’re heartbroken too. Let’s get through this together.’ These warm words gave us strength to young men without direction; they were a guiding light.”
Jin
“Just past twenty, I had to battle with another reality: Before our debut, I thought hard work would be enough; but after our debut, I needed talent more than effort. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t catch up with the others, and my self-confidence was hit hard. But I suddenly came to realize something, ‘What is my true self? Can’t I be more confident of who I am now? Let me trust myself.’”
V
“I think we were tired in both spirit and body. I didn’t know where I was going; wondering if this amazing path was really what I wanted. I felt I lost sight of my goal. I wasn’t happy, and I felt emptiness seeping through. I tried so hard to pull myself out of this emotional quagmire. Be honest to myself. Feel each emotion and let them out.”
Jung Kook
“Serendipitously, we all decided to try again. Our thoughts were on our members and fans. We started on an empty road, and now we’ve become each other’s posts. Thankful for being together, wanted to help each other. These made us realize naturally what we had to do. We wouldn’t have come this far if we walked alone. We wouldn’t have danced and sang and enjoyed our journey.”
Watch the entire event here:
