“Love Yourself”

"Looking back, that’s when I began to worry about what other people thought of me and started seeing myself through their eyes. I stopped looking up at the stars at night. I stopped daydreaming. I tried to jam myself into moulds that other people made. Soon, I began to shut out my own voice and started to listen to the voices of others. No one called out my name, and neither did I.

My heart stopped and my eyes closed shut. So, like this, I, we, all lost our names. We became like ghosts... I had one sanctuary, and that was music. There was a small voice in me that said, ’Wake up, man, and listen to yourself!” But it took me a long time to hear music calling my name.

Maybe I made a mistake yesterday, but yesterday’s me is still me. I am who I am today, with all my faults. Tomorrow I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that’s me, too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I was, who I am, and who I hope to become... I would like to say one last thing... So, let’s all take one more step. We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to “speak yourself."

I would like to ask all of you. What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin colour, gender identity: speak yourself.

I have many faults and I have many fears, but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I’m starting to love myself, little by little.

What is your name? Speak Yourself!"

This long quote came from a speech Kim Nam Joon gave at the UN General Assembly September 24, 2018. He spoke about their album "Love Yourself" and the meaning behind it.

Maybe it was the sincerity he spoke with or maybe it was the truth that rang in it but it seeped into my heart and stays there every day, reminding me that, although I may mess up one day, it doesn't matter because tomorrow, I'll be better because of it.

I don't really know how to express how this makes me feel. I don't think words can describe the kind of belonging they've given me to when I couldn't belong or the warmth that slipped over me as their songs played in my ears. I can't explain the love that fills my chest when I see them succeeding at their dreams.

But they've given me a dream... whether it be to do this or that or be here or there, I have promised to always love myself and most importantly, speak myself. Because being silent will never help me. I need to stand up, make myself clear, and hold strong to my beliefs and convictions even if everyone else goes against me.

Because I've learned to love myself and I am continuing to learn.

#OurPresident #PresidentNamjoon