A collection of selective quotes by Bangtan on international forums.
Please note, all text collected is based on content coverage (themes and ideas).
The proportion based on the respective speakers was not taken into account.
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All quotes are extracted from speeches and transcripts linked here.
⫸ 2021: 76th United Nations General Assembly
There were times during the past two years when I too felt bewildered and troubled, but still, we had people who cried out “let’s live on, let’s make the best of this moment.”
We are in the ideal time of our lives to take on new challenges. It wasn’t as if you could blame anyone. You must have felt the frustration… the world changed like if we were transported in a flash to a parallel one.
It was a time for us to mourn, for the things that COVID19 took away from us, a time to discover how precious each and every moment we had taken for granted was.
Maybe because we feel an encroaching sense of dread that our time on this earth is limited, we just talked about the things we mourn.
I learned that there are many young people interested in environmental issues and choose it as their field of study.
The future is unexplored territory, and that’s where we more than anyone will spend our time. And they are searching for the answers.
I hope we just don’t consider the future as grim darkness. We have people concerned for the world and searching for answers. There are still many pages left in the story about us and I feel like we shouldn’t talk like the ending has already been written.
Sometimes it feels like the world is stuck in place. It feels like if you’ve lost your way. There was a time when we felt the same way.
I’ve heard that people in their teens and 20’s today are being referred to as Covid’s lost generation. That they lost their way at the time they needed the most opportunities…but I think it’s a stretch to say they’re lost.
We have many who are… trying to learn new things… They are not lost, they are finding new courage and taking on new challenges.
Instead of the lost generation, a more appropriate name would be the ‘welcome’ generation because instead of fearing change, this generation says “welcome” and keeps pushing ahead.
If we believe in possibilities and hope, even when the unexpected happens we won’t lose our way, but discover a new one.
There will be choices we make that might not be perfect but that does not mean there won’t be anything we can do.
What is important are the choices we make, when we’re faced with change. Right?
I hope we can fill each of our days to the brim with positive energy.
We thought the world stopped but it continues to move forward, I believe that every choice that we make is the beginning of change, not the end. I hope that in this… new world we can say to each other: “Welcome”.
⫸ 2020: 75th United Nations General Assembly
Thinking about the future and trying hard are all important. But cherishing yourself, encouraging yourself, and keeping yourself happy is the most important.
In a world of uncertainty, we must cherish the importance of “me,” “you” and “us”.
That’s the message of “Love Myself”.
Our tomorrow may be dark, painful, difficult. We might stumble or fall down.
Stars shine brightest when the night is darkest. If the stars are hidden, we’ll let moonlight guide us.
If even the moon is dark, let our faces be the light that helps us find our way.
Let’s Reimagine our world. We’re huddled together tired, but let’s dream again.
Let’s dream about a future when our worlds can break out of our small rooms again.
It might feel like it’s always night and we’ll always be alone. But the night is always darkest before the first light of dawn.
⫸ 2020: Commencement for Class of 2020
If any of you feels lost in the face of uncertainty, or the pressure of starting anew, don’t rush. Take a deep breath. You may find that any moment can be turned into opportunity. Allow yourself to take it easy. Take it one step at a time. You might discover the important things you were missing, and they will reach out to you.
The end and beginning, beginning and end are connected. There are some things you can only do in isolation, such as focusing only on myself and breaking my own barriers. One small person can dream the biggest dream, paint the largest picture, and make endless possibilities come true.
Take your hands off what you can’t control, and get your hands on what you can change. As you and I continue on in life, we will find ourselves in so many situations out of our grasp. The only thing we can control is ourselves. Get your hands on the changes you can make., because your possibilities are limitless.
Sometimes, my mind is bleached white, and I can hardly take another step forward. It’s a regular occurrence as I work. At these times, I think, ‘just this once. Just this once,’ and I pick myself back up. I decide to trust myself. The next attempt might not be perfect, but the second is better than the first, and the third is even better than the second. And that is the moment I decide, ‘I’m glad I chose not to give up.’ There will be times in your life when you question your own decisions, whether it be about your major or your profession, whether you have made the right choice, whether you are doing well or walking the path of failure. And when you do, remember: You are the leader of your own life, and chant it over and over again. ‘I can do it. You got it. I can do it well. I can do it better than anybody.’ Like this.
If there is anyone out there who cannot see where they should go from here forth, I urge you to listen to your heart. Things may feel a little difficult right now, but somewhere out there, luck and opportunity is waiting for you. I believe that.
In our hearts, and in the time that we break out of ourselves, we’re alone but also together. I know your future will bloom to something much bigger and magnificent.
⫸ 2018: 73rd United Nations General Assembly
My heart stopped…I was maybe nine or ten. 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.
I’m sure that I, and we, will keep stumbling and falling. 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.
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. Find your name, find your voice by speaking yourself.
Like most people, I made many mistakes in my life. 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!
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