Decoding destiny, BTS and ‘Arirang’

Pause for Thought on the Sara Cox Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2
Decoding destiny, BTS and ‘Arirang’

Transcript:

Sara, the same day you launched your big Breakfast gig, I launched myself to a big BTS gig in London. Who knew 7 men from Korea would give me so much joy. But here I was, unbridled, joining an army of fans aged from young to a hundred, with my own group of mates wearing hijabs and hanboks (or traditional Korean dress) among us. Finally, we were about to go wild watching the superstars on their electric world tour post military service.

BTS named their comeback album after a Korean folk song – Arirang. No-one knows the true meaning of Arirang, so it’s been interpreted in different ways over the years – whether it means hope, belonging, enduring love, or resilience, it’s a song that can take on whatever you choose.

When I was young, green and carefree, I used to dream so much more. In my 20s, I used to dream that love was so close that destiny would walk towards me without me even taking a step. But I ended up desperately running through the streets trying to find it.

I used to dream that when I reached my forties, I’d be so sure of myself and shake off feeling like an imposter, but Uncertainty and Doubt, like two watchmen, still stand guard on each side.

My dreams haven’t turned out how I expected, but I’ve tried to find new routes in my realities. Instead of seeing fate as cruel, perhaps my heart was meant to sink so I could seek out ways to keep rising. Instead of seeing doubt plunge me underwater, perhaps it gave me the strength to swim forward. 

As with the Korean folk song, I reckon I need to make my own meaning. I want to decode each challenge in a way that doesn’t pull me down, but steers me in a better direction.

As the medieval Muslim poet, scholar and sage, Rumi, says, “Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.”

I am ready to unfold my own myth. I want to claim my own power, tell my own truths, whatever crashing waves may come, like BTS tells me, I’ll keep swimming.

Listen here: Pause for Thought on the Sara Cox Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2