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| Photo by Author |
"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage."
As soon as those words appeared on the darkened screen, the only other thing that I saw was the sight of someone weeping.
For this Mental Health Awareness Month, the Features Team of UST-CASA Chronicle will share their favorite pieces of media that have continuously comforted them through the more difficult and stressful moments of their lives. Ranging from films and TV shows to songs, games, novels, and everything in between, these are the works that give them a sense of security to just sit back, relax, and heal their mental states.
To start the series off, I share with you readers one of the songs that I always listen to when I am down in the dumps. Released all the way back on March 7, 2018, and having its own music video on March 25 of the same year, Hwasa’s Be Calm (덤덤해지네) is an easy-to-listen-to melodious song accompanied only by a few strings, a piano, and her soulful voice that tells a personal story of her own struggles on life.
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| Photo by RBW Entertainment |
Initially, this song was something I was not interested in fully listening to, even after it was featured as the outro for MAMAMOO's title track “Starry Night” for their 6th EP, “Yellow Flower” as this was the time I was still slowly getting into them. It wasn’t until the release of its music video did I realize how much it would be such an integral part of my life.
The music video wasn’t anything fancy, just a few shots of the mundane life over there, and yet the simplicity captured in every moment highlighted the intricacies of what the song was trying to portray. Be Calm is a song that expresses how your sad feelings become numb as life goes on. According to a showcase interview, Hwasa wrote the song to comfort people who are experiencing those feelings of numbness.
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| Photo by RBW Entertainment |
Truly a departure from the strong image Hwasa is often portrayed and seen as. However, that’s part of the reason why this song is so special to me. It makes me feel vulnerable, not in a bad way, but in a way that feels like one can be freed from the worries at least for a while. You’re stripped of these worries as you float along the rhythm of the music.
The lyrics of the song also are something else to commend. The first few lines that open the song deal with how you can’t really run away from your problems:
Try covering the sky with your palm of your hand
Does it cover it? Oh no no no
Try saying you’re fine when you you’re lonely
Do you really become fine? Oh no no no
At the same time, these kinds of problems are inevitable and will always happen because life is constantly moving forward. You cannot run away from this, but time will surely move forward to heal you. Like the flowers that will always bloom when spring arrives, it will always happen and it is up to us whether or not we choose to let time pass us by or raise ourselves up and follow the course of the seasons.
However, the most heartbreaking line for me has got to be the last one you see. At the end of the music video, the words "Sometimes even to live is an act of courage" appears on the screen. Seeing that made me realize a lot of things in my life because leading up to this song were a bunch of personal hardships that plagued my mind. It wasn’t until the screen faded black that I knew what was going on. It took some time for me to absorb everything the song was trying to convey, but by the end, it was as if a faucet had been turned.
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| Photo by RBW Entertainment |
Even with the writing of this very own article, I am listening to this very song and I am feeling a sense of comfort that everything will be okay and time will definitely pass along with my worries. I was overthinking many things that bothered me, but as soon as this song played, it was as if everything had been washed away like a wave that swept you along the shore.
I came to see and feel that life is worth living for the people around you; life is worth living for the mundane things, and life is worth living because you are living right now. The very act of you going through life means you’re still fighting, and truly, living that very life is an act of courage that you have accomplished.
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