BTS Leader RM’s Letter To ARMYs Can Redefine Our Understanding Of Love
The South Korean rapper’s recent message for his fans (and book recommendation) is a must-read for romantics...
Countless poems and tales have been written to unravel the complex emotion of love. K-pop supergroup BTS’ leader RM, AKA Kim Namjoon, attempted to try it recently through his letter to his fans.
The South Korean rapper took to Weverse to share one of his regular letters to ARMYs. In the letter, he gave an update on his ongoing military service and what he had been up to. As he has in the past, RM also decided to recommend a book he had been reading recently to the readers.
“Lately, I’ve been reading The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm, which I had put off for a while. But the art of loving—what kind of concept is that? Does it even make sense to try to love?,” he wrote. “We practice and train dozens, even hundreds of times to draw well, to play the guitar well, to study well. But when it comes to love—the most important thing in life—why do we expect to just do it, without any practice or training? That mindset of wanting things to come easily! (sic).”
The rapper, who has written some of the most poignant and complex lyrics about love and relationships for his solo and BTS’ discography, continues to ponder over the concept of loving. “In modern society, love has been portrayed as nothing more than intense emotions and dramatic moments by media and capitalism, but in truth, love requires solemn resolve, commitment, and determination. Love has many types, many temperatures, many expressions. For those of us who exist in one-to-many or many-to-one relationships rather than one-on-one—where do we stand? (sic).”
The Art of Loving by the German-American psychoanalyst and social philosopher was published in 1956. In the book, Erich Fromm criticises the popular notions of love. He argues that love, rather than a sentiment, is an artistic practice. Any attempt to love another will fail if they do not commit their total personality to learning and practice loving.
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You can take a cue from RM and pick up the book yourself to understand more about where the author was coming from. However, the rapper warns in his letter, “It’s been over 50 years since it was published, so there are some outdated ideas, though.” So, read it at your discretion!