
Recently, online media outlets like Star News, BNT News, Hankyung, TV Report, and others decided to collaborate for a suicide prevention campaign called “A Beautiful Korea Living Together”.
-Have you ever thought about suicide?
▶I was sad and upset for the people who unfortunately turned their backs on the world. Suicide is something that leaves everyone with scars, so I believe it’s something that shouldn’t happen at all.
-There must have been many instances when you felt worn out due to many circumstances, when were those moments of agony and how did you overcome them?
▶I think everyone, no matter who they are, fights with loneliness and has troubles on his or her mind that are hard to bear. There must be a heavy burden that only I can bear as we live life. But that doesn’t depend on whether or not the environment that one lives in is good or bad, I think it’s pain that everyone experiences and has. In that sense, there are often times when I have troubles on my mind and when I’m sad. The way I overcome it all is to love the world I’m living in right now and my work, and I gain strength from valuing my loving members and family. And of course, I gain strength from our fans as well. I try to live every day feeling thankful for what I have.
-What did it feel like when you heard about celebrities committing suicide?
▶Hearing such news about colleagues and seniors was a huge blow to me and it was a reality that I couldn’t believe was true. It left me distressed.
-Are there any celebrities you know who are suffering from depression?
▶I don’t know. I heard that depression isn’t when someone shows it on the outside, but it’s when someone is bright around other people but is depressed when he or she’s alone. We should take care of those who try so hard to act happy and bright in front of others more than those who say, “I’m depressed.” Also, as the eldest in our group, I think I should take care of the mental welfare of our members more than that of other colleagues.
-What advice would you give if your fans were having such a hard time that they were considering suicide?
▶I believe that if someone is our fan, they would never think about committing suicide. Because I think that listening to our songs will make them happier and make the depression disappear. ‘The Boy’s Letter’ and ‘You’re’ in our new album are songs that we wrote for our fans. I’d like them to listen to these songs when they feel depressed and lonely and be comforted by them. Because we connect with each other in our music. And if they think about the most precious people in their lives right now, and value even the small things in life, they’ll feel a stronger attachment to their lives. Because everything, like the sky that is prettier than usual today, or their mom’s delicious cooking, or their pets’ cute charm, are all happy things.
-What do you think celebrities, and society as a whole, should do to prevent suicide?
▶I think individualism is very strong in society. More and more people these days are building fences around themselves and are scared of others entering that space. And the world continues to goad the competitive landscape that these individualistic people have created, and we continue to say that these people are successful, leading to less time to relax and an increase in depression. We have to form an environment that everyone shares together to not become such a society.
-If you could say a word of courage to those who are so worn out that they are considering suicide?
▶At the very moment that you begin to think that there is nothing but despair left in the rest of your life, think about hope. And get in the habit of feeling joy from even the smallest things every day. In the future, the despair you feel now could become a precious foundation that makes you feel like your life is more precious and valued than anyone else in the world. And hold the hand of the person next to you. Don’t let the sorrow grow by thinking about your troubles alone in your own world. Ask for help from the person standing next to you.
source(s):
Star News & SYC
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Date: 2011-10-02 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 09:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 09:25 am (UTC)However... he just totally dodge that first question.
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Date: 2011-10-02 12:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 01:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 09:29 am (UTC)Good thing I'm going to sleep.
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Date: 2011-10-02 12:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 12:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 04:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 09:59 am (UTC)& scuse u, its ayyy girl. >:|
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Date: 2011-10-02 10:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 10:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 12:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 12:29 pm (UTC)(btw I've started Story Of A Man. The fact to see Park Yong Ha moving whereas I know he won't anymore is heartbraking... Idk If I'll finish this)
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Date: 2011-10-02 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 04:57 pm (UTC)Btw, there is a drama about romance that is like an alien among the other ones.... do you know "I Need Romance"? Amazing, if you didn't watch it yet, I highly recommend it...
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Date: 2011-10-02 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 01:40 pm (UTC)At the very moment that you begin to think that there is nothing but despair left in the rest of your life, think about hope. And get in the habit of feeling joy from even the smallest things every day.
When you are so far deep that you are seriously contemplating suicide, you have already taken the mind-frame that there is no hope or joy in life. I've been there, and have fought it for years.
I know he means well and probably genuinely wants to give hope but...yeah.
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Date: 2011-10-02 02:58 pm (UTC)Sarcasm aside, I totally agree with what you said. I've had so many people tell me that I wasn't trying hard enough to be positive, like depression is simply being sad and I was just too weak to fight it. If it were so easy then no one would be depressed in the first place. Jaejoong definitely meant well, even if he's a tad too idealistic. I just hope this is only the beginning and more people will start speaking out about mental illness and suicide so that more can find the courage to seek help before it's too late.
I'm glad you are still fighting it. <3
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Date: 2011-10-02 03:08 pm (UTC)Thank you ^_^
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Date: 2011-10-03 01:34 am (UTC)mte
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Date: 2011-10-02 02:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-02 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 04:24 pm (UTC)