to ateez + atiny: as the sun has nearly set upon 2024, i wanted to take a moment to share a bit of my heart with all of you; a culmination of my current growth and thoughts through introspection. in these uncertain times, many of you must be feeling anxious about what the future years hold for all of us. there could be a lot of doubts, fears, sadness, and a struggle to hold on to hope. a weariness from trying again and again and still not seeing progress, within ourselves and at the same time in the wider world. though i personally feel that all love languages are my love language, the one at the core of my heart is music. and so, like that, in sharing the following songs, it's my hope that they can help you to both process what you're feeling right now as well as kindle hope in your hearts. "to be human" by marina "through the eyes of a child" by aurora "love wins all" by iu there is so much grief and fear and pain being experienced by so many. more and more, humanity is turning on one another, losing the sight to see eachother for who we all are: living beings who share so much more than merely existing. there's a reason why we can see parts of ourselves in the stories of so many around us. we are all, in the end, notes woven together into one unified song. when pain and fear become too much, it creates the desire to experience a kinder time. a time that is both simpler and profound in its innocent wonder. to be able to find a place to rest and take solace in love in its purest form. i believe that in its essence, the universe is a delicate balance of both chaos and light. we often think of chaos as bad and light as good, but its more nuanced than that. whether light or chaos, when there is too much of either, it produces the negative consequences we see around us. yet when in harmonious balance, it leads to the freedom of growth, healing, and understanding. so as the universe is that twining duality, at its heart is its power, it's beginning and ending, and the countless threads of all there has ever been and all there will be: music and love. let me explain this thought. when you first think of music, for a lot of people, music is the melodies, the poetry, and the words and voices shared from heart to heart. but i personally believe music is so much more than that. just as it can be expressed in physical form through dance, music embodies the whole of our experiences and who we are. warm moments together is music. our individual growth and journey through life is music. our physical form and inner being is music. the things and places and people that we find that are cherished are music. and as its companion and truest friend is love. the force that holds profound understanding, empathy, humility, and trust. when infused with either too much chaos or too much light, it loses its self. in its absence we see the damage and discord that is caused through arrogance, selfishness, and hate. as the world is tipping further in imbalance, even so, music lives on. love, even when imperfect, lives on. so even as the storm rages and we process and grieve for what is broken and lost, i believe that it will one day pass. i believe that in the healing end, it is love that will win. this is quite long, and i don't know how much of it makes sense, but at the very least, it's my hope that it can bring each of you a little hope. enough to weather the storm; that whatever we face, we can keep going just a little longer and a little longer beyond that. and then reach that balanced place of peace filled with music and love. i believe in all of you. i believe in all of us. take it one day at a time; sing the songs that only you can sing, share that music with those who cannot. love with as much as your heart can hold; to this world, to one another, and to precious you. take care. i love you so much. 💚🎶🐦☀️🌕✨️☘️🍀🫂 -ari #ateez #에이티즈 #hongjoong #홍중 #seonghwa #성화 #yunho #윤호 #yeosang #여상 #san #산 #mingi #민기 #wooyoung #우영 #jongho #종호 #atiny #larknotes