Blue-sky thinking
Tales of the sky as told in BTS songs
back then, we had such a hard time, didn’t we?
lifting my head to see the stars in the sky so far away
back then, you didn’t believe the milky way but what i saw was a silver galaxy
– Inner Child –
A back story…
Two weeks ago, I had my college graduation. At home. It didn’t really feel like a closure, because I believe I dealt with that when the pandemic started, and I knew I would be finishing my degree and graduating in my bedroom.
Since the pandemic started, I’ve also been reading people’s articles or stories about the monotony that has grown in their lives. I think, simply put, monotony is something that can be good to an extent, but not so much when it reaches a certain point. Like the law of diminishing return.
I can mention a few things that have been my “monotony” for a while now. My room, my routine, and the sky outside my window. However, I don’t think the law of diminishing return counts for the latter.
in the park that the dawn’s moon has passed over
i now fill it with my emotions
this song is headed towards you
i hear the sound of the film
that is lit up by the moon in the night sky
i still wonder, wonder beautiful story
still wonder, wonder best part
i still wander wander next story
i want to make you mine
– Scenery –
Working on my laptop all day has not been good for my eyes, so looking out at the sky has been a routine itself. In the morning, when I am barely up; at noon, making use of the 20–20–20 rule in the middle of doing work; during sundown, with the gradient colors present; and even during my occasional night walks, when the sky is dark but light enough to make out the silhouettes of the clouds.
The sky is the same, but in some moments, it doesn’t feel so.
What now?
Blue-sky thinking is a term that means unlimited thoughts and ideas. These thoughts, like the sky, holds no significant barrier to its being. This term reminds me of the phrase “the world is your oyster”, something I hear people say in movies whenever somebody they know is beginning a new phase in their life, like a graduation. Like me.
In several of their songs, BTS mentioned the sky in different points of their lives and in different contexts. In “Inner Child”, V sings about the overwhelming distance of the stars in the sky—how when he was young, the stars were so far away he didn’t believe the existence of the galaxy.
He talks about the sky as a witness to his story in “Scenery”: “…the film/that is lit up by the moon in the night sky”. This song talks about capturing one’s memories with a film camera, and hoping there would be more beautiful stories to come, according to V. Here, the moon in the sky plays the role as a distant third-person, watching a person’s life unfold as they carve their story.
why am i remaining in the same place when there’s a long way to go,
even if i scream out of frustration,
it only gets echoed in the empty sky,
that tomorrow will be somewhat different from today,
i can only beg
– Tomorrow –
Similarly, “Tomorrow” paints the sky as a vessel for one’s emotions. Pouring one’s heart to the sky, and have it echo to the space beyond it. It’s like saying a moment of catharsis is only a moment of catharsis and nothing more. Letting out my feelings brings virtually nothing to the world except the words from my mouth, but at least somebody is receiving them, even if it is only the sky.
Besides a passive but loyal companion, the sky can also be a bringer of hope and optimism. In “Airplane”, j-hope raps about his dreams of flying to different places. He talks about “that time”, most likely a time before he debuted. During those times, he worked hard while keeping his head held high, high enough to see the blue sky, even if the challenges and difficulties he was facing were “setting him on fire”.
i will place blessings for a safe arrival, God Bless.
i remember me from that time, when the parched grounds set me on fire,
i ran looking at the blue sky.
now, i fly to my heart’s content in that airplane.
– Airplane –
So no, I don’t mind the monotony of the sky. I don’t mind it at all, because it feels like a safe space. Whatever it is we are all going through, wherever we are, the sky is a constant.
The sky is like us, whatever we go through, we are still the same person, we just look different to ourselves and others sometimes. We are always changing, which can be a good thing. But deep down, there are parts of us, hopefully the good ones, that stay with us. Also like the sky, hopefully there are no limits to what kind of things we can dream of.
translations: bangtansubs.com & doolsetbangtan.wordpress.com
