Being In The Public Eye, Especially In The Entertainment Industry, Means Whoever We Are, We'll Face Indiscriminate Hatred From Many People Who Don't Even Know Us.
In a recent YouTube update, EXO's Baekhyun read the book "I've Decided To Be Me" and found a passage that touched his heart. When dealing with hatred from others, sometimes being a "good person" will only make us lose ourselves.
Regardless of how unfair and ridiculous it may seem, being in the public eye, especially in the entertainment industry, means that whoever we are, we will face the indiscriminate hatred of many people who don't even know us. The higher we climb, the more people want us to fall.
To clarify his point of view, Baekhyun points out the difference between hate comments and constructive criticism. The insight he provides behind distinguishing the two reflects Baekhyun's lifelong motto: brave, humble. While humility is important, being confident in our own worth is just as important.
"The malicious comments are not comments with good intentions from people who know and understand you well and want to give serious advice, hoping that you will change positively. I believe malicious comments just attack for no reason," Baekhyun said.
While Baekhyun can easily brag about his accomplishments and abilities, he is humble and accepts criticism meant to guide him into a better version of himself. But for the hate comments that attack indiscriminately for no reason, Baekhyun thinks it's not even worth a single moment of his time.
Instead, Baekhyun's mindset is to focus on those who truly care for him and work to make his loved ones proud. He had this mindset from a young age, which was why he could be a constant source of light wherever he went.
And for those who worry about him, because unrelenting hatred can afflict anyone's soul, Baekhyun can reassure them that he's okay because he understands his own worth and finds strength from those who support him.
Baekhyun gives a final piece of advice, both from himself and from the author: it's good to try to be the best version of yourself and be a positive influence, but if our motivation comes from not being hated, there's a risk that in the process of growing, we'll end up losing ourselves. We should aim to be a light to ourselves and those who love us rather than trying to please those who don't even care about us. (wk/goddess)
