One of my favorite BTS songs is “Paradise” as its meaning always comforts me. The song serves as a reminder that we shouldn’t exhaust ourselves when running after dreams. It also describes that whether our dreams are to reach a goal or survive to the next day, they are valid.

Diving a little deeper, I believe the title, “Paradise” describes a place or feeling that someone reaches or feels after they’ve achieved their dream. Sometimes we prevent ourselves from enjoying life while we chase after our dreams or our “Paradise,”as it feels wrong to not run.

Personally, I understand this feeling well as sometimes I feel bad about taking rests when I know my body needs that time to recharge. As a writer, artist, photographer, and musician, going “full speed ahead” all the time is tiring.

Sometimes I just keep going on, and when I push too hard, way past my limit, I’m unsatisfied with what I made because it came from unrest. These experiences helped me to realize that in order for me to truly enjoy my passions and create art that I can appreciate, I must rest.

“Paradise,” also expresses the idea that people should dream and run for themselves and not what society expects them to dream or run for. For a long time, I didn’t dream for what I truly wanted. Instead, I started to run after something that would look good to society.

BTS expresses their opinion on this mindset here when they sing, “Stop running for nothin’, my friend.” In this, they are comforting their listener by saying that they shouldn’t exhaust themselves and chase goals based upon societal expectations.

They also comfort the ones who may not even know how to dream, what to dream, or don’t have one at all. The song brings value to the listener’s life by saying that every breath they take is valuable. They are already in the paradise of fulfilled dreams as they’ve continue to live.

As someone who’s felt a little guilty for being tired and spent every day trying to do something “productive, not resting properly. This song really brings me comfort.

Special thanks to Genius English Translations for this lovely translation of “Paradise” as it helped me while analyzing it.