LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE #26. The Interview between Harry Styles & Murakami Haruki (excerpts from Runner's World, Spring Issue 2026)

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE

Do you take delight in watching films or listening to pop music? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the he most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

#26. The Harry Styles & Murakami Haruki Interview (from Runner’s World, Spring issue 2026)

Two globally acclaimed figures—one a pop superstar, the other a writer and fellow marathon runner—came together for a thoughtful conversation about the quiet elegance of running and the ways it nurtures creativity. Since both are runners/ marathoners, their talk centers around the relationship between running and their respective fields of creation.

 

“(Murakami Haruki) One of the important things for human beings is to embrace the contradictions. When I’m writing, I always feel I have a contradiction and that’s why I want to express myself… to understand it. Even at my age (of 77) I’m still wondering, what is this chaos in me?”

ð  Murakami argues that to be human is to live with contradictions—conflicting emotions and traits that resist easy resolution. Rather than trying to correct or erase them, he believes we should accept them as an essential part of our nature. For him, writing serves as a form of self-therapy and discovery. He doesn’t write to provide clear answers, but to make sense of the inner “chaos” of his mind. What might seem like disorder or the “messy” aspects of the self are not flaws in his view, but raw material that can be transformed into meaningful art and shared with others.

Even at the age of seventy seven, Murakami acknowledges that he still does not fully understand himself. This reflects his belief that identity is something we search for throughout our entire lives, and that uncertainty can be a meaningful and even productive state for an artist.

This perspective aligns with his recurring idea of “facing one’s shadow.” He maintains that personal growth requires confronting the darker, less organized parts of the psyche, rather than avoiding or suppressing them.

 

“(Murakami Haruki) What I like about running is that it’s a very solitary thing, but only in a way. You’re alone, but then you’re also with other runners, with a vague kind of boundary between you. My book about running was translated into many languages, so wherever I go in the world, if I’m on a run, other runners recognize me and call out my name. So wherever I go, I have a friend.”

ð  While running is a one-person activity that requires mental isolation, it is not lonely. It is a shared experience where others are doing the same thing, creating a "vague kind of boundary" that allows runners to be together without the necessity of talking or formal engagement.

Because his book on running (i.e., What I Talk About When I Talk About Running) is translated worldwide, his act of running makes him part of a global "club." He is recognized by fellow runners in different countries, transforming an anonymous, solitary run into a friendly interaction with instantly formed “rapport”.

The act of running allows him to connect with people immediately, regardless of geography or language. The phrase "wherever I go, I have a friend" suggests that a shared, silent understanding exists among runners, fostering a sense of belonging in a world where he often works alone.

 

“I’m in a field in which there’s so much opinion on who’s the best, with all these rankings of who sold the most, who’s won the award – even though music is such a subjective thing and isn’t really tangible like that. The thing that I’ve found, in the rest of my life but particularly in running, is the idea of trusting myself to do exactly what I say I’m going to do. To say to myself I know that you can do something difficult, and that you can get up and train when you don’t want to train, and that you’re able to push through hard things.”

ð  Harry Styles points out that the music industry runs on opinions—charts, awards, and sales numbers—but emphasizes his belief that music itself is deeply subjective, not something that can be definitively measured by external validations. As a result, ranking artistic value becomes inherently arbitrary. In contrast to the noise and collaboration of fame, running offers solitude. While his music career involves many people shaping his image, running is something he does all by himself, relying entirely on his own effort. Through running, he measures his growth by discipline. It teaches him to keep promises to himself, especially when it comes to finding the motivation to train even when he doesn’t feel like it.

Running also becomes a metaphor for handling adversity. By pushing through physical and mental discomfort, he builds resilience and learns how to endure difficult moments.

 

** Jean’s Small Thoughts:

I was delighted to read this interview featuring two of my favorite artists: pop singer, songwriter, and actor Harry Styles, and novelist and fellow marathon runner Haruki Murakami. What struck me most was how differently they approach running. Styles sees it as a time to think deeply about his creative work, while Murakami views it as a way to clear his mind completely.

I find myself somewhere in between. When I’m under pressure, I run to stay grounded and escape from everyday worries. But when I feel inspired to create—writing, in my case—I run to sort through and untangle my thoughts. In that sense, running becomes a form of therapy for me, whether I’m feeling joyful or overwhelmed. Perhaps it’s the one kind of “addiction” that doesn’t require a therapy or a cure.