More on ByteDance and the decline of American industrialization. Also: the end of fashion week, entropy is like counting sheep, and the measure of a leader.
Ever wonder why we seem to only to hear about ikigai from older people? There might be ikigai books or social media messages by young people, but I have not come across such.
I learned about ikigai when I was researching for a trip to Okinawa. I still have not made that trip, but it’s not for lack of trying. Okinawa is still on my bucket list. I am fascinated by the culture and food. The people there top the world in longevity, and they eat bitter melon (goya) almost every day. I happen to really like bitter melon. I eat it because I like the taste, a taste that I acquired from my parents since I was a small child. After learning about its health benefits, I like bitter melon even more now.
Aside from bitter melon, the Okinawa diet is mainly plant-based. They eat a lot of yams and leafy vegetables, and of course tofu. They like fish but ironically as an island people, their most prized animal protein is pork. They have a famous pork dish, Rafute, that’s similar to the Shanghai-style braised pork belly Hong Shao Rou.
Anyway, back to ikigai. My conclusion is that ikigai means different things to different people. But there are some elements of ikigai that every proponent agrees: a sense of purpose, the ability to do things of one’s choice, a sense of accomplishment (but not necessarily big achievement or attainment of a lofty goal), and finding joy in doing simple or routine things. Ikigai seems to agree with much of the Buddhist teaching of "contentment." There is a spiritual quality to it.
There is another Okinawan construct that is equally responsible for their happiness and, by extension, their longevity. That is moai. I think the word moai is loosely translated to something like a social network or support group. All Okinawan seniors belong to a moai and all members of the group look out for each other’s wellbeing, whether they live in a multigenerational household or alone. Members of a moai meet every day and together they eat, sing, dance, play games or do arts and crafts. By contrast, loneliness and alienation are major contributing factors to morbidity among older Americans.
Whereas ikigai is more of an internalized process, moai defines community support — socially, spiritually, and even materially.
Back to my point about ikigai being more prevalent with older people. This is not to say that ikigai is less relevant to younger people. I believe the idea is equally valid to the young or the old. But I think older people tend to have more wisdom about the meaning of life. Young people, especially those who live or work in a competitive, technology-driven society, are less likely to have the “time affluence” and breadth and depth of experience to internalize ikigai. That said, I have come across young people who exemplified ikigai, although they might never have heard of the term. For instance, I have a nephew who was a Teach for America corps member and now chooses to teach math in an underserved Latino-majority public school. Coming out of high school, he was a national merit scholar who scored perfect in the math portion of the SAT. He could have gone to the most prestigious university and became a medical doctor like his older brother, but he followed his calling to become a lowly paid public school teacher. And he is happy. That’s ikigai.
Ever wonder why we seem to only to hear about ikigai from older people? There might be ikigai books or social media messages by young people, but I have not come across such.
I learned about ikigai when I was researching for a trip to Okinawa. I still have not made that trip, but it’s not for lack of trying. Okinawa is still on my bucket list. I am fascinated by the culture and food. The people there top the world in longevity, and they eat bitter melon (goya) almost every day. I happen to really like bitter melon. I eat it because I like the taste, a taste that I acquired from my parents since I was a small child. After learning about its health benefits, I like bitter melon even more now.
Aside from bitter melon, the Okinawa diet is mainly plant-based. They eat a lot of yams and leafy vegetables, and of course tofu. They like fish but ironically as an island people, their most prized animal protein is pork. They have a famous pork dish, Rafute, that’s similar to the Shanghai-style braised pork belly Hong Shao Rou.
Anyway, back to ikigai. My conclusion is that ikigai means different things to different people. But there are some elements of ikigai that every proponent agrees: a sense of purpose, the ability to do things of one’s choice, a sense of accomplishment (but not necessarily big achievement or attainment of a lofty goal), and finding joy in doing simple or routine things. Ikigai seems to agree with much of the Buddhist teaching of "contentment." There is a spiritual quality to it.
There is another Okinawan construct that is equally responsible for their happiness and, by extension, their longevity. That is moai. I think the word moai is loosely translated to something like a social network or support group. All Okinawan seniors belong to a moai and all members of the group look out for each other’s wellbeing, whether they live in a multigenerational household or alone. Members of a moai meet every day and together they eat, sing, dance, play games or do arts and crafts. By contrast, loneliness and alienation are major contributing factors to morbidity among older Americans.
Whereas ikigai is more of an internalized process, moai defines community support — socially, spiritually, and even materially.
Back to my point about ikigai being more prevalent with older people. This is not to say that ikigai is less relevant to younger people. I believe the idea is equally valid to the young or the old. But I think older people tend to have more wisdom about the meaning of life. Young people, especially those who live or work in a competitive, technology-driven society, are less likely to have the “time affluence” and breadth and depth of experience to internalize ikigai. That said, I have come across young people who exemplified ikigai, although they might never have heard of the term. For instance, I have a nephew who was a Teach for America corps member and now chooses to teach math in an underserved Latino-majority public school. Coming out of high school, he was a national merit scholar who scored perfect in the math portion of the SAT. He could have gone to the most prestigious university and became a medical doctor like his older brother, but he followed his calling to become a lowly paid public school teacher. And he is happy. That’s ikigai.