Uncovering the secret to a long life – Ikigai
February 15, 2020
Ikigai book cover - Secrets to a long life book review Ranjani Rao Japan blue zone

Ikigai – The Japanese secret to a long and happy life 

By Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

I had seen the Venn diagram representing the concept of Ikigai long before I picked up this book at a friend’s home. Like so much else about Japan, the pale cover with a branch depicting cherry blossoms, the small almost square book looked mysterious and fascinating. 

“Should be a quick read,” I thought, hoping to grasp the concept and understand the Japanese secret over a week’s worth of train rides. 

The word ikigai roughly translates to “the happiness of always being busy.” The definition reflected my life philosophy. And my life. With a full-time job, a family of four with different interests and priorities, my life is always busy. I was intrigued. But was I happy?

Before I could phrase a response, the book reminded me that “being busy with things that don’t sync with what we truly want leads to existential frustration.” This statement more closely resembled my feelings on most days. 

Even while aware that adding another book to my TBR list would add to the ‘busyness’, I set out to get to the bottom of Ikigai and how it would make me happy.

Find your purpose and flow

The book is divided in nine segments and attempts to answer the question of what is ikigai, and how it contributes to longevity and satisfaction in life, as seen through the lives of a select group of people in the Okinawa region of Japan which is one of the five Blue Zones across the world. Blue zones are regions where people live longer and healthier lives compared to the expected average. It is no surprise  that the keys to longevity include diet, exercise, strong social ties. But having a purpose in life, an ikigai, is an important component that is exemplified by the Japanese cohort.

The book uses a conversational tone, supporting its statements with examples and data explained in a format that I would call ‘science lite’ – using simple language that can seem condescending in places. Concepts of Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy and Shoma Morita’s eponymous purpose-centered therapy are introduced before discussing tools to handle work, diet, exercise, and vicissitudes of life.

I found the chapter on flow very interesting. It discusses the concept introduced by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly and the conditions that make flow possible. In Japan, it is ‘flow’ that connects takumis (artisans), engineers, inventors and okatus (fans of anime and manga), because they understand the importance of flowing with your ikigai at all times. 

Daily rituals can be used to enter a state of flow because rituals give us clear rules and objectives. Since we often forget that happiness comes from doing and not in the result, the authors remind us of the rule of thumb – Rituals Over Goals.

Secrets to a long life

In the section which features words of wisdom from supercentenarians – people who live to 110 years of age or more, my favorite was the Jeanne Calment who died at age 122, the oldest person of verified age. “She rode a bicycle until she turned 100. She lived on her own until she was 110, when she agreed to move into a nursing home after accidentally starting a fire in her apartment. She stopped smoking at age 120, when her cataracts started making it hard for her to bring a cigarette to her lips.” Her secret, clearly, was her sense of humor. On her 120th birthday, she said “I see badly. I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything is OK.” Sounds like a good way to be. 

The authors go into details about their visit to Ogimi, the Village of Longevity where the youngest people are in their eighties. There are discussions about food, spirit of community, and social interactions that keep this close-knit community thriving. Schematics for exercises that can help prolong life, from yoga, radio taiso, tai chi, qigong and shiatsu are provided.

The most fascinating concept appeared in the final chapter about resilience. No matter how meaningful your life, the longer you live, the greater the probability of experiencing trauma, hardship and heartbreak. While resilience allows people to stand strong when life turns unfavorable, antifragility is something that makes people stronger in the face of adversity. A term introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, antifragility refers to something beyond resilience and robustness. “The resilient resists shocks and stays the same, the antifragile gets better.”

The books ends with translations of beautiful haikus and a summary of ten rules of Ikigai. But the book left me unsatisfied due to its superficial treatment of a topic that requires greater depth and study. 

My opinion

A good introductory primer to the concept of Ikigai, and a reminder to find purpose in what you do. 

 

Photo via Time.

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