My Selection —IKIGAI, The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life
by Hector Gracia and Francesc Miralles
I was looking for a book to read and I received a packet from Amazon as a gift from my son. I was quite surprised as to what he had sent me. In the packet was this book called IKIGAI- The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.
I had wanted to read this book as it was a widely acclaimed bestseller. When I read the book, What I learned was that the Japanese feel that everyone should have a reason to live. When they find out their purpose in life, they pursue it passionately. While doing their work, they do it diligently and happily because it is their passion, they become free of tensions and find their flow in the work.
The freedom from tension gives them a long and fulling life. In Japan, there is an island called Okinawa where people live a long and happy life. Almost 50% of the people are above 100 years and the longest surviving person was more than 150 years old.
This is a very simple book. I enjoyed reading it- so everyone should find out
what is the purpose of my life?
This book is written by two people Hector Gracia and Francesc Miralles who had never met each other but they had read about each other's work. A person known to both of them got them together and they decided to do a project to find the purpose of life.
The moot question was that should life be simply long or should it have a specific purpose in life? From here began their research and the understanding of the term IKIGAI or the secret to a long and happy life.
The two researchers felt that this kind of theory should be spread to the west as there is no philosophy like this propounded for them.
They found that on the island of Okinawa in Japan, people live the longest and a lot of them are above 100 years of age. Further in a rural town Ogimi that had only 3000 inhabitants was called the Village of Longevity. In this village, the longevity is the highest in the world.
On this island grows a lime-like fruit which is in Japanese called shikuwasa and it is high in antioxidants. They tried to ponder that this fruit could be a reason for long life. They also thought that Moringa tea that was popular over there or the pure water could be another reason for this miracle.
To do this research, after the preliminary work, they went to the village to study and interview people.
The Japanese feel that every person has a reason to live. Those who find their IKIGAI or reason, get up fresh in the morning. Ikigai is the philosophy for long life.
Japanese do not retire and they are eternally youthful.
Some of the things that the Japanese do to look youthful are:
#1. They eat only 80% of their requirement of food
#2. They form close bonds with the community and they are connected with each other for life.
#3. They believe that body and mind are both important. If you have an active mind your body will continue to respond youthfully. We should do mental and physical exercise.
The philosophy brings you to the fact that each person should go outside his comfort zone and always be exposed to the dynamics of change in life. Train your mind and revitalize it to be active. Challenge your mind through group activities.
#4. Keep your stress level at a low ebb. More stress leads to anxiety. In case you have a very high-stress level in your lifestyle you should try to change it by toning it down.
The authors believe that it is all logotherapy that helps you to find reasons to live. Ikigai further leads you to the fact that life is imperfect but it still has scope for growth and opportunities.
The rest of the book has given an explanation of the tools to use for
finding a flow in everything that you do in life. If you are a graphic designer enjoy the work and find a flow. Life’s energy must go on uplifted
Final thoughts:
To have a long and happy life the Japanese Centenarians advise that you should live and work together in a community and celebrate each day together.
Their rules are simple- ‘do not worry, cultivate good habits, Nurture your friendships, live an unhurried life and be optimistic’.
They eat a light diet, do gentle movements, and never retire. They live the moment and wish that you follow your IKIGAI or passion. It is your mission to discover it.
The authors wish everyone a long and happy life