The Twelve Days of Gheorghemas: Day Four

On the fourth day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me:

A four-part Japanese life strategy (as told by our man in the OBX)

Three 80's Baseball Sports Looks

Too Many Entries

and a Cameo That Will Go Down in History

When we finally emerge from this Philip K. Dick novel, and daily routines don’t require a checklist of survival measures, it will be nice to tend to more fulfilling, if elusive, pursuits. Such as, ya know, figuring it out.

There’s a Japanese word, “ikigai,” that seems like a good place to start. It’s pronounced “ee-key-guy,” and though there’s no direct English translation, it essentially means finding value and purpose in life, or what gets you out of bed every afternoon. The word comes in two parts: iki is from the verb ikiru, which means “to live” and mostly refers to daily life; gai means “worth or value” and derives from kai, which means shell. Certain shells were of great value among nobles in Japan a millennium ago.

Ikigai encompasses beaucoup elements, from small daily joys to life goals. It can include relationships, work, hobbies, gratitude and engagement. It’s forward looking, so that people might endure a crappy present (looking at you, 2020) in anticipation of a better future. 

Japanese author and neuroscientist Ken Mogi, who has written extensively about ikigai, wrote:

“The greatest secret of the ikigai, ultimately, has to be the acceptance of oneself, no matter what kind of unique features one might happen to be born with. There is no single optimum way to ikigai. Each of us has to seek our own, in the forest of our unique individualities. But don’t forget to have a good laugh while seeking yours — today and every day.”

Sounds a little Gheorghie to me. 

Ikigai was Westernized almost a decade ago, because of course it was, and is sometimes peddled as a secret, magic formula for a long and happy life. Under the Western version, ikigai has four components: what you love; what you’re good at; what the world needs; and what you can be paid for. They’re often illustrated as compass points in a Venn diagram, and ikigai is achieved at the sweet spot in the middle where all four overlap. Not a bad concept, but it oughta be called something else. Some businesses have even co-opted the word as they attempt to create more meaningful work cultures.

From my admittedly incomplete research, ikigai appears broader and more subtle than that. Work can be part of it, but compensation isn’t synonymous with worth and value in this instance. Indeed, psychiatrist Mieko Kimaya, who did pioneering work on ikigai in the 1950s and ‘60s, based some of her conclusions after working with Japanese leprosy patients consigned to sanitoriums and considered societal outcasts. She theorized that there are things that make life worth living – people, experiences, roles, memories, actions – and our feelings toward them. She identified seven types of needs, among them: life satisfaction; personal relationships and acceptance by others; growth and change; freedom; meaning and value. 

Large concepts, to be sure, but there are micro elements, as well. One of Mogi’s five pillars of ikigai is “being in the here and now.” So ikigai may be faith and family and friends and personal growth, but can also include a well-prepared meal or a workout or a stroll along a favorite walking path or writing for a marginally obscure, yet quality blog.

Personally, I’ve experienced more “iki” than “gai” of late, but I’m working on it. Aren’t we all.