The weekly Community Needs List as of 2/15/18 with updates where I have them. Fundraisers who want a diary to be or stay on the list: PLEASE kosmail requests and donations received to njm5000 by Thursday evening to be included on the Friday morning updated list. Please hang only short updates or new, fundraising, diary links as replies to the Needs List post.
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Musings: Ikigai — A Life Well-Lived Includes Generosity
At first blush, the concept of ikigai doesn’t seem to fit into my continuing explorations of different cultural expressions of the universal ideals of community, gratitude, compassion, and generosity. Particularly in Western culture, this Japanese approach to life has been usurped by career-explorers as well as by businesses and reduced to the idea of parlaying one's personal “passion” into a paying gig. However, the original concept of ikigai is far broader.
Ikigai has been long known in Japan as the secret of a long and happy life. Rather than one’s “sole purpose,” it is truly about one’s “soul purpose.” That may have nothing to do with how one makes one’s living. One’s true ikigai may be cooking or gardening or animal rescue or skydiving or travel. It can be parenthood or volunteering at a senior center. Which makes a whole lot of sense to me. I once heard a life coach talk about the “just OK job” — because, let’s face it, not everyone is likely to be able to make a living doing the thing we love most to do. It’s lovely when that happens, but most of us will be satisfied with a reasonably gratifying job if that provides the time and resources for incorporating other things we love into our lives. Ikigai is about balancing those needs as much as it is about finding and supporting one’s life purpose or passion.
Japanese words are often untranslatable, holding very specific cultural meanings. The word ikigai comes from two roots: iki which means “life” and gai which, broadly speaking, might be translated as “value.” And that value is multifaceted, meaning the value something adds to our own life but also to the whole community. In Japan, it incorporates the simple, everyday things that add up to a life well lived and enjoyed. It is the sum of small pleasures as much as that one grand passion that might drive a life.
Service to Others: It is significant that gratitude and service and stewardship are important components in the Japanese vision of a life well lived. Why? because ikigai is so much more than finding one’s purpose; it is about justifying one’s existence in the universe. At its foundation, it is finding our place within the whole. After we discover what sparks our joy and nurture our talents, how are we using them? How are we contributing? Do we add value to the community? True ikigai is that intersection where what enriches our lives also enriches the lives of others.
For many Japanese, sharing is an important component of ikigai. A wonderful example are the elders on Okinawa, where ikigai is cherished. The scientific studies on the extreme longevity of this population are well known. Beyond their healthful diet, this longevity is attributed to the elders sense of purpose. They are committed to sharing their cultural wisdom with the next generations, and that gives them a sense of satisfaction and makes them happy.
Gratitude and appreciation of the broader world around us is also a component of ikigai. Connecting with nature and appreciating how it enhances daily life is a core principle. Ikigai incorporates other Zen values as well, including the intention to be kind and generous when interacting with others. Ultimately, our practice of ikigai should make us better parents, partners, neighbors, stewards of the planet, and citizens of the world. And that should give us joy.
So what’s the lesson for Helping Humpday and the folks here at DKOS? It’s interesting that the Japanese don’t have a tradition of individual philanthropy because they believe in collective action — they still rely on big corporations to make charitable donations. They do, however, have a deep seated sense of community — just like we do here at DKOS. They are generous with their talents and their compassion. In fact, one result of the peace and happiness of finding one’s true place in the world seems to be more patience, tolerance, openness, and generosity towards others. .Compassion and generosity are the hallmarks of the DKOS community. Consider helping a Kossack on the Needs List with a small donation.