“Ikigai” book review
I picked this book as I needed something short to read for a couple of hours’ flight. The book draws a meaningful life picture and teaches about a long, happy life. My favourite part was examples from golden-ager people from Western culture; what a fresh breeze of optimism, wisdom and life harmony!
Western cultures get it right. Okinawa, Japan, is described as one of the blue zones with the highest longevity. People there live longer, and the death rate from obesity-related diseases and cancers is significantly lower than in Eastern cultures. Surely we can learn from them.
The author describes the rules of ikigai and stresses that we are in charge of our well-being, no one else. What’s more important, the unexpected will sometimes surprise us, and we decide how to respond to it. Such a simple thought, but how often forgotten in our busy lives. We don’t prepare ourselves for the bad. And it is a mistake. However, please don’t get into a pessimistic spiral. Life is imperfect, which makes it beautiful.
When we realise that people leave, our life change, and eventually, we may lose everything we love the most – we’re broken, purposeless, and losing the meaning of life. Training our mind and body to be resilient and “antifragile” in confronting life challenges is one of the things people in Western countries practice. We should learn how to accept things we cannot change, be brave enough to change the ones we can change, and tell the difference when it is worth it and possible to make a change.
At the end of the book, you can find the ten rules of ikigai that conclude the book. So easy and pleasant to read, the book highlights mind and body practices to maintain a long and healthy life, giving you food for thought about what changes you could introduce to your life. Here I will leave you with the most famous quote from the book, so simple, yet so important.
Life is not a problem to be solved. Just remember to have something that keeps you busy doing what you love while being surrounded by the people who love you.
― Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Ikigai