Ichi-go ichi-e いちごいちえ — Once, a meeting

Today is the 7th day of the Chinese New Year, which is commonly known as renri (人日) or yan-yat (in Cantonese), which is the birthday of humankind. In Chinese mythology, it is said that the Chinese mother goddess Nüwa or Nügua (女娲) created human beings on the seventh day. Hence, every humankind shares a common birthday on this day … :)

Coincidentally, a friend shared this Ichi-go ichi-e idiom with me, citing a chapter from the book ’The Goh Chok Tong Story - Standing Tall’. Unfortunately, I am not able to reproduce that kind of excitement that captivated me when the story was told to me then… :)

According to Wikipedia, Ichi-go ichi-e? is a Japanese four-character idiom that describes a cultural concept of treasuring the unrepeatable nature of a moment. The term has been translated as "for this time only", and "once in a lifetime".

In short, there are times when we encounter an unexpected situation in which once we did not grab hold of the opportunity, the situation and opportunity is not coming back again, and the outcome can totally change the course of our life or career.

For example, in a boy-girl relationship, when you miss the moment for you to express your feelings for the other person, the end result is that the other person is getting married and the bride or bridegroom is not you.

For example, in life, when the moment and opportunity are not seized for you to say you are sorry, or to lend a helping hand to someone, you may not be able to do it again. Not that you would not do it again, but that someone may not be alive to receive from you.

For example, in career, there are moments and opportunities with your colleagues, business partners or acquaintances that may define your success, failure or stagnation, because of your actions or inactions.

Undoubtedly, not every situation and opportunity are truly ichigo-ichie. And I believe, most of the time, if not all, we can only identify them when we look back. Don't despair. A constant reminder to myself is to improve myself, respect others and to live a fulfilling life. Hopefully, more ichigo-ichie for me during my journey on mother earth. :)

Happy Renri? (人日) to everyone