Ikigai is not what you've been told

The internet is an amazing thing. We can communicate across the globe instantly. We can learn things that we never would have had the opportunity to learn. We can watch cats do cute things. But never forget that the internet is made by people, just like you and me. And as a result, the internet has many of the same foibles.

Recently there has been a rise in popularity of what is supposed to be the "Japanese concept" of Ikigai. It has a colorful Venn Diagram, pictured above, and each circle highlights a virtue. What one loves, what one is good at, what one needs, and what one can be paid for. The intersection of these is said to be one's Ikigai. It's very popular, and sounds great. Except there's one problem; the Japanese do not perceive of Ikigai in this way.

Ikigai in Japan doesn't need to make one money, doesn't need to be something the world needs, doesn't have to be something you are good at, and doesn't necessarily have to even be something you love. The actual Japanese concept of Ikigai, I think, is most closely voiced by Ono Jiro at the beginning of Jiro Dreams of Sushi. "Once you decide on your occupation, you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success, and is the key to being regarded honorably." Please note that Jiro doesn't say you have to start off in love with your work. He says you need to fall in love with it. This happens after you decide what you are going to do. Don't complain, dedicate yourself to mastery. A very different perception from the Venn Diagram of Ikigai.

So how did we get it so wrong? Where did the Venn Diagram come from? The answer might surprise you. Andres Zuzunaga is an astrologer. He created the Venn Diagram in Spanish in 2011 with the center of the Diagram being just an asterisk, and the Diagram being entirely in Spanish. The asterisk is intended to indicate someone's purpose in life. Marc Winn, a motivational consultant, listened a TED Talk by Dan Beuttner about how to live to be 100. He felt motivated and combined two concepts, an English translation of Zuzunaga's Venn Diagram, and the word Ikigai, which he had also recently been learning about. He posted it on May 14, 2014 to his blog, and it went viral. Suddenly it was cropping up everywhere, from the World Economic Forum, to the BBC, Forbes, CNN, and even the website of Shonda Rhimes (although the author, Chantelle Pattemore, notes the error of the Venn Diagram.)

So why did so many people believe the Ikigai Venn Diagram? Well, first, the contents have what Stephen Colbert called (when he was on the Colbert Report) a "truthiness." Modern society has created a feeling of emptiness and lack of purpose for so many. In part this is driven by the fact that our lives are so convenient and so comparatively long. Until very recently, people had to focus on survival, rather than fulfilment. As we have climbed Maslow's hierarchy of needs, we are less prepared to deal with the corresponding ennui. Second, there is a long-standing acceptance of "oriental mysticism," in which the Japanese, with their long history and mysterious ways have special access to some forgotten or hidden truth. In my experience, the Japanese do things differently, but those ways are "better" as often as they are not. In fairness, mysticism goes both ways, with many Japanese feeling that Americans and Westerners have discovered some great enlightenment about freedom and individuality that the Japanese lack. As someone who has lived for an extended time between both cultures, this exoticizing is a net negative, even when well intentioned. If the Japanese truly had mastered something like "ikigai," then why in a 2018 Pew research study did Japan have the lowest levels of optimism about the status of future generations? 76% of respondents expect children in Japan today to grow up to a worse world than their parents enjoyed.

The actual Japanese perception of ikigai is much less grandiose. Start small. Be present in your current moment. Peel back the layers to remember what you enjoyed doing when you were a kid. You don't have to have one "ikigai."

The worst thing about the "Ikigai" Venn Diagram is that it sets you up for something you may never be able to fulfil, and hence will make you feel like a failure when you don't get it. But most importantly, trying to feel happy and/or contented all the time is not natural. You don't have to have a higher calling. You don't have to feel happy all the time. Tim Minchin points out that contented Australopithecus Afarensis got eaten before passing on their genes. Find out what makes you go, not what makes you happy. This is an "ikigai."

Sources:

https://ikigaitribe.com/ikigai/ikigai-misunderstood/

https://www.shondaland.com/live/body/a36520922/ikigai-the-japanese-way-to-find-meaning-in-life/

https://www.sloww.co/ikigai/

https://www.superfastbusiness.com/business/772-ikigai-revealed-discovering-the-truth-about-the-real-meaning-of-ikigai/

https://lumenkollektiv.medium.com/behind-the-scenes-of-ikigai-b73fb255fafc