Monday Musings - Episode 191 - Identify your #ikigai

MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 – EPISODE 191

#IdentifyYourIkigai

9th January 2023

Yayati suffered from premature ageing cursed by guru Sukracharya as a punishment to his misdeeds ie excessive sense gratification. Yayati forgot the purpose of his life and indulged in sense gratification and hence suffered premature ageing. Many of us age prematurely because of modern day curses such as stress, depression, worries, dissatisfaction in work, lack of confidence, etc. We were discussing anti-ageing medicines, rather techniques for the past two weeks.

First medicine is ‘Living for a purpose’, doing what your passion directs.

What an Idea, Ikigai?

#Ikigai?(ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the terms?iki, meaning “alive” or “life,” and?gai, meaning “benefit” or “worth.” When combined, ikigai means ‘living worthy life’ which is almost the same as the French term “raison d’etre” or “reason for being.”

The concept of?ikigai?is said to have evolved from the basic health and wellness principles of traditional Japanese medicine. This medical tradition holds that physical wellbeing is affected by one’s mental–emotional health and sense of purpose in life.

Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano says that?ikigai?is a state of wellbeing that arises from devotion to activities one enjoys, which also brings a sense of fulfilment.

To state it simply, Ikigai is “a reason to get up in the morning” or, more poetically, “waking up to joy.” You need to find a reason to wake up in the morning every day.

You would have often heard ?‘How are you doing?’ The question is just for courtesy and the intent is not to hear a long laundry list of issues. Have you heard people commenting “??? ???????????” meaning “pulling on in life”. Your quip might dampen the enthusiasm of the seeker who otherwise would have had a purpose for his/her day. Try saying “On top of the world” and you would feel the difference yourself.

#FocusingOnYourFlow

Ikigai?is related to the concept of?flow, as described in the work of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. #PsychologicalFlow captures the positive mental state of being completely absorbed, focused, and involved in your activities at a certain point in time, as well as deriving enjoyment from being engaged in that activity. Flow is colloquially referred to as ‘in the zone’,

Athletes reach performance levels beyond their limits when they are in a state of flow. Being in a positive state of mind, being focused and also being cheered positively by the supporters in a competition can produce unbelievable results because the performer goes to the state of Flow.

Flow?can be said to occur when you are consistently doing something you love and that you are good at, with the possible added benefit of bringing value to others’ lives. In such a case,?flow?might be seen as in tune with your?ikigai, or activities that give your life meaning?and purpose.

ikigai?has usually been cited as?both?a personal pursuit and one of benefit to others. In the end,?ikigai?brings meaning, purpose, and fulfilment to your life, while also contributing to the good of others.

Why is it that some are able to get the flow while others are ‘puling on’ in their life. Everyone has an?ikigai?– intersection of passion, talent, paid, and potential to benefit others. Some found their ikigai and the others had not made any effort to find their ikigai. ?The journey to?ikigai?might require time, deep self-reflection, and effort, but it is one we can all make, and we should make.

The concept of?ikigai?as a purpose in life with both personal and social dimensions is captured by the well-known?ikigai?diagram. This diagram includes overlapping spheres covering:

1. What you love
2. What you are good at
3. What the world needs
4. What you can get paid for

Ikigai is that which you love, you are good at it, which the society needs and the added joy if you are getting benefited from it.

Have you made your New Year resolutions? Review if your new year resolutions are aligned to your ikigai. If not, you can still update your new year resolutions. Whatever be your resolutions, remember to be committed to your resolutions.

I wake up every Sunday morning to the joy of preparing for a ‘Monday Musings’ episode. Hope you wake up to the joy of reading a #MondayMusings episode.

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GOOD NEWS COLUMN

A grammatical problem which has defeated Sanskrit scholars since the 5th Century BC has finally been solved by an Indian PhD student at the University of Cambridge,

Rishi Rajpopat made the breakthrough by decoding a rule taught by Panini, known as the father of linguistics, and is now encapsulated in his thesis entitled ‘In Panini, We Trust: Discovering the Algorithm for Rule Conflict Resolution in the Astadhyayi’.

According to the university, leading Sanskrit experts have described Rajpopat’s discovery as “revolutionary” and it could now mean that Panini’s grammar can also be taught to computers for the first time.

Panini’s system – 4,000 rules detailed in his renowned work, the Astadhyayi, which is thought to have been written around 500 BC – is meant to work like a machine.

Feed in the base and suffix of a word and it should turn them into grammatically correct words and sentences through a step-by-step process.

Until now, however, there has been a big problem. Often, two or more of Panini’s rules are simultaneously applicable at the same step leaving scholars to agonise over which one to choose.

Solving so-called “rule conflicts”, which affect millions of Sanskrit words including certain forms of “mantra” and “guru”, requires an algorithm. Rajpopat’s research shows that Panini’s so-called language machine is also self-sufficient.

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