Finding Ikigai
“It was in 1998
when I returned to Japan to teach English that I was introduced to the most
amazing word when a co-worker asked me what my “ikigai” was. I hadn’t heard the
word before and was astounded to discover that the Japanese language had a
single word to encapsulate one’s reason for living.
Twenty years later,
after stumbling upon the Westernized “Ikigai Venn Diagram” it became my
personal mission to study and share with the world what ikigai means to the
Japanese. What you are reading now is what I hope is the most accurate and
honest representation of the Japanese concept of ikigai”.
Nicholas Kemp ―Finding
Ikigai
Nicholas
Kemp, the author of Finding Ikigai,
is an ikigai coach, Japanologist, and internet marketer. In 1998, he first met
the term ikigai, when he returned to
Japan to teach English, and in 2018, he came across the Westernized “Ikigai
Venn Diagram.” Since then, Kemp made it his personal mission to study the
original ikigai concept, demystify
it, and teach Western citizens how to understand it, discover it for
themselves, and harness its many benefits to live a more fulfilling life. For
this reason, he wrote his Finding Ikigai.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means
"meaningful life" and is analogous to Western eudaimonia, arete, and
self-realization.
Kemp,
with good pedagogy, advice, theoretical-practical approach, and clear, concise,
and precise writing; reviews the Japanese philosophy of "meaningful
life" and refers the reader to his interviews with the most influential
authors, citations; complementary readings, worksheets; Westernized ikigai Venn diagrams, and his own
unpublished Venn diagram: "The Japanese Ikigai Framework",
co-authored with Akihiro Hashegawa, to help the reader understand how to use it
as a reference in discovering their personal ikigai.
In
conclusion, Kemp achieved his purpose, by allowing the Western reader to know
the meaning of ikigai, understand it,
and teach how to find it; in order to help to live a more fulfilling life. For
this reason, it is highly recommended to the general public, especially in this
current climate of fear, stress, and uncertainty due to the pandemic.
Alvaro Carrasquel
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