Ikigai: The Japanes Secret to a Long and Happy Life

In Ikigai ( the reason for being: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, two concepts stand out for me:

(1) Wabi-sabi: recognise the temporary, ephemeral, and impermanent nature of the world and love the world more because of it;

(2) Ichi-go Ichi-e: this moment exists only now and won't come again. For me this is about finding the quote space in you; the quiet space is peace, connecting with the child in you, and is where and when good things happen.

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Other notable excerpts from the book are:

‘Sophisticated simplicity: simplicity and attention to detail. It is not a  lazy simplicity but a sophisticated one that searches out new frontiers, always taking the object, the body and mind to the next level…’ 

‘When someone  - whether an artist, an engineer, or a chef – sets out to create something, his or her responsibility is to use nature to give it ‘life’ while respecting that nature at every moment.  

During this process, the artisan becomes one with the object and flows with it. An ironworker would say that metal has a life of its own, just as someone making ceramics would say that the clay does.  

The Japanese are skilled at bringing nature and technology together: not man versus nature, but rather a union of the two.’

‘Many such artists might seem misanthropic or reclusive, but what they are really doing is protecting the time that brings them happiness, sometimes at the expense of other aspects of their lives. They are outliers who apply the principles of flow to their lives to an extreme.’

‘Rituals over goals.’

‘Art, in all its forms, is an ikigai ( the reason of being) that can bring happiness and purpose to our days. Enjoying or creating beauty is free, and something all human beings have access to. ‘