Skip to main content

Book Review: Ikigai

Author: Hector Garcia and Francex Miralles (Translated by Heather Cleary) 

Ikigai as it is said in the book –is a mysterious word. It loosely translates to mean the Art of staying young while growing old. The book is all about the story of Japanese people who have lived over a hundred years of age and more.

 

The content is simple yet very profound and fascinating on humanity’s architecture –long life, faith and in fact, one wholistic approach to a beautiful and healthy lifestyle in harmony with the world around us. I found it irrepressible and so relevant to all walks of life –race, gender, nationality. 

  

I am deeply moved by the concept of not retiring. It wasn’t uncommon to find Japanese people remain active even after they retire. They keep doing what they love for as long as their health permits. This is what we must learn and adopt individually. Ikigai brings satisfaction, happiness and meaning to lives. 

 

I felt so close reading through the 80 percent secret. Fill your belly to 80 percent of the stomach size. However, one thing that triggered me was, can it be possible here in a Bhutanese society? We love to blust our belly to 110 percent and carry a malnourished belly for the rest of our life. Anyway, it is up to the individual. I have been practicing this for many years. I hate having a fat tummy! The secret is within us. 

 

This book has given me an overview of the life philosophies of a few international champions of longevity, about supercentenarians –people who live to 110 years of age or more. They were all superheroes, which came at the cost of great self-care and discipline in eating and sleeping. 

 

The other advice laid in the book was, the secret in smiling and having a good time. Japanese people strongly believe in the coexistence of mountains, rivers, sea, trees, earth, wind and animals. It's important to show each element a great respect. Therefore, believing in all these elements makes them closer to nature and life and makes their mental wellbeing strong.

 

The game of gateball was seen as one key secret to long life. However, playing this game at 104 years old is something we must deeply ponder upon when in our society at 56 to 60 years, most of the people retire to enter a solitary(religious) life and become insensitive to everything. From then they hardly grasp and thumb around for any task or exercise, which makes them susceptible to attack by many lifestyle  diseases. In addition to playing and celebrating as a community, spirituality is also essential to happiness and long life. 

 

We must learn to remain busy and engaged with small or little activity throughout the day. The other secret is eating a lot of home grown vegetables, green tea, shikuwasa juice and spring water.

 

I have a huge admiration and regard for the people of Japan for creating so many beautiful things including a very complicated toilet system. 

 

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Golden Words Of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck "...in particular, speaking for myself; my sorrow in having lost my own father is indeed very great. What is more the country has lost a king whose kind has till now never been known..."                                                                ( Royal proclamation to the people of Bhutan, July 26, 1972)                                      "...as far as you, my people, are concerned, you should not adopt the attitude that whatever is required to be done for your welfare will be done entirely by the government. On the contrary, a little effort on your part will be much more effective than a great deal of eff...
3 comments
Read more

The Story of Malika Chand.

There lived a schoolteacher named Malika Chand. She loved teaching and treated her students as she would, her own children. Nurturing their potential with great kindness. Her perennial motto was, 'Your,  I can is more important than your,  IQ .' She was known throughout her community as a person who lived to give. Who selflessly served anyone in need? Sadly, her beloved school, which had stood as a silent witness to the delightful progress of generations of children, succumbed to the flames of a fire set by an arsonist one night. All those in the community felt this great loss. But as time passed by, their anger gave way to apathy and they resigned themselves to the fact that their children would be without a school. "What about Malika?"   "She was different, an eternal optimist if there ever was one. Unlike everyone around her, she perceived opportunity in what had happened. She told all the parents that every setback offers an equivalent benefit ...
3 comments
Read more

In The Shoe of Rinzin Namgyal Sir

Rinzin Namgyal Sir. Photo: Sancha Rai Rinzin Sir (R) & Kuenzang T. Sir (L). Source: Sancha Rai Rinzin Namgyal, who served as the School Principal of Zhemgang Central School (ZCS) from 2013 to the end of 2020, is regarded as one of the most dynamic leaders in the school's history.  Coming from the small village of  Langthel  in  Trongsa , he began his career as a Physics & Maths teacher and later served as vice-chair at Jigme Sherubling CS in the east before taking on the role of Principal at Zhemgang CS. Rinzin Namgyal, a man of few words yet a reservoir of wisdom and great personality has made Zhemgang CS heard at the national level not just in academics but also in other disciplines.  His tenure, marked by unwavering dedication and visionary leadership, transformed the school into a beacon of excellence in the heart of Bhutan. With an innate ability to lead, Rinzin sir embodied the qualities of a true leader—one who sacrifices for the greater...
9 comments
Read more