Ikigai is a Japanese word for "reason for being" which is popularly called raison d'etre in French. But the book by Hector Gargia and Francesc Miralles focuses on something more than that. It is a holistic approach to living one's best life.
I have been to many book clubs in and around Delhi and people seem to not like Ikigai, the self help book. Probably the genre of the book itself is looked down upon, why would anyone want to admit that they seek help - from a book?
In any case, Ikigai is not that bad a book. I have read it twice - once when I discovered it and second time I wanted to revisit the book after hearing all the hate. I liked it both times and would not shy away from recommending it to people.
What's good?
There is an extensive coverage on health and wealth. For a fulfilling life, you cannot do without the two. The book emphasizes on the importance of community bond, which in turn is one of the reasons of good health.
What's good is that the authors have mentioned personal stories, anecdotes, studies and researches conducted by universities to support their arguments. It's not built out of the air - the book has substance.
What's not good?
A lot of the times the book starts turning into our mother or father, telling us what to do or what not to do. Understandably, the intention of the book is to guide you to a right path. But it could be done in a more compassionate way, rather than using the word "Don't."
The details can bore you and make you want to put the book down. However, if you keep on reading on, ignoring the boring parts like bullet point advices, you can get to very good parts of the book towards the end.
Influence of Japan
The book is heavily inspired by the Japanese way of living, hence the title. Why the Japanese live longer, especially the ones on Okinawa island? And they give real life examples, like the purity of studio Ghibli, to draw their conclusions.
The Japanese have a holistic way of living.
- They are connected to nature while at the same time being technologically advanced.
- They have a close knit community which supports itself through thick and thin.
- Discipline is something they teach their kids right from the start.
- The Japanese food is one of the healthiest in the world.
It is this complete philosophy which helps the Japanese live longer and more importantly happier than anywhere else in the world.
Why read Ikigai?
Don't be ashamed to pick a self help book. And equally don't be shy to tell anyone that you liked it. I do not understand why people diss on this book without giving a valid reason. Probably because it has become too mainstream?
Anyway, you should give Ikigai a try. If you want to live like Japanese, then this book is for you. And if you are comfortable, you could finish this book within days. This book can be life changing for many people, so don't miss out.
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