IKIGAI-The Secret To A Long Happy Life (Ebook)

Whatever you do, don’t retire! Having a clearly defined ikigai brings satisfaction, happiness, and meaning to our lives. The purpose of this book is to help you find yours, and to share insights from Japanese philosophy on the lasting health of body, mind, and spirit.
One surprising thing you notice, living in Japan, is how active people remain after they retire. In fact, many Japanese people never really retire—they keep doing what they love for as long as their health allows.

There is, in fact, no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense of “leaving the workforce for good” as in English. According to Dan Buettner, a National Geographic reporter who knows the country well, having a purpose in life is so important in Japanese culture that our idea of retirement simply doesn’t exist
there. The island of (almost) eternal youth
Certain longevity studies suggest that a strong sense of community and a clearly defined ikigai are just as important as the famously healthful Japanese diet—perhaps even more so.

The Characters Behind Ikigai
In Japanese, ikigai is written as 生き甲斐, combining 生き, which means
“life,” with 甲斐, which means “to be worthwhile.” 甲斐 can be broken
down into the characters 甲, which means “armor,” “number one,” and “to
be the first” (to head into battle, taking initiative as a leader), and 斐,
which means “beautiful” or “elegant.”
Though we will consider each of these findings over the course.