Life worth living--- Ikigai

Hi,

Musing#21

We all know how having an high I.Q.(Intelligence quotient) benefits people in their profession and enhances their earning potential substantially. But did you know that high I.Q. also enhances people's life span substantially. This I.Q. is different. This is called Ikigai quotient.

Ikigai in Japanese means "joy and a sense of well-being from being alive".

A study was done at Tohoku university graduate school of medicine-Sendai in Japan, where in 43391 men and women(age 40-79 years) were asked "Do they have ikigai in their life?". Their responses were recorded and regular follow up was done over a period of seven years. The findings were that people with no sense of ikigai were 50% more likely to die earlier due to cardio vascular diseases, stroke and other external causes like suicides. On the contrary people who responded that they are having Ikigai in their life were more healthy and were likely to increase their life span by 9 years.

"We make a Living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." This saying of Sir Winston Churchill carries lot of meaning. Many in today's world feel that their life is empty and meaningless because they are unhappy with what they are getting, whether in terms of money, love, recognition etc. But if they can only introspect what they can give to others, not only in terms of money but also in terms of their affection, love, help, acknowledgement etc. and start giving, then their whole life will undergo a transformation. They will realise now that their life is full and meaningful.

Look at those trees, they are having Ikigai in abundance because they keep giving in many ways like shade, flowers, fruits, oxygen, wood and that's the reason the trees live longer.

Happiness and Joy, in giving creates a virtuous cycle. We can be happy only if our neighbours are happy. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and start giving whatever you can and enhance your I.Q.(Ikigai quotient) and live healthy and long.

mentor mohan.