IKIGAI
a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living.
生きがい
[ee-kee-guy] noun
Mieko Kamiya
For centuries, dating back to the Heian period [794 to 1185], Japanese neuroscientists, psychologists, and psychiatrists have researched ikigai and have yet to find an exact definition for the term. Generally understood, ikigai (生きがい, ee-kee-guy) is a Japanese concept that describes the things that make your life worthwhile; the things that give you a deep sense of purpose, satisfaction, and joy. The concept of ikigai was popularized by a Japanese psychiatrist, Mieko Kamiya, in 1966. Considered the "Mother of Ikigai Psychology", Kamiya felt a need to research the concept when her patients suffered from a sense of meaninglessness in their lives. Her investigation can be understood through the following quote:
"According to the dictionary, ikigai means ‘power necessary for one to live in this world, happiness to be alive, benefit effectiveness.’ When we try to translate it into English, German, French, etc, it seems that there is no other way to define it other than 'worth living' or 'value or meaning to live'. Thus, compared to philosophical theoretical concepts, the word ikigai shows us how much the Japanese language is ambiguous, but because of this it has an effect of reverberation and amplitude."
— MIEKO KAMIYA , 1966
"Ikigai ni Tsuite"
KEN MOGI
Similar to Kamiya's conclusion, neuroscientist, Ken Mogi, describes ikigai as a spectrum that reflects the complexity of life itself. He believes in the importance of understanding that the simplest things in life are what feed our souls and, therefore, ikigai starts from those very small things. According to Mogi, Japanese people grow up with this multifaceted concept of ikigai and come to understand it more intimately as they grow older, and as they change internally throughout the course of their life.
The study of ikigai begs the question,
What makes one feel that life is worth living?
