No, seriously, kaise milega Ikigai?

Okinawa is a Japanese island that was bombed by Americans during WWII wiping out 120000 of its residents Americans happily visit and live with their families in Okinawa now says author Frances Miralles given forgiveness is key to a good life And Okinawans live better than others How do we know thisBecause while Japan itself has the highest life expectancy in the world 85 years for men 873 for women mdash in Okinawa there are on average 2455 people above the age of 100 for every 100000 inhabitants far above global average And in Okinawa is a rural town Ogimi with most centenarians 100 plus folk per capita and the worlds highest life expectancyAnd its not like these people are on respirators in marna asan death bed Theyre fully mentally physically active going out about their day like the best of us When Miralles was in Ogimi he was advised against meeting a local tennis player for the fellow was just way too young mdash only 87 And Miralles along with his coauthor Hector Garcia was researching the secret to longevity in this rural town Which is IkigaiWhats Ikigai again Firstly this nicely produced bluecoloured MirallesGarcia book Ive been observing everyone holding in their hands picking it up from airport stores en masse for a while now And the reason I landed up to attend Miralless talk on a Monday eveningPeople had shelled out upward of R1500 cost of the cheapest tickets in a packed twotiered auditorium to listen to an author for an hour on a weeknight standing in long lines with a fresh stickered R500 copy of the book the only ones hell sign Where in India is this likely to happen In the island city of Bombay where the audience discovering the art of healthy ageing seemed relatively old themselves But thats because the young cant afford rents in this neighbourhood Okay I digressIkigai roughly refers to finding that constructive passioninterestmission that gives you immense pleasure to pursue and that you can wholly put your heart and mind into while youre in it Could be anything mdash nurturing your kidsplantsmusicsportodd hobbies anything Passion is an exalted term normally reserved for high art Perfection through enjoyable practise is something we can all aim for with multiple pursuits and this keeps the centenarian Ogimi mind very healthy and youngOf course thats not all There are also Japanese genes at work A lifestyle that involves always being on the move The traditional Japanese hara hachi bu mdash a rule that you only eat 80 per cent to your stomachs content And the diet itself mdash the famed Okinawan diet will warm the cockles of a hipsters heart But looking at the people of Ogimi Miralles reasons theres more to the hale and heartiness of these centenarians than genes or dietThere is a strong sense of community mdash organised in groups called maoi mdash that offers them collective purpose and joy imbuing life with even greater meaning and excitement to live on This bonding is a lot like the Indian village life the Spanish Miralles observesDeeply inspired by philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurtis teachings Miralles has travelled extensively across India having set his first childrens book mdash Lost In Mumbai mdash in the city that seems so fond of his latest And Miralles himself has been through multiple phases of Ikigai So its not like you find one and it keeps you going forever Newer allied passions fuel the mind to go on furtherTo explain Ikigai MirallesGarcia draws on more establishedacademic works Prominent among them psychologist Viktor Frankls logotherapy that closely examines your idea of future rather than psychoanalysis which is obsessed with your past Nassim Nicholas Talebs Antifragile mdash a selfaware strengthbased coping mechanism for lifes inevitable tragediesAnd the one thats closest to Ikigai mdash Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis popular positive psychology theory called flow where your workinterestpassion so deeply involvesconsumes you that time simply flies Although Ikigai is a rather thin book honestly it wasnt a flow for meIn much the same way as the other bestseller that everyones holding Hans Roslings Factfulness Ten Reasons Were Wrong About the World Would rather hear a talkTED or otherwise on the subject than sit through tabulated selfhelp summaries being passed off as nonfictionjournalism So glad to have heard Miralles live though mdash in conversation with Hrishikesh Kannan Indias only proper mainstream talk radio hostMiralles delved deep into his theories and experiences But then you know what the audience wants to know After the talk was over microphones being switched off a guy from the deep end of the auditorium asked the most pertinent question How do you find Ikigai True Kaise milega IkigaiWell Miralles said you could start with crossing out pursuits you dont enjoy and try out newer interests still Or better still go back to childhood and recall stuff you really loved doing in the most unfettered ways when nothing else mattered Accha Wahan milega IkigaiMayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture He tweets mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates