Want to live a long life? Have a purpose
The Japanese secret to longevity is ‘ikigai,’ to happily stay busy no matter what your age
Iwas born when my parents were in their mid30s, so when I was 6, they were in their early 40s. Whenever I looked up at them and their friends who dropped by our house (all adults loomed like giants to a 6-yearold), they all looked old, not to mention my grandparents, who looked specially ancient, gray hair, wrinkled skin, and all. So, at 6, I decided in my child’s mind that 40 would be the absolute limit for me. By that age, I thought I would have lived a full life.
When I became a teenager, I began to think that maybe 40 was too young as an end-oflife age, as I got exposed to more people who seemed to still be productive and happy in their 40s; also, they didn’t look that old to me anymore. So I moved my target age limit to 50.
When I started working, I realized it took time to build one’s career, and this was why the “official” retirement age was pegged at 60. So, in my 30s, I thought a life-span of 60 years was not unreasonable.
But when my youngest daughter was born when I was 50, I wanted to see her grow up, and hopefully to still be around for her debut at 18, and perhaps for her wedding sometime in her 20s. (Fortunately, I have seen these events come to pass.)
So much left to do
When I finally sold my company and “retired” at 60, I knew by then that there was still so much left to do in life. So I made sure the 20 years since then have been just as productive and fulfilling (if not more), but much less hectic and stressful, as my previous 60 years.
In a few days, I will be entering my eighth decade (a far cry from my original limit of four), and optimistically still looking forward to as many new life experiences as God and the universe will allow. I hope to continue sharing with others valuable life insights through writing, which has always been my passion. In a few weeks, I will be coming out with my latest book—the fourth in the past 20 years. It is a compilation of my published lifestyle articles in the Inquirer over the last three years, titled “Person, Family, Society.”
I also look forward eagerly to moving to my recently built new home, more suitable for my needs, after living for 30 years in the present one. It is cozy and comfortable, while still large enough to welcome my big family—my children and their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It will also be a great meeting place and hangout for my different groups of friends. And, of course, there will be my regular short rides on my favorite motorcycle.
As I write this, we have lost five more of our school batchmates in the past year, and our numbers are dwindling faster. At the same time, we have an unusual classmate who seriously claimed that he had found the key to living up to 125 years, and asked which of us wanted to learn his secret. He had no takers, because apparently no one wants to live that long. Only time will tell if he lives up to 125, but for sure the rest of us won’t be around to see it.
But apparently, there is a way to live a long, happy, healthy and productive life. It’s no secret that the Japanese have one of the highest life expectancies in the world, 85.03 years versus 73.2 globally (worldometers.info, based on latest United Nations Development Programme estimates).
Two researchers looked into this phenomenon, particularly in the island of Okinawa, where there are 24.55 individuals over the age of 100 for every 100,000 inhabitants—far more than the global average. More specifically, they discovered a rural village of 3,000 people, known to have the highest life expectancy in the world—Ōgimi, called the “Village of Longevity.”
Among other lifestyle practices such as a simple, healthy diet, and moderate but regular physical activity, the two researchers found the major reason for the inhabitants’ long lives, and came up with a groundbreaking book—“Ikigai, the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life,” by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.
A reason for living
The authors say that according to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. Some people have discovered their ikigai, while others are still looking, though they carry it within them. Finding it requires a patient search.
After interviewing the long-living residents of Ōgimi, the two authors came up with the following synthesis: “Having a strong sense of ikigai—the place where passion, mission, vocation and profession intersect—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning.” In other words, it is finding out and doing what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
According to the authors, it’s the reason many Japanese never really retire (there’s no word in Japanese equivalent to “retire” in the English sense). The Japanese remain active and work at what they enjoy because they have found a real purpose in life, and happiness is in always keeping busy at it.
After their wide-ranging one-on-one interviews with the durable Ōgimi folks, the two researcher-writers distilled their findings into the 10 rules of the ikigai art of living (which I have further compressed):
Stay active, don’t retire. Take it slow—being in a hurry is inversely proportional to the quality of life. Don’t fill your stomach to satiety. Surround yourself with good friends. Get in shape for your next birthday. Smile. Reconnect with nature to recharge your batteries. Give thanks to everyone and everything that brightens your day. Live in the moment—stop regretting the past and fearing the future. Today is all you have, make the most of it.
Lastly, follow your ikigai— there is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself until the very end.
I know that many of us have actually been doing some of these things. But the most essential—and the most satisfying— is the last one.