Ikigai and the absurd.

I’m nearly finished with Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles. This isn’t a terribly new book (initially published in 2017), but I’d only heard about it in the last year or so. The concepts in this book are largely in alignment with many of my own ideals, and it frames the material in a way that is approachable and concrete. While this has been a feel-good preaching-to-the-choir book, for me, these types of books are a mindfulness practice in living according to one’s ideals.

While reading this book, I found myself thinking about a seeming paradox in my core beliefs. On the one hand, I feel the universe is fundamentally meaningless, and on the other, I feel that if we can fill our days engrossed in work we find meaningful, it can be a long-lasting source of contentment and purpose.

I’m increasingly convinced that the latter is possible only because the former is true. If finding our purpose were some external reality that we must “discover,” something that already exists in the universe, that we must find, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack and unattainable by almost anyone.

On the other hand, if the universe is a disinterested third party upon which no meaning exists external to our consciousness, then meaning itself is an emergent property of our existence. Since there is no prescribed meaning in the universe, we find something that provides meaning and purpose to each of us. Just think of the endless number of human creations we use as a foundation for finding meaning: language. Langue isn’t just what you're reading now but any symbolic system we rely on to organize our thoughts and transmit those thoughts to others. This includes everything from spoken and written words to mathematics, art, computer circuits, and large language models.

That’s not to say that I don’t think the universe plays a role in us finding meaning in purpose; I believe the universe is full of endless sources of things that we can tune in to and resonate with. I think that is why repetition and ritual are crucial in Ikigai and why there is a focus on process. Each of our unique participations in the universe allows us to tune in to some aspect of existence that resonates with us.

We see this in a very literal sense with surfing. The purpose of the ocean isn’t to provide surfers with perfect waves. Still, some surfers find a unique relationship between the sea and some special shorelines, deriving purpose and meaning from it. Surfers have a shared experience with a unique set of conditions in the universe, and the pursuit of honing their skills, finding the right board, and learning the waves is a dance with meaning in a meaningless universe.

It’s absurd and beautiful. Maybe I’m wrong about all of this. Thinking about it brings me joy.