Is there something to the idea of a life committed to meaning and purpose? Envisage living by other’s standards of yourself. Contemplate doing things only because it is expected of you; it is who you are told to be. In the gap between what is expected of us and what we want is the numbness. This is the space where all the obligations and commitments fade away and one feel’s “empty inside”. This is the existential void. What is the resolution? Here’s a little preview: “Become what you are!” One must find purpose, one must find meaning, and one must find their ikigai [生き甲斐]. Is your ikigai a “reason for being”? Can it possibly bring satisfaction and meaning to life?
Ikigai is a conjunction of iki [生き] meaning “alive” or “life” and gai [甲斐] meaning
Ikigai is a conjunction of iki [生き] meaning “alive” or “life” and gai [甲斐] meaning