The pursuit of life worth living is finding a reason for being
This is Ikigai Café, a philosophical compendium for the pursuit of life worth living.
Like all matter, all other abstract things that do matter: ideas, stories, and realities require a container that shall allow it to take form and manifest into the world.
Ikigai Café was created as an amalgamation of Loreen’s philosophical insights; not seeking to be in the place of automaticity, authority, and autobiography — but to be in a place of genuine openness for examination and expression.
Not automatic but meticulously pondered
Not authoritative but curiously ruminated
Not autobiography but archetypically explored
This compendium is a living container of all things that matter and that which contribute to the betterment of our understanding of the meaning of life (but by no means shall attempt to define with certainty, the meaning of life).
As a living container, the impressions within this compendium is not exhaustive nor definite — meaning, that this container shall continue to evolve as the author, the curator, and inquisitor in one — learn and unlearn her discernment of the world and its constructs.
All things that matter require a place
A café is the modern stoa where humans congregate unsystematically to enjoy a curated ambience that is not only corporeally rewarding, but is also aesthetically pleasing and intellectually stimulating. A café is a place of meaningful discourses when with company, and a place of deep work and contemplation when without.
Similarly, Ikigai Café is the container for the exploration and expression of topics that are salient and relevant at the moment of its writing. This is the space where thoughts in abstraction are made manifest into the world through words.
The ideas, stories, and realities presented within this container become the artefacts of integration. Whether it is insight obtained from rumination, conversation, or lecture — the words made manifest into the world are given the life to possibly instigate curiosity, awe, and wonder to whoever it resonates with.
May the human who thirsts for insight find the artefacts herein most quenching — may it inspire you to find courage to take action when needed, remain steadfast when challenged, and become spirited when feeling listless.
The pursuit of life worth living is finding a reason for being
Ikigai is the Japanese concept of living a meaningful life. It is being in the intersection of doing: what you love, what the world needs, what can be paid for, and what you are good at.
It is where passion, mission, vocation, and profession are fully integrated into one’s mode of being. Ikigai helps define life’s purpose which shapes one’s motivations that then influences his actions — making him joyful, grateful, and connected.
As sentient beings, we crave for meaning and attach it to almost everything we interact with: objects, relationships, motivations, desires, life. We demand the justification of our lives beyond merely just existing, and the way we live influences our acceptance of such existence.
Our desire for meaning is translated with our desire for feeling most alive.
Look at the eyes of someone who speaks of what he is most passionate about; He has the eyes that light up like fire. Look at the countenance of a man set on a mission; He has the countenance capable of moving mountains. Look at the hands of someone who ventures on a vocation; He has the hands that of a builder. Look at the demeanor of a man with his profession; He has the demeanor that of a predator seeking out its prey.
But look at the entireness (not just the appearance) of a man who has found his Ikigai: his whole presence blazes like the sun and not only does it illuminate the moon, it nourishes the world.
Someone who has found his Ikigai rises each day with almost inextinguishable eagerness to create, influencing not only the people within his domain, but also the lives that are transformed by his creative pursuits — directly or indirectly.
Cultivating a meaningful life is made possible through Ikigai by being able to pursue what one is most passionate of, gain mastery in such craft, be of service to the world that needs it, and be (financially) rewarded for it. A man who has passion, mission, vocation, and profession interwoven into one mode of being is a man most alive. He lives each waking moment with intentionality to create and be full of appreciation for the gift of life.
Finding the reason for our being makes life worth living.
Ikigai Café and the pursuit of life worth living
Ikigai Café being a philosophical compendium narrates the lessons and instructions on how to live a life worth living through finding our reason for being.
The philosophy, although not exhaustive nor definite, shall explore (to the best of the author’s ability) topics that may help lead to creative insight that then instigates action: to change, to affirm, to influence. This is not an intellectual lecture for changing minds nor changing one’s ways, but a genuine attempt to plant seeds — its propagation solely depending on the reader’s interpretation and integration.
Each essay may be introductory and rhetorical, or comprehensive and theoretical — there will be no standard form in writing except the spontaneous (but thoughtful) exploration of thoughts around flow, curiosity, creativity, serious-play, ambiguity, the unknown, the sublime and the liminal, authenticity and vulnerability — including practical tools like Stoicism, the Socratic Method, CBT, Kaizen, Experiential Learning, Lean and Agile Project Methodology, among others. The style of writing may be literary or practical, and everything in between.
This is an experiment — as is the rest of life when we’re out to play.
Welcome to Ikigai Café and may you be full of curiosity, awe, and wonder as you embark in this journey to find the reason for being.