There was a sincere and introspective post on A Millennial's Attempt at Adulting recently.
The post explored the writer's inner thoughts on the purpose of her job (life?) and invoked the oft-cited Japanese concept of ikigai, which may be summarized as doing something, which you love, which you are good at, which is useful to society, and which pays you.
Ikigai seems to be the elusive holy grail that many are seeking. I do not pretend that I understand why this is so.
"Purpose" is itself a rather loaded word in my opinion. Is purpose a mantle you choose to wear on your shoulders; is purpose foisted upon you by others; or is purpose simply a malleable thing which is constantly shaped and reshapened by what you think others expect of you? I suspect the answer lies somewhere inbetween, ironically, not unlike the famous ikigai Venn diagram.
I have never felt that there was any purpose in what I do. But more importantly, I have never felt compelled to seek out purpose. What would be the point I wonder? Perhaps I am quite happy to not be particularly skilled in something. Perhaps there is insufficient altruism in me to want to do things for the greater good. Perhaps I have no great lasting love for any chore. Or perhaps I am just a plain old hedonist.
Hedonism, I feel, is a much maligned way of life. I shall not attempt to explore whether hedonism can be a moral philosophy to live life by. I generally do not think that people should have to justify their outlook on life to others. After all, was it not Epicurus who said that the greatest good is to seek sustainable pleasure in a tranquil life that is free of fear. To me, that alone, is a persuasive justification for being. No metaphysical explanations required. No need to sprain any brain muscles. If it is good enough for one of the greatest Greek minds ever to walk the planet, I suppose, it would do just fine for me.
Indeed, I feel like the whole FI movement is predicated on Hedonism or, if you want to split hairs, Epicureanism. Why do I say that? You would find that each tenet central to Epicureanism finds a parallel in a FI philosophy:
Sustainable pleasure - Nothing says sustainable pleasure more than a constant, recurring stream of passive income.
Tranquil life - No bosses, no clients, no deadlines, no politicking colleagues. Does it get more tranquil than that?
Free of fear - You know what I fear the most, the thought that I might be trapped forever in a job I detest just because of the need for survival. No other solution comes close to resolving or removing this fear than becoming FI. Furthermore, he who has FI-ed fears neither competition, retrenchment, nor retirement. I would argue that this is true freedom from fear indeed.
So to all those who might be suffering from a bout of mid-life crisis, or who suddenly feel like their life is devoid of purpose or meaning, verily I say to you: Abandon your false prophets, and disabuse yourself of vacuous notions like ikigai.
To seek happiness, through whatever is applicable to you, is what counts. If that means waking up at 11 AM every morning with no where to be, and nothing to do, so be it.
Onwards to FI my friends!
The post explored the writer's inner thoughts on the purpose of her job (life?) and invoked the oft-cited Japanese concept of ikigai, which may be summarized as doing something, which you love, which you are good at, which is useful to society, and which pays you.
Ikigai seems to be the elusive holy grail that many are seeking. I do not pretend that I understand why this is so.
"Purpose" is itself a rather loaded word in my opinion. Is purpose a mantle you choose to wear on your shoulders; is purpose foisted upon you by others; or is purpose simply a malleable thing which is constantly shaped and reshapened by what you think others expect of you? I suspect the answer lies somewhere inbetween, ironically, not unlike the famous ikigai Venn diagram.
I have never felt that there was any purpose in what I do. But more importantly, I have never felt compelled to seek out purpose. What would be the point I wonder? Perhaps I am quite happy to not be particularly skilled in something. Perhaps there is insufficient altruism in me to want to do things for the greater good. Perhaps I have no great lasting love for any chore. Or perhaps I am just a plain old hedonist.
Hedonism, I feel, is a much maligned way of life. I shall not attempt to explore whether hedonism can be a moral philosophy to live life by. I generally do not think that people should have to justify their outlook on life to others. After all, was it not Epicurus who said that the greatest good is to seek sustainable pleasure in a tranquil life that is free of fear. To me, that alone, is a persuasive justification for being. No metaphysical explanations required. No need to sprain any brain muscles. If it is good enough for one of the greatest Greek minds ever to walk the planet, I suppose, it would do just fine for me.
Indeed, I feel like the whole FI movement is predicated on Hedonism or, if you want to split hairs, Epicureanism. Why do I say that? You would find that each tenet central to Epicureanism finds a parallel in a FI philosophy:
Sustainable pleasure - Nothing says sustainable pleasure more than a constant, recurring stream of passive income.
Tranquil life - No bosses, no clients, no deadlines, no politicking colleagues. Does it get more tranquil than that?
Free of fear - You know what I fear the most, the thought that I might be trapped forever in a job I detest just because of the need for survival. No other solution comes close to resolving or removing this fear than becoming FI. Furthermore, he who has FI-ed fears neither competition, retrenchment, nor retirement. I would argue that this is true freedom from fear indeed.
So to all those who might be suffering from a bout of mid-life crisis, or who suddenly feel like their life is devoid of purpose or meaning, verily I say to you: Abandon your false prophets, and disabuse yourself of vacuous notions like ikigai.
To seek happiness, through whatever is applicable to you, is what counts. If that means waking up at 11 AM every morning with no where to be, and nothing to do, so be it.
Onwards to FI my friends!
Great reading your postt
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