“I think the fact that she still retains her duties as a noro is very important,” he replied. “Roles are very important here in Okinawa. They call it ikigai—the reason for waking up in the morning. A sudden loss of a person’s traditional role can have a measurable effect on mortality. We see this especially among teachers and policemen who die very soon after they quit working. Police and teachers have very clear senses of purpose and relatively high status. Once they retire, they lose both of those qualities and they tend to decline rapidly. I believe the reverse is true too. Kamada remains
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