Marcelo answers “I have to wonder about the merit of the...”

Andrea asked this question about Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life:

I have to wonder about the merit of the book that somehow ties being Japanese to being happy, and cites "always being busy" as the key to longevity and bliss. I hope the author knows that Japanese culture is the only one (at least to my limited knowledge) that has a word for death from overworking, and has some of the highest suicide rates from stress and impossible performance standards. How is this addressed?

Marcelo Galuppo This is not addressed by the authors, but I think you misunderstood their intention. They discuss how people from Okinawa achieve a very old age (abou…moreThis is not addressed by the authors, but I think you misunderstood their intention. They discuss how people from Okinawa achieve a very old age (about 90 years old) through alimentation, exercise and, sure, Ikigai (something that connects one`s mission, profession, vocation and activity). I think it is irrelevant that most suicides take place in Japan (Okinawa isn`t quite Japan). The question is why the most old people are from Okinawa.(less)

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