When I began my journeys in the Americas, I was impressed with the wealth of literature available. At that time, I did not speak Spanish or Portugues, thus my world view was limited to the literature in English or translated into English.
I discoverd a slew of Caribbean writers, from Trinidad, Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica, principally. I used to walk up down the aisles at Foyles in London looking for literature from that region, since most of the writers were living in London.
V,S, Naipaul mesmerized me with his astute use of the English language and I began reading everything and anything has written (a habit of mine, which began in school and continued: Naipaul, Gabo, Murakami, Ishuguro, Mutis, many many others). Who can forget Miguel Street and I lived a recreation of The House for Mr Biswas at a house in Suva, Fiji when I visited my friend Narendra Kewal whose family owned a bus company.
V.S.Naipaul
When you no longer have a project in your life, you become old.
That sentence resurfaced in my memory when I was reading about the IKIGAI of Okinawa.. why so many people there live to be centenarians.
The key concept of Ikigai is that you have something to do, not keeping yourself busy all the time, but doing something meaningful.
DO WHAT YOU LIKE TO DO, SOMETHING YOU ARE GOOD AT, SOMETHING THE WORLD NEEDS AND NICE TO HAVE AN INCOME
Very simple concepts but how easily they are forgotten?
I was telling a colleague that I cannot wait to go back to the village in the Amazon to continue my project of prevention of Industrialization of Food (entering their village)
His question was? who pays you ?
I realized how far removed are our worlds.
A good friend of mine from Trinidad once said to me: Do not sequester your knowledge from people and sell it for money.
Once a cunning professor of Diabetes in Jamaica was detailing how to extract money from the poor. I told him, you cannot make money out of people who do not have it. He smiled.
These long months of isolation has been hard for most people around the world, but it has been good to have a project of hope during these months.
Constant contact with friends from around the world
Malaysia Cambodia Thailand Cochin Iran Qatar Israel France USA Cuba Brasil Colombia
as the world turns.. so the text message may arrive any time of the day or night as the day becomes night and vice versa around the world.
I have been very lucky to be working with the Indigenous peoples and during these months I have ben able to strengthen my relationship with them.
How can you not feel a sense of purpose when an indigenous patient of yours sends you a photograph he captured on his path while he was walking (at my insistence)..
an indigenous elder had reminded me
when you stop dreaming, your life comes to an end.
another elder defined Balance as dividing your life into similar quality of time periods
25% Work
25% Family, Group, Tribe, Nation
25% Social Responsibility (things that you must do for others)
25% a spiritual Life (not religion but a connection with the Universe)
Nature abhors a vacuum, when there is a vacuum in any of the above, the other parts steps in: thus the origin of lack of balance in your life: Overwork or workaholism; neglect of your family; selfishness and thinking only about money; lack of spirituality .
Living and being with Indigenous peoples for a long time, I have had a chance to do participant observation and listen to their wisdom and more than once, in fact many many times, surprised how similar most of the ancient philosophies are and interestingly enough most of them are not connected to any religion, for example, Yogi philosophy (Kleishas) are not related to Hinduism or Buddhism.
Thank you Japan, especially Chisako who introduced me to the Japanese nutrition and Japanese farm life
and the multiple tribes of indigenous peoples..many of whom are my relatives.
I heard from my friends from Cambodia, Brasil who realized that their happiness depended upon them practising Ikigai without being aware of it !
