ABSTRACT
Life is, as it is complicated, and human beings continually demonstrate an inclination to compound the complications. We’re living in the busiest time of the history of humanity and we often do not have enough time to get everything done that we need to. The promise of technology was that it would handle our work for us and let us hang out more and relax, but the opposite is perhaps truer. Rather than helping us slow down, technology is forcing us to move even faster.
In response to the rapidly changing and demanding environment we’re living in, there’s been a counter-trend against the barrage of tasks and technology that we are inundated with every day. Patience is the other side of the coin, and we’re looking more to integrate that into our lives. Consequently, many of us are eager to practice and learn patience—a trait that we are not born with.
There has been a spike in interest with regard to the wisdom and practices from Japanese philosophy that can help us exercise patience—and ultimately, restore our connection with the fleeting nature of life. While these practices and concepts may not completely revolutionize one’s everyday life, they can certainly equip people with the required insights that can turn some things around.
In this chapter, the author explores and takes a look at two Japanese philosophies of Wabi-Sabi and Ikigai. Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese philosophy of simply embracing life’s imperfections and celebrating the understated elegance of rustic simplicity while Ikigai, which signifies ‘reason for one’s being’ compels us on a journey to find our one true purpose—our calling which brings us happiness and satisfaction.
The chapter tries to assess the impact of Japanese philosophies on knowledge and attempts to derive lessons from Wabi-Sabi and Ikigai for individuals and business organizations. This chapter is divided into the following parts:
Part I introduces the growing influence of Japanese philosophy and its growing relevance for personal lives as well as organizational settings. This portion will also introduce the basic concepts of Ikigai and Wabi-Sabi, prior to detailing them in the following segments.
Part II focuses on Ikigai, and how it helps identify and enhance purpose in life on a personal, communal, and organizational level.
Part III elaborates the concept of Wabi-Sabi and seeks to underscore the value of impermanence and imperfection.
Part IV summarizes the key learnings and lessons from the perspective of enhanced knowledge and organizational management, and concludes with a summary of the preceding sections in this chapter.
