Values of a Supercentenarian

Representatives image 

   While reading the world-famous narrative nonfiction book on how to live over century Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, co-authored by Spanish born Japanese expert Hector Garcia and journalist Francesc Miralles, I was ambiguously pushed to ponder whether these universal qualities still-practiced by the people of Okinawa reside inside me. Otherwise, I should have some other characteristics in substitution. I also learned that Ikigai (生き甲斐) or purposeful life-values are not something relative rather they are universally absolute and individually variable. 

   Vividly, values of my life I adore by heart and mind and practice them, would be in accordance with the environment and society I live in. These will be Ikigai imperatives of our lives.

   I live with my parents, two elder sisters and a grand-mother in a thatched house. My father sustains our family with meagre income that he gets from his inherited land of corps. Still whenever I am asked by school teacher about my family income, I give unhesitant reply that we are a rich family and well satisfied. That's what my father taught me in childhood lullabies. 

   Now when I'm nearly to cross 19 of my age following my passion of higher education, I still feel that I stay afloat, though the family income source is yet-unchanged. If any students' welfare community come with Campus Happiness Report (CHR), my introspection allows me to give ten out of ten marks. So, living the life, if not the moment I live, with satisfaction and happiness is my own policy that inherited to me with parents who possessed it from the society. I have also a belief, literally confidence and conscience, that ascertains me - If you give thanks, I will increase you.

   My master teaches us, “The upper hand is better than lower hand”. The distance between my home and university approximately 2,500 km crossing five states of India from Jharkhand to Kerala. I learned from my teacher when he first time accompanied us for this long journey that he gives every single blessing-giving beggar something from his pocket or bag. When one of our peers interrupted him saying that you would come across countless people in the guise of fakirs. He replied, “It's my duty to give and forgive for what they are indeed. By this, to be sure, I buy pleasure and reward.” This practical morality unknowingly passed to many of us that still I enjoy to give whatever I can from time, money or energy, rather than to take. This is what I perceive as my persuasion of my life and its priorities. 

   Another most important value that was actually instilled into me by my college visionary excellence. That's to be perfect in one and average in all. This one field is of mine pleasure and interest that I can live with it till the time I will die. Same as the people of Ikigai that they enjoy their duty instead of working on it. This brings an aesthetic perfection and fulfilment of our purpose that no one can deny.  

   Interestingly, it's my value to learn from each situation and every experience. That's what helped to shape and mould my life-principles based on every stage of social times. From home to travel and teacher to college, I learned new things, applied their best versions and live with them. 

Literally, these values seem small in words but, weigh huge importance in my life and living as an individual embodiment of my society. These moral, social, humanistic and experimental values in me become negation of anti-personal and societal elements like arrogance, hatred, lust, violence and far to say. These make my life like of a supercentenarian of Ikigai, or something more than, whether I can cross the years in quantity or not. Surely, I’ll have sense of infinity regarding my life that supercentenarians enjoy.   

• This essay was submitted by the author to participate in the International Essay Writing Competition organized by Goi Peace Foundation, Japan.