And that's how we're going to start, welcome to Free Environment el podcast. Arionnys Honorio here.
I'm going to be with you for a few minutes. This podcast will help you to unplug for a few moments from that universe of constant consumption of information sometimes necessary, sometimes not. I believe that each person has something unique to give. That uniqueness that we carry within us is what I want to buy into a free environment, free of and stereotypes free of prejudice.
So enough of introductions. Let's listen to what we got for today.
Like five years ago, I had this question in my head, if this is all, you know, go to work, go home and something for the weekend and then the same thing, work, home, plan something for the weekend and then the same thing over and over again. And I was wondering, what's the meaning of all this or the purpose is, I don't know. Then I start to rationalize the question, saying that there is no need to complain. I have held I have a family and friends that love me. I work in my profession and I'm just starting my twenties. Stop asking weird questions and keep dancing the rhythm of life or whatever. And then I went on with my day, although no, with that question stuck in my head, things haven't changed much because the questions are still there. However, now, with some answers to this question, do nothing that I come up with the answer. No, no, no, no. I have simply put into practice some things that I've learned along the way from people who have spent a lot of time studying and talking about topics like this and people close to me who have helped me to understand this a little bit, more
For example, Gary Larson, an American cartoonist, creator of one of the most famous comic strips in the United States in the 70s, the name is the Far Side. He put in one of it the progressive line of evolution of human, front and ameba, he put to each creature a bubble above with a text, meaning that is saying something, and starting with the ameba, it says eat, sleep and reproduce and continues with the fish, eat, sleep and reproduce.
And then the one that follows eat, sleep and reproduce. And he goes on and on and on. And all of them said, eat, sleep, and reproduce until it gets to the human word says, what's the meaning of life? This is a joke that is trying to tell us how we overcomplicate things. I'm going to dare to say this. The only thing that is true with Gary Larson drawing is that everyone has asked this question or will be asked at some point in their life, what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose, or if you want to add my what is the meaning of my life, what is my purpose?
But there is a part in this of meaning or purpose of life that I want to make clear before continuing. And that is that based on my system of moral and personal values, I know what my purpose is, helping people to live an intentional life, aligning with God's principle, simple and in the words of journalist and author of the book, The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith, she says the matter of how to leave, after all, requires a discussion of abstract, personal and moral values. As simple as it sounds and when it comes to morals and I won't talk about that today, but whether we like her or not, there is a moral system out there, social, cultural, and even universal, that neither of us can go against it. But in terms of personal values, your way of seeing life may be very different from mine.
And because of what you are passionate about, what you understand that give you meaning and purpose to your life, may be very different from mine, but they are unique and they are just as important and necessary as mine.
I don't know if you have heard the word IKIGAI and if not, let me summarize or let me try to summarize in one minute or so, IKIGAI is not a word that I invented or anything like that. That word is Japanese translated into our language. This means the reasons for leaving. I came across this word when I was learning about centenarians, people who live 100 years or more, learning about their lifestyle, what they eat, what they don't eat, what they do, what they don't do, and all of that. There is a whole story about this. There is a National Geographic documentary, also a book called The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner. The Turns Blue zones came from that demographic study. A group of people identified the island of Sardinia in Italy as the region in the world with the highest concentration of men, centenarians. And they marked it on the map that they had this region with the Blue crayon. Literally, they made a circle and start calling the blue zones to everything that was inside the circle. Then Dan Buettner identifies more places in the world with a high population of centenarians, and they officially named the blue zones among then an island in Japan called Okinawa. And they had the word IKIGAI is rooted in their culture and its simple means, your reasons for leaving or as they will translate it, the reason why you get up in the morning. IKIGAI, when I came across this perhaps simple work, it helped me a lot at the time, motivated me to give priority to certain things, including this podcast. Maybe you're wondering why this guy so gives me about IKIGAI, the reality is that in essence, IKIGAI, it's about understanding who you are and being loyal to yourself in your relationship work and any project you are going to create.
And to start, you have to know who you are. And part of knowing who you are is knowing your core values. People who know themselves can choose to follow a path that aligns with their values and abilities. Many times you appreciate and recognize those values and skills in other people, in communities, and even in organizations and companies. Yes, companies, companies. Because something that helps us a lot in all of this is work. Work is one of the ways in which we discover who we are because it is through work that we come to understand our different abilities and gift. Whether we like her or not. Work is an important part of our identity. But there's always a but and be careful with this one, in the words of the author and pastor, Timothy Keller in his book Every Good Endeavor, he says we can have a meaningful life without work. But we kind of say that our work is the meaning of our life. If we make any work, the purpose of our life, even if that work is the ministry of the church, we create an idol that puts itself in the place of God in our hearts. Nothing else to add to that. That's so clear. If we're going to talk about purpose and meaning, we need to mention Victor Frank, an Austrian neurologist, and psychiatrist who survived the concentration camp during World War Two.
He wrote a book called Man's Search for Meaning, where he narrates from his point of view, his time in the concentration camps. He says finding his personal meaning in that spirit made him want to live more Fran
Believe that all of us can not only survive, but grow if we find our purpose and meaning in life. He dedicated his life to this idea, and thanks to him, we have logotherapy as part of this psychotherapy
His work is based on the fact that the main motivation of human beings is to find the meaning of life.
And maybe you say amja IKIGAI, work, logotherapy, blah, blah, blah, blah. Dude, give me something practical. Well, here we go all the way in which IKIGAI get to us in this part of the world does not have much to do with the essence of what it is, but it would help a lot if we can understand and get the practical part of it.
What I mean by that is that if you go to Google right now and type Ichigo, you'll see what they call a Venn diagram, several overlapping circles where basically it's trying to make us understand that what you do well, plus what you love is your passion, what you love, plus what the world needs is your mission, what the world needs, plus what they will pay you. That's your profession. And finally, for what they will pay you. Plus, what you do, Will, is your vocation. And the result of all of this is your purpose.
There are three points that I wanted to take into account, actually, three questions. And at simple as they sound, if you really want to get something out of it, you have to answer it honestly. Here it goes. Do you know what your core values are? The reason for this question is because finding your purpose is about understanding who you are and being loyal to yourself in your relationships, work, and whatever project you create. Knowing who you are is knowing your core values. The second question is, do you have a role at work or within your family or social group that gives you that sense of purpose? This question is because our roles give us a sense of identity and define who we are, although we do not recognize that we all want to feel useful, contribute and have a positive impact on the people around us and in our environment. The third and final question is, do you have at least one intimate relationship? And this last question is because intimacy is that space of closeness that develops over time between two people, either with friends, family, or a partner, intimacy is vital to our well-being.
It allows us to express our true identity. The reality is that when we rethink our responsibility and begin to see them as an opportunity to help others, our life and our jobs have more meaning. Questions like this one, I think, are always good only if we act because we find our purpose by acting. You cannot find it by thinking finding your purpose is discovering what you won, why you want it, and deciding what you are going to do about it. God gave us talents and abilities. That is his gift to us. But what we do with then is our gift to him there to use them. Our life has more meaning when we serve. Use your own personal transformation to contribute to society. Each of us has a circle of people, whether in a family, in our communities, or in our jobs, that we can help their lives. That is the legacy that each of us can leave. And I'm going to finish with this Victor Frank quote, He who knows the why of his existence is able to bear almost any how.