Why are the Scandinavian people so Gosh Darn Happy?
In the recent 2024 World Happiness Report (yes, this is a real report by serious researchers at places like University of Oxford) the Scandinavian Countries, led by Finland dominated the top 10 of countries with the happiest people. My first thought was that the cold climate forced them to be inside and nice to each other, but that can’t be correct.
A Vogue magazine article where I read about this report attributed it to what they call the “hygge” lifestyle. The Japanese have a word for it and it is ikigai. Iki is Japanese for life and gai means reason. So roughly translated, ikigai means our reason for life. One of the more famous proponents of ikigai in our western culture is Marie Kondo, the Queen of the Clean Closet.
This is the second time in 2024 the word ikigai has crossed my path. The first time I was confronted by this philosophy was in my friend Leonard Sweet’s book, Jesus Human - A Primer for a Common Humanity. Dr. Sweet’s premise is that in this “wonky world, how do we answer the question: What is Human?” Our model for living into our humanity is Jesus Christ, and Sweet gives us an alphabet to define the Jesus model for humanity in our lives. And his word for the letter I is ikigai. So now I must confront the philosophy of ikigai and how it drives our happiness!
Sweet indicates the meaning of this Japanese concept is “a reason for being.” He writes, “ikigai is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile.” The connection of “things” and God is that God created all the things. Dr. Sweet goes on to say, “God placed divine codes of transcendence through all creation, signifying forms of presence that testify to God’s beauty, truth, and goodness.”
So, my take on this idea of ikigai and our personal happiness is rooted in what Len is saying in his book. If we value the things of creation and seek the divine transcendence in these things, our life will be filled by the joy Jesus brought to us in his divine humanity. We throw the word joy around in church a lot, but we only occasionally talk about where and how to find it.
In my humble opinion, if we subscribe to the ikigai philosophy to seek happiness, then we must first find the meaning in our life or as Dr. Sweet says, our reason for being. I see people regularly that are engaging in their God-given purpose, no matter if it is their vocation or avocation, finding joy and the harmony of mind, body, and spirit.
Here are four questions that can help us focus on your personal ikigai, whether it is in your job, hobby, or sport:
What are activities that you love to do?
What are activities that the world, or your community, or your church needs?
What are activities you can get paid to do?
What are activities you do well?
I also think that to pursue ikigai in your life, you must make space for yourself to be in creation. To not only observe and appreciate the beauty, but to find meaning in that creation thing. Dr. Sweet points out in Jesus Human that a key difference between Eastern and Western art is this one word ikigai. Western sculpture revolves around the concept of self, and the ability of a sculpture to express the voice of the artist. Eastern sculpture prizes the ability of an artist to give voice to the material and muffle the voice of the self. (Jesus Human, page 260)
As we approach the new year, I am going to be more cognizant of living into my ikigai and as a Jesus Human, finding meaning in God’s Creation and in creation things. I’m not making it a resolution or a SMART goal for 2025, but I will seek to embrace it and be present in it more consciously. I hope you find your ikigai too!