The intersecting worlds of beauty

Background:

Well quite recently stumbled upon a really great book , The little book of Hygge by Meik wiking and realized the beauty of various cultures and nations and how beautifully it can be integrated in life, for long lasting peace.

The Danish philosophy of HYGGE

Meaning of hygge

According to Danish culture HYGGE is basically the synonym of comfort, coziness and anything exuding warmth you can think off. I might be really oversimplifying here and would recommend the readers to read this book. It might be the best bedtime book you could have read.

So HYGGE could be anything. I will write my list, make sure you journal yours as well.

1. This book, with music around, my cat dancing all over the place and may be a warm/cool drink depending on the weather

2. Cycling in rains

3. Book with a cozy café, slight cold and rains

4. Snowfall with a fireplace( haven’t experienced as yet, but sure on my bucket list)

5. Sometimes just turning the pages of past in my mind rejoicing at how far I have come

6. Hanging out with my friends

7. Just sitting by a lake or in an open park

8. Cooking

A few great takeaways from the Nordic culture are as follows:

1. A genuine love for cycling

2. Hygging, a place for coziness in life

3. A beautiful work-life balance

4. Respecting space

The Japanese philosophy of IKIGAI

We all have learnt about the famous Venn diagram of IKIGAI right?

What if IKIGAI meant something else.

In a recent book IKIGAI by Yukari Mitsuhashi, she talked about a term: SIKATSU.

It basically means not to define a particular purpose in life but to live each moment as if it is purposeful. Sometimes everyday life, itself should be filled with a sense of calm, love. Sometimes purpose itself is the process of life. Just like a child builds sand castles without it being paid or fulfilling some heavenly purpose similarly not everything needs to serve some purpose some things are just for a gentle sense of joy. Then if it has to reach far and wide it will, or may be not, but not that you aimed for it.

A few great takeaways from Japanese culture are as follows:

1. Minimalism

2. Connection to nature

3. Slow eating

4. Cleaning

5. Physical activity in old age

6. Love for changing seasons

Similar other philosophies

A lot of similar other philosophies are seen, naming a few:

1. Lykke in Denmark

2. Lagom in Sweden

3. Wabi Sabi in Japan

4. Fika again in Sweden

Conclusion

Presence of these philosophies sharing similar warmth and gentleness, across the globe hints towards the attempts at peace every culture has made in their own way. It’s the love for a compassionate living that has been a major part of most of the cultures. Unfortunately somewhere along the race, we lost touch with who we really are, the flow and the love for silence.