“Your Passion” is Self-centered Crap
Find your Ikigai. Nobody cares about your passion.
There is a Japanese word called “Ikigai” that is often explained as path to a long, happy, meaningful life. The concept moves beyond the usual, western Baby Boomer advice to “follow your passion,” and instead challenges you to consider the needs and values of others in the world.
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To apply Ikigai, you must understand both yourself AND others.
The message “Follow your passion,” is so much simpler, easier and more palatable, it’s typical fodder for pandering commencement speeches.
What this advice ignores is the needs and wants of others. Maybe because “following your passion” is one of the most self-centered things you can do, Ben Horowitz’ 2015 commencement address to the graduating engineers at Columbia University says, “Don’t follow your passion.”
