Ikigai Thought for Today: The Ups and Downs of Ikigai
The secret life of elevator operators.
Audio narration by David Marlow
Years ago I read a great book, 'The Butterfly Hunter: Adventures of People Who Found Their True Calling Way Off the Beaten Path.’
In it were stories of unique ways people had found to make a living and included careers ranging from a mushroom hunter to the “in a World” movie trailer announcer who literally created movie trailer announcing.
These people all had found their ikigai in some unusual places.
This brings me to manual elevator operators.
Ikigai is about experiencing your essence and purpose in harmony with whatever you do.
Finding those things you love doing and doing them with all your heart.
The elevator operators pictured above1 have found a unique expression of their Ikigai and a way to add a special level of humanity to what most think is an automated experience.
⏫ ⏬ Riding an elevator.
A few years back New York Times Reporter Andy Newman wrote an article2 on the sentimental journey that is a manual elevator ride.
“Riding in an old manual elevator makes you realize how boringly quiet today’s elevators are. An old elevator makes a sort of music: the reassuring low hum of the motor, the gentle creaks of turning wheels, the click as each floor goes by, the jingle of the gate closing, like parting a bead curtain or sifting a pile of coins. The only jarring note…is the call buzzer. It sounds like the wrong answer on a game show.”
There’s something of a throwback to the elevator rider experience, much like listening to your favorite album on vinyl.
These operators love what they are doing despite the ups and downs of this career. Pardon the pun.
This is a splendid example of both the importance of uncovering our Ikigai and the extra value of expressing it can bring to our lives and the lives of others.
Quest well!
