The Ups and Downs of Ikigai
The secret life of elevator operators.
Left to right: Hotel Del Coronado elevator operator by Neeta Lind on Flickr. Elevator operator at Kyoto Tower by Victor Lee on Flickr. Elevator operator at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago by Anita Gould on Flickr featured in the Design Observer, an article by Ken Gordon
A number of years ago I read the 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 above 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 article 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.
This is a splendid example of both the importance of uncovering our Ikigai and the extra value expressing it can bring to our lives and the lives of others.
I rode in an elevator similar to these in Italy a few years back. Center of the tiny hotel, tiny elevator, real quaint ☺️
Wonderful message David. When we find what we love, it is a harmonious journey for sure, regardless of how it looks to the world around us, and how many times we must ride the roller-coaster of our careers. Thanks David. Love it.