by Matthew Rehrl MD | Ikigai
One benefit of studying physics and engineering is that it gives me some insight into the difference between the theoretical and the practical. For example, although quantum physics and general relativity give a better theoretical description of the universe than...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Writing, Writing Habits
One place I enjoy writing, especially in the early morning, is at my kitchen counter. And one reason I enjoy writing here is that a few feet away, facing me, is my classic Kit-Cat Klock, with its rhythmic eye movement and tail wagging, coupled with a gently mechanical...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Ikigai
Ikigai is not equivalent to happiness. (There is an excellent Ancient Greek word for happiness: εὐδαιμονία [eudaimonia], which has a complicated relationship with its cousin ἀρετή [arete, or excellence].) Nor do I think ikigai is essential to happiness. There are...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Ikigai, Writing, Writing Habits
I don’t think the pursuit of excellence is linear, like this: beginner’s mind → journeyman → mastery Rather, I think it is a continuous, cyclic, equilibrium: beginner’s mind ⇄ journeyman ⇄ mastery ⇄ beginner’s mind
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Ikigai
Is studying the concept of ikigai, and then trying to apply it to one’s own life, a form of cultural appropriation? To answer this question, let’s first take a look at a few definitions of cultural appropriation. Here is a very small sampling of some of the various...
