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 definitions:
The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the practices, customs, or aesthetics of one social or ethnic group by members of another (typically dominant) community or society.
Oxford English Dictionary
Culture refers to the traditions, customs, beliefs, and practices of any given ethnic, racial, or religious group. Key elements of culture include: language art, music, and literature, clothing social norms, customs, and values, history and government, religion and holidays
To appropriate, in basic terms, means to take without permission.
Cultural appropriation, then, happens when another culture “borrows” any of these cultural elements, typically without asking permission or crediting the source culture.
Healthline
Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.
National Conference For Community and Justice
Cultural appropriation, also called cultural misappropriation, occurs when a person from one culture adopts the fashion, iconography, trends or styles from a culture that’s not their own.
Good Housekeeping
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of certain elements from another culture without the consent of people who belong to that culture.
National Art Education Foundation
These definitions are so varied, I think whenever I engage with another culture, I am at risk from some person or some group’s perspective for cultural appropriation.
For example, several of these definitions suggest consent is needed (which at first glance seems very reasonable, especially after seeing some of the perfume commercials using Native American symbols and dress on TV!), but do I need to ask permission to learn how to cook sushi, practice Zen Buddhism, or learn Japanese? And if so, from whom do I seek this permission? is there a phone number?
And here I get to the crux of the matter. My highest calling is philosophy—a search for wisdom and truth— and for me, understanding ikigai (and seeking a life of ikigai) is a necessary tool for me to pursue this calling. I am not going to refuse a tool that help’s me achieve my highest purpose because somewhere, someone doesn’t think I have the right to understand and apply an idea.