The Way of Nagomi

October 31, 2022
In this insightful manual, neuroscientist Mogi (Awakening Your Ikigai) encourages readers to embrace the Japanese concept of nagomi, or a “state of human consciousness characterized by a sense of ease, emotional balance, well-being, and calmness.” He provides recommendations on how to achieve this state and explains that self-esteem plays a crucial role because it’s needed to weather life’s difficulties, though he cautions readers against becoming too self-confident at risk of losing one’s humility. Mogi also warns against judging oneself in relation to others and urges readers to accept the limits of one’s circumstances and abilities, holding up karaoke as an example of how to have a good time without worrying about one’s skills. To achieve “nagomi of society,” Mogi posits that one must consider everyone involved when making decisions, illustrating how to do so with the example of Japanese businessman Eiichi Shibusawa, known as the “Father of Japan’s capitalism,” who insisted on achieving harmony between “ethics and profits.” There are some dubious generalizations (“Whenever something new springs up in the Japanese cultural scene, it happens in a relaxed way”), but the emphasis on harmony and balance over self-improvement makes for a fresh complement to conventional self-help fare. Wisdom abounds in this sage outing.