Ikigai, Technology & COVID-19

How It Started

A little more than a year ago, I was conflicted in majoring in computer science. It seemed like all the wishes and dreams I had had for the last three to four years were impossible to accomplish, and the experience of programming and problem-solving that once brought me a sense of comfort and satisfaction were slowly losing their magic touch. What I would spend hours on in the past trying to understand suddenly became too painful and frustrating. What once brought me joy seemed too difficult to continue. I was trying to remember what made me fall in love with technology and programming in the first place.

Due to my inner conflict, and a bit of sponetousity, I decided to leave Hawaii behind and study abroad in Japan to rekindle the love I once had for technology. During my time as a study abroad student, I took on a research project connecting the information age and technology with a common term in Japan known as “ikigai”. A simple word that means a purpose in your life, your reason for being. With little guidance and mentorship, I embarked on a new journey, but it wasn’t easy. I didn’t realize what exactly “ikigai” meant to people, much less myself; most of the information was in journals dating several years ago, but for the most part, I hadn’t realized how many people in Japan were in the same situation as me. People in schools, colleges, and workplaces all felt that they had to contribute a part of themselves for the betterment for the whole of the community, whether that be in their family or workplace. Better late than never, I realized that the people who were living with “ikigai” weren’t trying to, but they would accept their situation and find peace knowing that what is meant to happen will happen.

How It’s Going

This new mindset helped me start seeing myself and my goals in a new light. I was able to tie into my search for ikigai with the passion I had for computer science, programming, and technology. I took note how several people were able to turn their passion into products, and I was able to observe in events and sites such as teamLab and Knowledge Capital.

While this paper reflected less on my personal thoughts, I was able to convey the message I had learned and observed while studying abroad. Alongside this paper, because I was studying abroad precisely at the time the pandemic began to grow, I worked on a more reflective piece about my experiences studying abroad during a pandemic as an international student.

Right now, I am working on getting the two papers published in different journals. With the help from my advisor, I hope to publish my COVID-19 reflection paper where international students who desire to study abroad can have a look at how the pandemic affected my studies and overall lifestyle in a foreign country. As for my Ikigai and Technology paper, it will be published in the next volume of the annual Horizons undergraduate journal at UH Manoa.

To catch a glimpse of the current drafts, you can read about the ikigai and technology portion here, and the COVID-19 portion here.