065 - ikigai. from ok banger on Pods! is available as a collectible!
Ikigai is everywhere, and we are over it. Christin and
@cameron unpack how the famous “four circles” diagram got mashed together into a sellable Western self-help idea, and how chasing the perfect overlap can freeze people instead of helping them move. They contrast that with what “blue zone” elders seem to model: purpose looks a lot like friendship, daily social plans, and staying connected.
Along the way: why parents can feel harder to hear than other elders, Cameron’s sleep study and CPAP learning curve, and a late-episode detour into philosophy and religion (Camus-style absurdism, Buddhist views on rebirth and self, plus Ecclesiastes and “nothing new under the sun”).
Highlights:
The ikigai “Venn diagram” vs the older, simpler idea
Blue zones, Okinawa/Hong Kong, and why social connection keeps showing up
CPAP reality check: masks, noise, and getting used to it
Meaning-making without a single “perfect life” model