Hacker News Reader

I got the same advice from my grandfather when I was considering fields of study prior to university. Interestingly, the western version of this advice seems to have dropped the "what the world NEEDS" [0] part of this Venn diagram. This comes from the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which includes the three items above and what would benefit others/fulfills some larger mission.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai#Diagram

View on HN

Fair point.

But I've seldom been in a situation where multiple jobs fit the three circles equally and I need to use a fourth circle ("What the world needs") to decide.

I also think a core tenet of Western culture is that the power to choose your own path (individualism) comes with the responsibility to benefit others (service). E.g., selling cigarettes to kids doesn't fit in the center of the three circles because one shouldn't enjoy that, even if one is good at it and can get paid for it.

Instead of asking, "What does society want me to do," we ask, "How can I make the world better."

Reply on news.ycombinator.com