Philosophy

Ikikata

Ikikata — Seven Verses for Living

Ikikata distills the stance toward living that Liiivv wants to convey through its work into seven short verses.

1. 01

   No One to Compare To

   Neither with who you were yesterday, nor with the person beside you. There is no baseline in life. Let your only compass be how you feel, right now, in this moment.

2. 02

   Sign Your Choices

   A life you can blame on others is easy, but hollow. Choose for yourself, and carry it yourself. Only that, accumulated, becomes something you can call your own life.

3. 03

   Your Wounds Are Not Weakness

   You do not need to be perfect. To waver, to be wounded, to be shaken — these too are proof of living. Choose a life where you can offer your weakness whole, over one that hides it.

4. 04

   You Cannot Go Far Alone

   A life that completes itself alone is a narrow one. Asking for help is not defeat; it is the wisdom to reach somewhere farther.

5. 05

   The World Is Wider Than You Think

   Your common sense is only a sliver of the world. Knowing that there are landscapes and ways of living you have never seen is the one thing that keeps a life from narrowing.

6. 06

   Do Not Fear Love

   Love always sits beside the fear that it might be lost. Even so, keep your heart open, and never stop loving someone, something, and yourself.

7. 07

   Bless Another’s Becoming

   Those who can love themselves can keep from envying another’s happiness. Be someone who can quietly applaud the moment another person tries to live as themselves.