179. K2X’s philosophy of happiness —“Lifelong learning, lifelong K2X.”

Hi, this is K2X. Today, I’d like to talk about K2X’s philosophy of happiness — “Lifelong learning, lifelong K2X.” (applause) Recently, I’ve been speaking about K2X’s philosophy of happiness, and as the title suggests, it’s about lifelong learning and lifelong K2X. My philosophy of happiness will continue to be updated throughout my entire life. Learning — or scholarship — is really about learning how to live, so I believe we need to keep learning for life. Before, I used to say something like: “Happiness is simple — it’s mindfulness, feeling happiness in the present moment.” But then I thought to myself, “Isn’t this circular?” If I ask, “What is happiness?” and the answer is “Feeling happiness in the present moment,” then when I ask “What is that happiness?” and the answer is again “feeling happiness,” that’s not really an answer, is it? (1:36–2:14) So, to put it simply, happiness is often found in relationships — when talking or interacting with others, and feeling that “our hearts connected” through communication. Of course, that’s not all. Eating something delicious or doing something fun are also moments of happiness. (2:38–4:28) However, being able to feel that kind of happiness is something recent for me. From my early twenties until nearly sixty — roughly Japan’s so-called “lost decades” — I had tough work, no confidence, and I couldn’t really feel happiness. But the truth is, I kept going. I didn’t give up. Now, I do feel happiness. I’m not trying to claim a causal relationship like “the past suffering created the present happiness,” but what is true is that being able to have a dialogue between my past self and present self is, in itself, happiness. (4:49–8:40) I don’t think you can create a definitive or final version of a happiness theory. It’s kind of like quantum mechanics in physics — when you try to measure it, there’s fluctuation. The moment you try to fix happiness and say, “This is the final answer,” it probably stops being a philosophy of happiness at all. That’s why it’s lifelong learning, lifelong K2X. I’ll continue, slowly, while growing. (9:44–11:58) This isn’t a final or perfect version, so I’m not asking for likes or anything like that. The research toward further updates will continue. There’s still a long way to go until hitting 10,000. (13:25–14:33)