Marc Reflects

  A summary of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, translated by Heather Cleary (Penguin Books, 2017). By Marc Reflects Why do some communities have so many people who reach the age of 100 while remaining active and engaged in life? In Ikigai , Héctor García and Francesc Miralles explore this question through research, interviews, and observations, including their visit to Ogimi, a village in northern Okinawa known for its long-lived residents. Their book explores habits associated with longevity and well-being, from maintaining a sense of purpose to staying physically active and nurturing social relationships. Among its most practical lessons is a simple eating principle: stop before you feel completely full. This article summarizes the book’s main ideas, with particular attention to hara hachi bu , the Japanese practice of eating until you are approximately 80% full. Traditional Japanese foods discussed in the book...

  By Marc Reflects In brief •          Three of us started EBM Farm, a pig farm, in June 2022 and closed it in January 2024. •          The herd grew from 2 pigs to 63 at its peak, and we spent about RWF 11 million in total, but the farm never covered its own running costs. •          The six lessons below cover feasibility, cash flow, partners, supervision, location, and facing problems early. •          These are lessons from one experience, not universal rules In January 2024, we closed EBM Farm, our pig farm. Nineteen months earlier, in June 2022, three of us had started it with two adult female pigs, one Duroc and one Pietrain, a bank loan, and an idea we had carried since our university days in 2007. On paper, it made sense. We believed there was demand for pork in Rwanda and neighboring countries, an...