I have just watched a feel-good movie called “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn” featuring the accomplished Sidney Poitier. It’s an old one (from 1999) and tells the story of a tireless master craftsman and farmer, who can build and repair virtually anything with his two hands and his simple tools.
Noah learned his carpentry skills from his uncle, who tells him, “When a man loves his work—truly loves it—sickness and death will get tired of chasing you and just finally give up and leave you alone.” This helps explain why Noah has stayed looking much younger than his age.
Noah Dearborn may be a fictional character but in Japan there is a real, living version of him. His name is Jiro Ono and he too is a revered master in sushi making, which he has been doing for more than 50 years.
In his 80s, Jiro still goes to work every day at his restaurant out of his love and devotion to his craft and says that he is still working to improve on it. This is why he appears to be ageless, for just like what Noah’s uncle said, death probably got tired of chasing Jiro and has decided to leave him alone.
Jiro Ono and the Noah character are what the Japanese call a “shokunin,” which the Japanese-English dictionaries translate as “craftsman” or “artisan.” But this is a limiting and shallow description because it does not fully convey the deeper meaning of the word.
To me a more fitting description would be what writer Dorothy Sayers once noted: “Work is not, primarily, a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or it should be, the full expression of the worker’s faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental and bodily satisfaction.”
Not everyone deserves to earn the title of “shokunin.” The traditional “shokunin” spends his entire life striving to perfect his art, totally devoted to his craft making a living out of it and ensuring it passes to his son or an apprentice.
For example, Yoshindo Yoshihara is a legendary Japanese master swordsmith whose family has been making swords for 10 generations, and he himself learned the art from his grandfather. He won fame in his 20s as a young prodigy in his craft.
Beyond having technical skills, the title also implies an attitude, an obligation, a duty to do his very best. This obligation is both on the spiritual and material level. A shokunin’s product reflects the technical skill and inner spirit working together to fulfill what is required, and if possible strive to surpass even what is expected.
When composing an essay or a poem, I always keep in mind the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: “The same spirit who hovered over the waters at the beginning of creation hovers over the mind of the artist at work.”
I now wonder if Filipino craftspeople and artists can be like the Japanese who are known for their devotion to their craft, taking the time to perfect things in minute detail. Filipinos may have the knack and talent but they lack an inner determination or propulsion to give it their best. In my years of working and dealing with fellow Pinoy skilled workers and professionals, I have observed that more often than not, their heart is not in it and need to be goaded. When it comes to gauging performance, “pwede na” is our default comment.
Is the way of the “shokunin” becoming a thing of the past? I’m asking because there’s a worrying trend called quiet quitting, a new name for “not taking one’s job too seriously.” In a Gallup survey conducted recently, a large group of respondents have been classified “not engaged”—those who will show up to work and do the minimum required but not much else. In other words, today’s young workers are saying, “we’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond.”
In China, the phrase “bai lan” is gaining popularity. It literally means “let it rot,” expressing the young Chinese worker’s voluntary decision to quit pursuing certain goals or ideals because he realizes it is useless to achieve them, given the present uncertainties, exacerbated by shrinking economic opportunities.
Another variant is Tai Ping, which means “lying flat” to denote a release mechanism for the social pressure to find jobs and perform well while working long shifts. China has a shrinking labor market and young people often work more hours. Young Chinese are exhausted and simply have had enough.
In the Philippines, we don’t have an equivalent phrase for this trend. “Tamaditis” comes close. But a recent disturbing study on Filipino workers shows a rise in absenteeism, productivity loss and employee resignation among them. As reported by MindNation, it also revealed that “employees manifested a lack of focus and concentration, having less pleasure in doing things normally enjoyed, lower than usual self-confidence, sleeping problems, and feeling down and sad.”
Perhaps, this malaise is a symptom that young employees are physically and mentally overextended. It’s also a sign that people are no longer enjoying their work or tasks because there is no sense of fulfillment. They are hanging on purely for the money.
When an individual is driven by an inspiring sense of purpose, he will be more engaged and bring his mind to work. I remember that in my advertising days, we would put more effort in pro-bono campaigns because they were for a good cause and thus more fulfilling.
Perhaps also, we may need to reframe our focus. Maybe we need to re-think what is truly important beyond mere advancement and upward mobility. More than just the usual incentives such as promotion, salary raise, title, and plaque of recognition, greater focus should be put on giving an employee a sense of ownership. This way, he will be enthused to make the best product that will reflect not only a deep sense of pride and responsibility but equally important, respect for the world which stands to benefit from the finished work or job.
So while there is a need to seriously address the phenomenon of “quiet quitting” and “bai lan,” workers and employees also need to summon up the “shokunin spirit” from within.
Be a Noah Dearborn or Jiro Ono in a world of quiet quitters. Take pride in every aspect of your work, no matter what job you perform, no matter how painstaking. For only when you bring your mind, your talents, and creativity to the work that you love, will you truly feel a sense of fulfillment and thereby defeat age.