Listen to The King of the Pirates

“My name is Monkey D. Luffy. And I’m gonna be king of the pirates.”

If you haven’t seen it, I can recommend Netflix’s live adaptation of One Piece. And it wouldn’t have been quite as good, if it wasn’t for this silly chap right here:

The character, Luffy, is incredibly cheerful, which is extremely contagious throughout the show. There’s a sentiment behind the silly things he says, which makes me happy.

“I don’t do complicated.”

This is a sentiment Luffy repeats several times throughout the show. And I agree. Far too often do people say “it’s complicated”. Every complicated thing has an easy explanation. And familiarizing ourselves with that easier explanation can take a lot of weight off things.

“What is your dream?”

In the series, Luffy meets strangers all the time, and this is what he asks them. It’s such a good and positive question. And the answer tells a lot about a person.

“You should never give up on your dream, or say it’s stupid.”

Purpose (ikigai) is important. Striving after a purpose can be very fulfilling, and is the ultimate evaluation of ones values. Once your values change, your purpose may change with it, and that’s the ultimate character development.

Positivity goes a long way.

Sometimes, when life feels overwhelming, I tend to reduce life to the simplest positive narrative that helps me continue pursuing my dreams.

For me, it’s a narrative of learning about the world and the people I meet along the way. Side-quests like work and exercise give me the financial and physical means to live that life.

In One Piece, it’s a narrative of finding the One Piece and becoming King of the Pirates. Even though Luffy acts silly all the time, he is constantly focused on his goals.

It’s happiness without indulgence.

Which, to me, is the most valuable kind of happiness imaginable.