Musings 22: Day 2

in

In August, my brothers were here on vacation. When we went to the beach, my niece got stung by a jellyfish. Trying to reason with her was a little bit difficult. Her dad asked, "Which hurts more, this or your appendix?"

Amidst her screams and sobs and cries, she sniffled out, "This, because it hurts now."

The only thing with these wounds are that they're going to hurt more than a few hours, and more than a few days.

The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind for a lot of people. There's a lot of despair and desperation equal to the amounts of vindication and victory.

You're allowed to feel hurt, angry, sad, upset. If the other side lost, they should be allowed to feel the same way too. Some of you are gloating and some of you are mourning, but that's not what this is about. Regardless, it's a shame it had to come down to this from both sides.

Calling your political critics "dumb rednecks" or "stupid liberals" separates them from you. You remove them from their full lives as people with dreams, and hopes, and goals. You strip them of their basic desires for food and shelter, safety and purpose. They feel left behind because the common rhetoric excludes them; because they're not a minority, not an immigrant, or not a female. They might not remember that they've left you out of their narrative, leaving you small paragraphs in the annals of history. They're denigrated to the point where they won't listen to anything that you say; no matter how valid and real they are to you. Even if they've done the same to you, the only thing that's real is what they feel you've done to them.

This is your president elect. Rejecting him and protesting him separates them from you. It adds another fencepost in the walls that separate us. Failing to recognize the leader that they chose is an insult to them, especially when they feel they've done the same for you for the past 8 years. Choosing to leave is a copout and it's cowardly. They didn't leave you even if they wanted to. They feel like they've won now, and will still feel like it if you leave. Those of your peers who can't leave will have yet another person who's betrayed them too. You're giving up on the country that raised you, instead of keeping it on the ever changing path to greatness.

They've hurt you, called you names, violated you, and invalidated your experiences. That hasn't changed, it still is wrong. But admit it, you've done it to them too. You've thrown names at them just as many times; it's just unfortunate that theirs are uglier and more violent. It burns that they don't recognize the power of their words and actions, and some of them never will. Theirs instigate more pain and suffering on top of the existing wounds you wield. Their experiences prevent them from recognizing the injustices you've faced, but it doesn't mean that they should be forgotten. Just because their narrative is the prevailing narrative, it doesn't stop existing. But neither does yours.

Creating this us versus them mentality means that there only can only be one winner, one true story, one proper option, one proper type of people. It's easier to do it that way. It doesn't take much thinking to diminish someone from a complex person into a one dimensional caricature of themselves. We've ridiculed each other, hurt each other, and dismissed each other enough.

That needs to stop.

While many of us may fall closer to the middle, the ones on the fringes are dragging us down with them on both sides. We need to stop using our words to hurt and start using them to help.

It'll be hard because it means that we need to shut up and stop talking.

People's perspectives will change based on their own personal experiences, and their memories are the realest things to them. They're the only things they can validate as true because they've seen and experienced it in their own eyes. If we don't see it, it might not exist. A life of luxury doesn't exist for people who've lived in poverty all their lives; a life free of violence doesn't exist for people who see death every day. Security and safety remain dreams unless realized - if ever realized.

We need to listen to each other. Our solutions can become as complex as the people whose problems they're trying to solve. The more discussion we have between different sides, the more perspective we gain. With more perspective, we can come to a more willing compromise to achieve our end goals. We're not always going to agree, but discussing it with people will at least help them understand what they may fundamentally disagree with.

Listening happens best when you can see how someone is listening to you. Sit down and talk with each other, and let them be vulnerable in private and safely with you. Stop criticizing people on Facebook. Using your screen as a shield from confrontation also prevents us from empathizing with each other. We all know that a little more empathy is going to be needed. If we can accept that experience is the best teacher, then we need to teach each other what that means.

It'll be scary, and it will be hard. You're going to face opposition from each other now more than ever because everything we've worked for together has been invalidated by hateful speech. We can't address divisiveness with more divisiveness, because we will divide and divide until we're left tiny, single, and alone. If we don't work together, we're going to lose what already makes us great. We need to keep trying so that the sacrifices of people who have felt marginalized, been lambasted, and were dismissed are not wasted. We need to remember that everyone is valuable, as are their perspectives and experiences. Our futures need to include everyone, even those with whom we fundamentally disagree.

 

This means that we don't give up.

 

It means we have to work harder and persevere knowing that we may not win in our lifetimes. It means that no matter how many times we fail, we keep trying to help each other towards compassion and empathy. No matter how much we beat each other up, that our loyalty to our country and each other is stronger than the words and actions that divide us. We eat, we sleep, and we breathe, but we need to love more strongly than our capacities for hatred. We've seen what we can do at our absolute worst, but there is and never has been a limit or precedence for our absolute best. We need to rebuild our communities with everyone involved, no matter how resistant some of us might be to the change.

My niece remembered her prior pain, so she knew it could get better. It would. She just didn't know when. So I told her a story of a girl more clever than the people around her. She didn't let them feel stupid for not being as smart, but she helped them recognize her agency, and the power in her intelligence.

Change can happen. The Chick-Fil-A CEO did it. Other people around you can too. It means we will be need to be patient. We need to learn how to forgive each other, despite the pain that we've caused each other. Remembering prior pain doesn't mean that we forget it. However, it does mean we need to give each other space to grow. Some people may not understand it yet, but it doesn't mean that they won't ever. We won't know until we give them the chance. It'll take baby steps with each other as exercising the first reaction of compassion takes practice. It takes time. We need to give each other the time to grow, and the chance to experiment safely in places we do not understand yet.

We need to get better at sharing our stories. Our stories of love and of hate create empathy. They can instigate rage, but they can inspire hope. I talked about the idea of community last month, and we'll need it more than ever. People who understand the plight of their peers and friends need a platform to share their experiences safely. Communities of faith do a good job of creating the foundation and structure necessary in maintaining a group identity. Their weekly meetings and celebrations of faith provide consistent platform for discourse. What neither do well is making it a standard to bring these two strengths together. Our vulnerabilities and weaknesses are our best weapons in mobilizing empathy. We can't change the fundamental parts of our individual identities, but we can force people to see its importance to us. To do that, we need to see what's important to them.

America's greatness is in our ability to evolve and pivot in changing times. America's greatness is also in the communities we seek to build every day. We're all capable of the same, but we all know it needs a lot more work. Change doesn't happen overnight, and expecting it to do so leaves flimsy ground for us to stand on.

Stop yelling on Facebook and start talking to each other. Learn to become peers and allies by finding your disagreements and discussing why you feel and think the way you do. Stop interrupting and start listening. Celebrate what we do right and respectfully correct each other on what could be better. Persevere when it's difficult, and tap each other out when we're tired. We're a team. Despite all the shouting and the hate that vibrates through the air, hope remains a quiet whisper in trying times.

 

And we all need to try a little harder.

Musings 20: Authenticity and Faith

in

There's a lot of pride in being atheist, let alone agnostic, and a celebrated ridicule towards people of faith, particularly to those who subscribe to the certain brands of Christianity. How silly of them, we say, to reject science, to believe in a God who has so many contradictions, to continue to perform rituals for someone who doesn't exist.

With the Snapchat and Periscope generation, there's a great desire to prove the authenticity of things, prove that we really were there, that we did experience those things, that it can't be faked. Instead of being a culture of faith, we've become one of persecution, quickly condemning people who show an inconsistency in their being or character.

 

But why?

 

It's easy to say someone is lying when they change an opinion. You didn't believe it before, therefore you must be lying now. This desire to be genuine and unchanging in the representation of ourselves denies everyone else the ability to learn, grow, and adapt to the needs of the society around us. Maybe not on a small scale, but also on a larger scale, in politics, social justice movements, and the internet, where we quickly lambast the people who offend us by daring to disagree or believe differently.

When you scroll through comments on news articles or shared posts, people always lament the loss of humanity… And in some ways, they're right. We have lost some of our humanity in a way when we've rejected the importance of faith in our lives.

In our country, we mostly highlighted the importance of a religious type of faith. There was a belief in a being or purpose higher than us; with our micro-actions only being small contributions to a greater plan. Whether sincere or not,  there was a quiet and conscious decision to do good. Now, we choose instead, not to focus on the kindness performed, but the silent nagging idea that there was a lapse in perceived truth.

But faith isn't just religious. It's trusting in the unknown and the openness to accept that what may happen isn't what we wanted. Faith allows us to be open to other people coming into our lives, and trusting that they won't hurt us. Sometimes they do, but that's part of it. Closing ourselves off to chance puts us deep in a box governed by artificial rules. It leaves us walled off from the possibilities that some things, or some people, may surprise us.

People want to be surprised. They look for it in books, in movies, in videos shared that are shocking and powerful and will make you cry. They want to believe that there is something more than what they're seeing… That's why magic and science fiction have become entertainment staples that we hold dearly to our hearts. These themes allow us, if just for a second, that there's a chance something else or something more may exist in the time randomized combinations of actions we take every single day.

It doesn't have to be religious, and for some people, that does help. There is a community that comes with subscribing to different faiths, and different truths, and different trusts. The religion isn't the important part, but the trust that we place in each other.

I know some people have a hard time with that, we're not always the best people to each other, especially when we're working towards learning and growing on our own. We're even worse when we're ready to inflict shame instead of forgiveness in the court of the internet just to prove or disprove the authenticity of ourselves. I'm not saying to stop taking smart risks, I'm just saying believe in the surprises that may come.

While not particularly religious, I do respect what it does for other people. At the end of the day, I believe that there are people who want good things for each other, and good things for themselves. I don't need them to prove what they've done to get there, it isn't really important. I just believe in magic, that random chance leads us different ways, and trust that the people around me are just trying to create a little bit of good in their lives.

Maybe people are just trying to find magic in their own ways. Instead of trying to prove or disprove everything we see, maybe it's easier if we put down our phones and believe, if only for a second, that there's a little bit of good hiding in everything.

Musings 18: Compassion

in

In light of the recent events, it feels like people more easily place blame than they do burden themselves with it. 50 people died in Orlando this past weekend, and the following are to blame in varying quantities:

  • Homophobia
  • Gun Laws
  • Islam
  • Immigration

Blaming people creates anger and encourages a divide when there should be solidarity. Blaming pits us against one another, and hot terms like the above separate us from the shared human experiences of love, loss, death, and tragedy. Separating us from our humanity divides us and lessens the amount of compassion that we can create. There's a funny thing we do in English, where we always have to have an actor causing the action. "You broke the vase" is very different from "The vase broke." I promise, it's true. We're more likely to remember who did something... And that's important for the wrong ways.

Our media focuses a lot on the aggressors, the perpetrators, the "bad guys." He did the action, he's the reason it happen, he committed a crime. We focus on them so much that we start to zero in on people like them, why they're the way they are, and why we're different, and why we're better. 

But better is a matter of perspective, and the large majority of us are not mass murderers. There are things that we universally believe are evil, like rape, and murder. Depending on your perspective, you may think Muslims are bad because they appear to commit many mass murders. Guns are bad because they're the tools people use for harm. Homophobes are bad because they commit hate crimes. 

That shouldn't be the narrative we focus on in the wake of a tragedy. We should focus on the lost loved ones, the support we can give, and the empathy that these situations call for. More importantly, we should celebrate as we mourn, and work towards increasing our own compassion in spite of our anger.

There were 50 people who loved and lived fully with discrimination and challenges. Each of them chose to live freely despite the daily and constant presence of unwarranted anger and hate. Each of them feels what we feel. Each of them, at the end of the day, is human. 

 

 

Musings 18: Memorial Day

in

I went to the Memorial Day Lantern Festival in May. If you don't know what it is, it's basically where a bunch of people get together and float lanterns out to sea (sort of). On each of the lanterns is a memorial with letters to loved ones lost, ranging from funny (Grandma, you finally got your cruise!) to sad (to Baby #1, the first set of 2 pink lines we didn't meet) and bittersweet (Grandpa, I know you're in a better place, but everything is a wreck without you). It's a beautiful ceremony as many traditions appear to be intertwined with its performance.

I was in the water watching the lanterns float out to see while some photographers moved around rudely through people's lanterns. I understand that getting the perfect shot with no people in it is important to some people, you know... They do it for the likes. It's art. It's rude, but not nearly as tacky as the next thing I saw.

There was a couple touching the lanterns to take selfies with them. Like really? Do you not understand that you're basically taking pictures with someone's graves? Memorials? I mean people take pictures of memorials all the time...

Regardless of the ceremony, water thematically is intertwined with death in several mythologies. Light generally means a guiding source... But I guess what makes this tacky is that the lantern and light out to sea is essentially supposed to guide these spirits home, and these had no regard for the messages left on these lanterns. No regard for the permanence of death for the impermanence of a snapchat.

If it were my loved one and my selfie with that letter, it makes sense. A stranger with my words will only see them through the blur of a 5mp front-facing camera, and not through the blur of watery eyes. They're holding recycled wood back from floating to sea, without recognizing the new waves of emotions each time we take moments to mourn. They're looking through the lens of a camera and not through the shared human experience.

People do lots of things to show and prove they were somewhere. That's fine. I just hope that the sacredness doesn't get lost as we try to keep the old traditions new.  Let's keep the reverence as we revisit our loved ones passing and face death again. I just hope we put down the phones long enough to renew our awe and recognize that very few things yield to the sea - the sea of memories, the sea of time, and the sea of everlasting and overflowing love.  

Musings 16: Opinions on the Matter

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I didn't think there would be a time where I would be scared of my own opinion. Not that I think my opinion isn't important, I've always thought that it was. I mean everyone has an opinion, whether it's a matter of thinking dogs are better than cats, or chocolate is better than vanilla. There are just a lot of feelings I have towards realizing the power of my own words.

The other day, The Civil Beat posted my submission. The submission was posted here obviously, mostly because I didn't know if they were going to post it on their website and I wanted to post it somewhere else just in case. Prior to it being posted, I got a few emails from the woman in charge of the Community Voices section which was about posting it, and that was pretty much it. Nothing else, and I didn't see it posted for a while, so of course, I didn't think about it.

Yesterday I got a text from some friends saying that they saw my post, and my heart dropped, tensed up. I started to sweat, feel nauseous, wanted to vomit, cry, hide. Everything. I kind of avoided clicking the link for a little bit, because I was scared of what people would say. I've been on the internet since I was 12, I knew how people could be. Eventually, I did and found that the comments were mostly mild which was comforting to a degree. Some of them were chimes of disagreement and some of them were words of support and agreement. It was just on the website, so it wasn't anything super crazy.

And then they posted the link on their FB page, and with all its ubiquity, more people see stuff anyway. This morning the likes were at 175 (according to a friend), when I checked it just now, it sits at 190, with 49 shares. I feel more nauseous and sick and want to vomit even more! Jesus.

The good points to this matter are that revisiting my opinion about two weeks later, I still feel the same way I did when I wrote it. At least I'm consistent. It also solidifies my belief that I am pretty moderate about a lot of my opinions, so that's good.

The cons are that people on the internet scare me. I find that people can be vitriolic on the internet, and are likely to more aggressively confront people online than they would in person. I also have actively chosen to not engage with the comments on the article, and I find that sometimes arguments gain no ground. Understanding and openness is key to solving conflicts, even if the conflicts are sowed in the land of the tangible world.

What is interesting to me are the posts of agreement. What do I know? I feel like a child in the grand scope of things, especially with my only recent interest in the going-ons of the world. I generally like to operate in my own sphere, but of course, I'm growing up to learn that as I get older, the more I see the spheres in my life overlap with other things.

It's scary to first, put your opinions out there about such a sensitive topic, because people are likely to react just as strongly as I'm reacting to their reactions. It's even scarier to think that people's opinions can change of you due to what you feel or think or say, especially when the opposing opinions are ones people close to you hold.

What's crazier to me is that if you word anything just right, you can get anyone to disagree or agree with you and without realizing it. It's like how Hitler got away with writing Mein Kampf, and was able to get people to be sympathetic to his opinion by playing on their own weaknesses, and then turning the country the way he did. Could you imagine?

Could you imagine being put to death because of your opinions incriminating you? Isn't that crazy? You write your own death sentence by choosing to be authentic to your beliefs. I think with the way the world is going today, it's becoming a possibility for that to happen in addition to your gender, ethnicity, or whatever else you choose or don't even choose. Doing stuff like this is essentially is putting yourself out there and exposing yourself to the world. That's scary.

I really don't know what I'm trying to say, it's just that we really need to be responsible and accountable for our own words. I'm glad that I am seeing it now although I want to vomit everywhere every time I think about it. I guess my opinion just scares me because it's crazy to see the power of words and thoughts. I think it's scary to see how it can charge and change things. I think it's scary to see people be so callous about how they use their words to influence thoughts and actions.

In the end it's more of a reason for me to use mine responsibly and practice channeling all of this positively…

I guess it's a good thing I never really learned how to be quiet.

Musings 13: Style + Out of the Woods = Wildest Dreams

in ,

Yes. I know I'm a few months late, etc etc. I also know that Taylor Swift debuted her new single!

I just wanted to throw out there short thoughts on what I had about the album other than I obviously love it. 

Out of the Woods came first and with its timing before the album's release, it seems more apt of the uncertainty that the artist could have faced. Interpretations of the reasoning aside, however, the song is only one side of juggling a relationship in which the status is undefined. The song itself has a hint of nostalgia and melancholy based on the memories relayed and the repetition of the same "Are we out of the woods, yet?" 

Yet. The word itself alludes to a prolonging of some experience. The bridge about "hitting the brakes too soon" is in its own way a breakthrough, and the song's key and energy changes at this point. Cycle broken. What's interesting to note is that the visuals you would expect for this song are of forests and trees, and lots of memories. Shown in the video of another song...

While musically different, Style, is the same relationship, but looking at the back and forth of it. It isn't necessarily a good thing, as the good girl bad guy thing doesn't usually work out. I know people seem to suggest that there was infidelity, but I honestly just think that they broke up. They break up and get together and do it again and again. Even though he's out with other girls, he's still thinking about her. She's doing the same with other guys. It's important to note that lyrically Taylor Swift is referencing the '50s James Dean badboy look, similar to the Marilyn Monroe red lips. 

And here, it leads me to Wildest Dreams, in which the 50s style movie film genre. Her look references Liz Taylor, the sadness of the separation almost seems reminiscent of Casablanca, and the separation of two almost lovers. The song evokes the feelings I have, but more importantly, it references how timeless the story of Style is and how the story doesn't change. Just the characters.

 

TLDR: SUPER EXCITED I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT.

Musings 12: Is Some Land More Important Than Others?

in

Today, the Hawaii Supreme Court started the hearing for the Thirty Meter Telescope. This hearing should determine the fate of the telescope that has garnered the state so much attention over the past few months. Everyone was talking about it through our prolific use of hashtag activism with #StopTMT etched in signs and stamped across our bodies. Celebrities and supporters plastered their endorsements across their Instagram profiles and Twitter feeds.

 

Where is that same fervor now?

 

TMT is not without its controversy, as both sides of the issue pose compelling arguments about the project. What's is more concerning to me, however, is the sporadic and inconsistent approach towards the natural resources in the islands. The different islands have varying issues regarding the land, whether it’s the crops grown on them, the ownership of one by a very rich man, or just managing to survive on them.  

Brown Water, Sewage, and Drains

The state's population is growing, but not without its share of problems. With the extremely active hurricane season, we're only "now" uncovering some of the effects of the city's delay in addressing our infrastructure. Drone videos are showing the spills into Kailua, and Waikiki closed down because of a sewage spill. Officials say that some of the storm drainage behavior is expected and everything is working as it should. 

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time that it's happened around the Waikiki area. In 2006, 48 million gallons of sewage pumped into the Ala Wai. In 2013, The intersection of McCully and Kapiolani overflowed and spilled a more palatable amount of 5,000 gallons, "possibly" contaminating the Ala Wai. I mean after all, there were no water samples submitted, just "visual observations." There were previously contingency plans to truck excess sewage to Kailua because the current setup at Sand Island wasn't enough.   

Let’s not forget that the Sierra Club had originally tried to sue in 2004, much before the Ala Wai catastrophe. The state and the EPA reached a settlement agreement concerning the upgrade of our sewage system in 2010. The plan is expected to continue until 2035, although there is some optimism around the timeline being accelerated; Mayor Kirk Caldwell reported we were ahead of schedule last year.

Walkable City

As many of us live and work in downtown Honolulu, there is no missing the constant murmuring of projects in the Kakaako district. Once full of warehouses, it's quickly undergoing an urban restoration. Kamehameha Schools has allotted 29 acres of land for low income housing and other business ventures to encourage the already growing activity in this part of the city. The condos are a different story, as many of the luxury condominiums have been sold, and excited buyers are just waiting for their products. Many of the developers are looking to finish their buildings in the next couple years. 

With all the development, we should be excited for the future of the state right? Hawaii, the most isolated place on the planet, is the perfect meeting point for the East and West. Oahu, The Gathering Place, has a population of about 1,000,000 people and we see anywhere from 650,000 to just under 900,000 a month. The island hosts so many people, that we really should be excited at the growth we're cultivating and the impact that our developing city should see even now.

Homelessness

A constant source of controversy and discussion in the community is the homeless population present on Oahu. We've enacted the sit-lie bans in Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. With talks to expand these bans, we will only further push these already displaced people into suburban neighborhoods. Some people have taken a different approach and offered repurposed school buses as a solution in Sand Island.

Hostility and perhaps even a fear of homeless people exist. Senator Tom Brower was attacked in Kakaako, which further taints the image of the homeless population to the public. Yet, he was known most for destroying homeless encampments back in 2013. Many of the homeless population is mentally ill and may even have addiction problems. Even if some individuals don't have the previously mentioned issues, they have children to support. While there is more attention given to the downtown population, we shouldn't forget about the populations in other places, like Nanakuli and Wahiawa.

In May, an infographic circulated the web about the minimum wage needed to live in Hawaii: $31.61. Compare that to the current $7.75 minimum wage, with gradual increases annually. The cost of living has become too much for some families, who have opted to move to the mainland. And those who can't? They continue the grind.

What does this mean?

Even with the passionate discourse around Mauna Kea, the same energy isn't applied equally to land on the island on which we live and work. Land is a limited inelastic resource, and more so in the islands. For that reason, we should think more critically about how we decide to use this gift. 

The benefits of development can best be defined by their effects on what already exists. If we encourage population growth at a rate that cannot be sustained by current infrastructure, we risk putting our natural resources at risk; whether it is the land itself, fresh water availability, the ocean. While any system is best tested against real life application, it should challenge us to improve. The sewage system upgrades are certainly a start, but is it enough?

In Honolulu, the rising cost of housing and living poses a constant hurdle. Some families are living paycheck to paycheck, while working two jobs in town. Others have members who work one job with 2.5 hour commute each way, rebelling against the cost of living while spending their quality of life. The movement towards becoming a walkable city is certainly an improvement, and with the allotment of KS property to affordable housing, one can hope this is enough as we await the arrival of the rail system.  

But what about the homeless population? While some perceive their existence to be burdensome, some families are only a paycheck away from the same. The stigma against homelessness is so strong that we forget the spirit of aloha and sometimes compassion.

The construction of the condos in downtown Honolulu certainly may be a reflection of the growing metropolis that Honolulu aspires to be. I often wonder, however, if the continued construction is only a bubble that we continue to invest in. In the worst case, we continue to use more land and more resources until the bubble bursts, and we've removed the richness of the land by planting our greed. The same people drawn to the island for its beauty and pleasant weather are moving away as the land is no longer valuable. Those of us who can afford to leave certainly will, but what of the rest of us? Is the growth that we're experiencing a true reflection of the island's potential and is it a sustainable way to solidify our presence in the Pacific? 

While the TMT decision may be some time away, the benefits to me seem more sustainable. The educational benefits of TMT for scientists, hobbyists, and students are innumerable. They're the ones who can help us further improve the land that we live in and contribute to the growth in our islands.

I'm fully aware of the fact that many cry foul, saying that the culture is not being preserved or protected, and to this I ask, “What defines the culture?” Why can't a place of learning simultaneously be a center of culture? By treating Hawaiian traditions and culture as relics of the past, we are digging its graves. Education has ubiquitous value, so why can't a place of science and learning also be a place that celebrates the cultural impact and achievement? In 2014, TMT announced a partnership with the Pauahi Foundation, to help students on the island interested in STEM further their education. Certainly it can do more.

Some may argue about the indigenous flora that call its home Mauna Kea. It's hard to argue this one. Then again, it's also hard to maintain the argument when the Kaiwi Coast had development looming above it until last week. Is some land more sacred than others? Isn't it our responsibility to make sure that we treat our resources with respect, use what we need, and counsel others who may have struggles in doing the same? Is the land that we work and play on less important than the one that stands as the cornerstone for the birth of the Hawaiian people? 

Think about that while we continue to solidify the presence and cultural impact of our island home. We should work to be proactive instead of reactive, and challenge decisions. Picking and choosing our battles is easy, but if all land is valuable, is that approach enough to be reasonable? 

We can also argue about the unfair and subversive ways things are done, but if we aren't invested from the beginning, is it fair? We are as responsible to the due process of any system, regardless of our opinion, and more so when it isn't one that we share. At the end of the day, we should hold each other accountable because our experience on the island is affected by each of us.

As the hearings continue on, we must keep the following in mind: there should always be a willingness to compromise. Compromise is often a hard pill to swallow, as everyone loses in a compromise. Our dissenting opinions should be an asset, but it's only proving to be a hindrance to further growth. There's so much more we can gain from challenging each other to be better and using our past as motivation to improve.

Let's get comfortable with being uncomfortable, so that we can gain more from the diversity of our opinions, instead of losing out on everything in the battle.  

 

 

Musings 7: Accountability

in

Today on the radio, the station invited opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) onto their show. I didn't get to hear much of it, but something that stood out to me was that one of the contributors said, "You'd be surprised, I used to work with the telescopes but changed my mind after I saw that they weren't taking care of it."

I found that thought kind of disheartening. I believe that both our futures and pasts can be reconciled with the right amount of compromise and the right amount of accountability. Part of my problem with the constant protesting is that it's always one way or another. I think there's some fault in both the government and the Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHO). The government for not reaching out to these groups beforehand, and the other group for not taking a more active role in the community and politics (I addressed this in my last blog.) I may be completely wrong about how active the Hawaiian groups may be in the politics, but as I stated with statistics last blog... I don't know. 

I understand the desire to stop TMT, I do. At the same time, I think it's perfectly reasonable to build a telescope on a perfectly formed mountain. I also think that it's very possible to keep sacred a mountain of significance and maintain the veneration towards it when building upon it.

These things come at a cost though. I don't think the unused telescopes should remain, and costs should include the restoration of land that previously housed these telescopes. I am a bit hesitant to completely trust Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), because they're all just statements, and may not have contingency plans for obstacles encountered. I also don't believe that the Hawaiian groups can protest something or complain that something does or doesn't go their way. 

Personally, I would love to see the telescope be built; I think that continuing education and bringing modern day significance to a sacred place is a way to keep something hallowed and sacred. The quest for knowledge and understanding spans all cultures and religions and societies, and it's important that we continue to grow in Hawaii. I feel development can be a way to keep tradition and evolve a culture as long as it's done respectfully.

The government, and perhaps the university, should really look into removing older telescopes as a compromise. Sure it will cost money, but it has the potential to dissipate and dissolve much of the tension and animosity towards previous, current, and new projects on the mountain. Growing up, everyone's heard that we should clean up after ourselves and leave it as we found it. That should be the case here.

I don't think that NHOs should grumble about losing their battle. I think that TMT provides an opportunity to evolve the culture, make it relevant, and also become active participants in shaping the land. What this means for me is probably including NHOs in the development of the EIS, the planning of the project, and should the telescope be built, continued consultation on the maintenance of the telescope.

People sometimes view conflict as bad, and I don't think it's bad. I feel that conflict can be constructive if done in a healthy and respectful way. I think putting opposing groups together can be challenging, but it's important to be challenged. Sometimes in our desires to be right, we find better solutions than the original ones we sought. 

Everyone is responsible for reconciling our pasts and futures, however difficult it may be. People will not always agree, and compromise is necessary. Sometimes, even after we try, one side will win out before the other. That may make for a sour loss on one end, or a well fought one, if lessons are learned. Accountability is key, and unfortunately, I'm not seeing a lot of it here.

Of course, I understand that I'm being naive. It would be nice to see everyone play nice, but the fact of the matter is that people feel strongly about this, and rightfully so. I just hope that there is future courtesy and respect in the continued discussions revolving around this, as well as an active engagement around understanding the opposing side. 

Part of this is just maybe a little selfish. I just imagine as a kid, reading mythology and reading origin stories, and learning about how fascinated ancient cultures were with the gods and the heavens, so much so that they desired to reach for it. The Tower of Babylon in the bible, Icarus in with the sun, and so much more. I feel like the past and the culture and the stories that Hawaiian mythology has to share can inspire and excite a whole new generation to find the same fascination and awe from believing that there's magic somewhere in the earth that can be explained by the story of our origins in the sky. (That was a long sentence). Imagine the cultural renaissance that inspired us to get from there to here, and the contributions that the past can make towards the future. 

Or don't.

The universe is ever growing and living and expanding and if we don't dare to learn more of it, the hard-earned preservation of Hawaiian culture will die with it. Hawaiian sailors navigated the seas with the stars, imagine if the legacy was continued into space. 

To infinity and beyond.  

Musings 5: Thirty Meter Telescope

in

 

As seen on Civil Beat’s Community Voices.

With a lot of the #StopTMT and the #WeAreMaunaKea hashtag activism that is going on in the news, or at least with celebrities, I wanted to discuss, or at least address the complex feelings I have towards the issue. Please note that my spellings and references will likely be wrong, and please correct me if I am. My knowledge is also very limited on some things, so I won’t be able to do anything close to a full and complete analysis.

What is it to preserve a culture?

Some of the arguments I’ve heard against the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) involve the desecration of sacred lands. The namesake for the mountain, Mauna Kea is important in Hawaiian culture. I attempted to google it to briefly summarize what its significance is, and it took a bit of time honestly. There weren’t clear stories or places to find the story, everything I tried to Google came up with incomplete or partially relevant results. Give it a try:

  • Mauna Kea origin story

  • Mauna Kea kumulipo (kumulipo is the Hawaiian origin story)

  • Mauna Wakea story

  • kumulipo

Either way, the name, fully expanded, is Mauna a Wakea, Mountain of Wakea. Wakea is the Sky Father. Within Hawaiian culture, this mountain is seen as the first-born, preceding all the Hawaiian Islands and to the Hawaiian people. It continued its significance in Hawaiian culture with Hawaiian royalty burial site and a place of pilgrimage for some Hawaiian people.

Given the passionate discourse about the subject, it’s very clear that this place is of cultural significance.

How do we define what is culturally significant?

Is what is culturally significant a place, or is it a continuous living practice? Is it a living people who practice traditions that preserve it? How are we defining culture for it to be significant and worth preserving?

How does a living culture evolve?

Obviously, or maybe not so obviously, culture is made by its origin and its future. How a culture goes about surviving is an entirely different matter.

The methods by which countries have reconciled their past, future and present selves vary widely. China at some point in the past century destroyed many historical relics in an effort to modernize and cast away traditional thinking. Yet, many countries in Asia have rich traditions that have persisted through time: Diwali in India, Songkran in Thailand, and Hanami in Japan. Within the Middle East, where religion and culture are both ubiquitous and synonymous, Jewish tradition and Islamic tradition permeate the lifestyles.

Part of what preserves a culture, maybe ironically is in what ways it evolves or doesn’t. The previously listed cultures survived in spite of continued and persisting warfare, conquest, and diaspora. How do we compare it to something dead?

Roman culture is dead. It doesn’t exist by itself, but exists through what has evolved from it. We don’t run around speaking Latin (well, most of us), but we have forms of government that have evolved from it, or languages. Modern languages have actual sentence structure, whereas before, finding the meaning of a sentence was difficult with arbitrarily placed words and declensions.

The Vandals and the Goths conquered Romans and their culture was essentially wiped out. Right? Right. That’s what we’re told to understand, but history always has been written by the winners. Any time we’ve “learned” history, it’s always been from the side of the winners. From the takeover of China by the Mongols to the conquistadors in South America, this has thematically occurred again and again in history. The long reaching effects of imperialism made its way to Hawaii in the 1800s and many of the Pacific Islands.

What makes this conflict about the TMT interesting is that much of the protesting still goes back to what is considered by many the illegal annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. The events that have transpired cannot be undone and the repercussions of what’s outside of the status quo are innumerable and unpredictable. I’m more interested in the reconciliation of Hawaii’s past and present.

Hawaii has a bit of a dichotomy because the culture is both honored and sometimes commoditized, but one could argue so are many other cultures. It’s what makes Hawaii, Hawaii. Hawaiian culture “lost” but isn’t lost, like the Romans from before. This culture has the rare opportunity to remain relevant in its original form, instead of transforming and altering itself. 

When I went to New Zealand, I found that New Zealand, even with a “modern” democracy still had many immersion schools, kura kaupapa. Within these schools the Māori traditions and expectations remained, and it was fascinating to hear from my friend how important becoming a kaitiaki is. They’re people who choreograph the kapa hakas. In fact, she said it’s a great honor to be a kaitiaki, as well as people that are involved in the dances, or the costume making. She had explained how there’s a competition similar to the Merrie Monarch that’s equally as prestigious.

It’s fascinating to think considering almost similar circumstances, that the presence of Māori culture is so permeating when compared to the circumstances revolving around our own island society. Is it the slow annexation and separation of New Zealand from Australia when compared to the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by the greed of capitalism? Or was it the sheer number of unified Māori that banded together? Is the inability to form one cohesive and unified group because of the distance in between groups scattered across Hawaii’s archipelago? The islands own history tells the story of unifying under one King, but even he didn’t unify all of Hawaii (see: Kauai). But maybe it’s simpler than that.

Where is the voice of Hawaii?

Voter turnout in Hawaii is low and keeps getting lower. As it stands now, only 36.5% of eligible voters actually voted during 2014. It's gotten to the point where the state is considering mail in voting to hopefully increase voter participation. How many of the people who voted are Hawaiian? How many Hawaiians didn’t vote? The majority isn’t speaking, and while people are asking why, I don’t think they’re asking the right questions. Why is there disinterest and apathy in our island home?

The voice of the Hawaiian people, the advocates for the Hawaiian culture, lies dormant. It’s only when something disagreeable comes up that we hear it. Where is the voice when something is agreeable and respectful towards the culture? How is the current government to navigate the nuances of Hawaiian culture if it’s being reduced to an afterthought? If the culture is to remain relevant and present, it needs to engage in the present. The stories of the past will only become stories and the culture will be lost because their opinions will be reduced to shrill in the background when compared to the booming voices of the minority who actively vote and engage.

I understand and acknowledge that many disagree with the annexation of Hawaii, but we’re no closer to a solution for it when the majority of people simply don’t care. How are the people who believe so strongly in preserving the islands placing the values of Hawaii?

It’s important for the people who advocate for the Hawaiian culture ask themselves what is considered important? What is considered valuable? Where is the consistency in the approach of what we value?

Mauna Kea is a sacred Hawaiian site for rituals and within Hawaiian lore. Its protests are documented through social media activism, but a quick search of “stop tmt” brings me nothing. Hawaiians have banded together to protest a Thirty Meter Telescope that aims to bring all of mankind scientific advancement. Their concerns for the environment are sound and are also concerns of mine, but where were the interest and concern when the telescope was first proposed? I’m sure many would say they weren’t asked about the location, but did many of them offer either? Celebrities are showing their support for the cause, but do they understand the cause as well as the Hawaiian people? Do they understand the nuances of our local government and the push and pull between government relics and tradition as the tides of the sea?

I doubt it. I asked a close friend what he thought of #StopTMT as he moved from here to Boston. His response?

“Honestly, I don’t care.”

The cause that is being so strongly fought for has been reduced to a hashtag in a society that believes the only voices of importance exist on the Internet, not in the environment from which they take in the sun and breathe in the salty bitter air. Salty and bitter is all we’ll be if there is continued apathy and no organization in the arbitrary protests that somehow magically occur. There isn’t a need to let the winners continue to write history, when the same internet that gives us hastag activism also gives everyone an equal voice when used productively.

If the health of the islands is prioritized, where is the protesting against the developments in Kakaako? Oahu is the most populated of all the Hawaiian Islands, and with increasing population growth, how will our island sustain all the people? Where is the voice to speak out against this? Will the voices come too late? With the latency between government decisions and active protesting, I'm inclined to say yes. 

I question the consistency of the protests and consistency needs to come with a consistent presence in the current dealings of the “illegal” government. Illegal or not, the decisions made by them and the minority that votes happen without consent and they need to be questioned and challenged so that the islands have continued growth.

As I’ve written this, I’ve come back to the question of this, what does surviving and winning look like to Hawaii?

I don’t believe the all or nothing approach that has been taken is the way to go, and much of the reason I brought up the Asian cultures is because somehow, the past compromises with the future. Without the past, Hawaii loses its identity and what bonds it to other Pacific Island nations. The future will come, with our without the reverence for relics of the past, no matter how much we try to fight it. The voice of Hawaii needs to be present, and like the characters of myth: adaptable, clever, strong, and resilient.

Hawaiian culture looks to revere and honor tradition, and rightfully so. Many cultures look to do this respectfully, albeit differently. How do we honor the old gods in the modern world? Through oral traditions preserved in the continuous repetition, continued reverence towards sacred sites, and being everything that we can be. Isn’t it very possible that somewhere sacred in Hawaiian culture be revered in the present by giving it continued importance?

Two opposing ideologies can coexist and be both equally important and relevant and sacred. Science and tradition don’t have to exist exclusively of each other, even though it’s easier to believe in only one being right. It eliminates the need to actively engage in the situation and analyze the complexities. To be active participants in the current society, the voice of Hawaii needs to find itself and not let the minority continue to speak for it.

Hawaii is not just one place, but a chain of islands each with different identities and ghost stories and idiosyncrasies. I’ve talked about culture and its perpetuation, but even with tradition, languages, dances, and songs, they’re lifeless without one thing:

The people who celebrate it.

We are not Mauna Kea. We should not reduce the importance of the culture to a single place. Hawaii is under our feet and with the pidgin that we speak and the air that we breathe. The people of Hawaii need to have open and fair dialogue to both protect the traditions and continue the relevance and importance of the island chain. Without that, our old ways will become an quiet echo in the strong oral traditions that this culture celebrates.

 

We are not Mauna Kea. We are Hawaii and we need to start acting like it.

 

 

 

Musings 3

in

Darling, I'm fine.

A bold-faced lie through a bared teeth smile. A deflection of the questions from your prying mind. A fifty pound weight held between you and I.

Fine is a damnable word. Everything is fine as we fly through the city night watching as the streets transform into tarmacs before our eyes. Everything is fine as we conceal our worries in the front seats and look out with preoccupied vacancy. Everything is fine as we see both in here and out there, slowly realizing that the streets here go nowhere. 

But darling, did you ever think that the streets where we drive and spend our times are just long, long, letters to the sky? That maybe the turns are the letter Us and the lights are where we dot the Is? Maybe the forks are where I ask you why as we choose between left and right. There's no winding back after the hows or the whys but we can't be bothered with wasting time. We've ridden over these roads before and said the same words, I'm sure, what does it matter if we can do it some more?

Quick, don't pause, don't wait. Right, choose right, I'm always right. If I had chosen left, you would have left, right?

I'm fine.

Those times that we spent bridging the gaps between you and me loomed over our happiness ominously. Those moments had been watching us, policing us, more than we had been policing them. They chased us through the choices we made, and when we hesitated, they halted us. In the showdown between the ground and sky, they seized us.

We were fined.

We paid the fine for speeding through the nights, the blue lights reflected in our love drunk eyes. Those moments finally cornered us, full-forced and strong. We surrendered and they beat us, wanting to win more than we wanted to lose. They broke the bridges that our hands built between us and broke the hope etched into our faces as the moon turned away her own. We were forced to look these moments in the eyes, and acknowledge that there was nowhere to hide.

But darling, even after all this? I'm fine.

Fine pays itself in the seconds that its said. Fine is the fee of admission for our active omission to being anything other than ok. Fine is the price we pay to be wondrously wounded and reckless resilient. We paid the fine, and no matter how much it taxed us or took from us, and no matter how many times we were told...

We were fine, but those moments had come and gone.

As we make the defeated drive home, sitting in a sobering silence, I've realized these streets may just be scribbles after all. As we round the bends, one or two or three times more, the clearest thought is the quickest way home.

The moments may have caught us, but we can still be strong. Defeat will try to find us as darkness approaches dawn. The lights may just be lights, and the Us will still be Us. But darling, I'll be fine.

And in the end, you will be too.


My first time competing in Slam Poetry... lol. yay me?

If I didn't do it, Kayte would have guilt tripped me into it.