Ah Summer..

Ah Summer...what a lovely time of year. Yes, here in Hawai'i it's a little hot, okay sometimes a lot hot, but it reminds us that we can easily go to the beach and enjoy. Summer has long days which let us come home from work, toss a few things in the car, and still have a couple of hours of daylight for beach time, family visit time, sitting in the yard time, visiting friends time, and just enjoying being together. Maybe your favorite places have names like Makena, Launiupoko, Kanaha or maybe Punalu'u, Ka'a'awa, or Ala Moana. No matter the name, the joy is still the same.

There is also nothing better than smelling barbecue...hibachi...grilling...or whatever you call it. Just the smoky smell of cooking, makes us all remember beach days, sun, and fun. Everything tastes better; vegetables, chicken, and of course meat, when done on a grill. Luckily there are always places that a good grilled "something" is available. I know it might not be what some say is healthy...but once and a while, ummmm.

So before our summer runs out, find some time to go to the beach, visit family and friends, and do a little grilling.

The Olympics remind me that striving for excellence is a wonderful thing to do. Our Hawaiian culture is a fine example of that. Our ancestors did not accept "good enough" but tried to have perfection in what they did. Without excellence we can not reach greater accomplishment.

So, what does that mean today when it is more acceptable to "go with the flow" rather than to focus on perfection. When disciplining mind and body is seen as restricting. When the teachings of the past is seen as old fashion. Indeed these are questions that we think about sometimes. Does any of this matter today? Maybe watching the Olympics will bring those thoughts to the surface again.

Do A Culture

How will the Hawaiian nation be built? It will be built one person at a time. It will be built because Hawaiians will know who they are as a people and who they are as a culture. It is my contention that each Hawaiian should know something about their culture...some sort of hana or some sort of 'ike. As the 'olelo no'eau says, I ka hana ka 'ike, in doing one learns. It tells us many things; that we must DO something, not just watch, that there is knowledge gained when one is willing to work hard at something, and increased knowledge comes from increased work. For me, that should also be a cultural hana...otherwise who are we as Hawaiians. If we are not learning something about our cultural values, behaviors, and outlooks then we are not learning to think from a Hawaiian perspective.

If we make Hawaiian food then we need to know about how it was made traditionally and be able to do that too. If you make haupia; do you know what pia looks like, how it grows, where it grows and when is the best time to harvest it. Do you know where and when to collect the coconut, how to husk the coconut, how to make the coconut cream, and do you grow the coconut. So many things to know because I Ka Hana Ka 'Ike. 

So, as part of the making is there also a part of sharing, is there a part of being patient, is there a part of teaching, is there a part of Hawaiian thinking. I think so, and when all of that occurs, Hawaiian culture and the Hawaiian people prosper.

Barefoot College

After participating in TedxMaui this past weekend I decided to look up some of the TedTalks online. I thought this one was interesting since the speaker began a Barefoot College which appreciates the wisdom and intelligence of the common person, especially the grandmothers. Enjoy

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/en//id/1248