This weekend I camped at V-Land on the North Shore. The only thing that really made it camping was the fact that we slept on the beach. Other than that it was really just cruising and enjoying the unbelievable beauty and power of the land, surf, and sea. The full moon was brighter than I've ever seen it and the entire scene just had a surreal peace to it. I woke up before 6 with the sun rising in front of me and perfect surf; what could be better?
"If only there was more of this left" I thought to myself. And then I realized; there is.
With this I thought back to Waimanalo and the serenity and coexistence I felt there. Everything on the farm working together in harmony with everything else in a sustainable, reusable, wasteless system; again I ask, what could be better?
You see, it has become extremely easy to lose sight of these natural beauties and natural processes. Honestly there is nothing "spectacular" about a sunrise with waves, it happens every morning on this island. Likewise there is nothing "spectacular" about a self-sustaining efficient system, that is the way nature created all systems. Look at the carbon or nitrogen cycle, even the life cycle of plants and animals; all of these things work on a continual loop and everything is recycled, in some way or another, back into the system. Still, this seems revolutionary and unbelievable to us. No waste? Believe it.
What I'm really trying to say here isn't that sunrises and sustainable gardens aren't amazing; they most definitely are and I will be the first to say it. I'm just trying to point out the fact that these are processes originally created and controlled by our Mother Earth. If we had never interferred with these things they would not be spectacular, they would be normal. We would see every sun rise and every nutrient recycled so, I believe, we wouldn't stop in awe at these things. No one here stops in awe today when someone flips on the light switch or throws away a piece of paper or scrap of food; it seems quite ordinary to us, though many still today would find this extraordinary.
Continuing on with the idea of reconnection to nature - maybe that reconnection is key. It seems to me that Mother Earth's natural processes work better than anything we have engineered so why not let her do the designing. Maybe it is in the few untouched places left where the answers can be found to the world's current problems; the only thing is you have to be looking for them, and through the right lense.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
180 Degrees South
Maybe it's because I surf, maybe it's because I've always been fascinated with climbing, maybe it's the fact that I too have dreams of exploring the Pacific coast of South America, either way I love this movie. I had seen it a few times before class however this viewing really resinated with me. Simple statements and scenes that can easily be overlooked just seemed to stick with me. One in particular that was really significant, for me, was the old Chilean man who said "I am just an old deer from the mountains.". This quote, combined with the discussion topic of who needs to reconnect to nature really impacted me; this man, like so many who live in and off the and, has no concept of reconnection to nature, he never left. If you asked this man what it meant to him to reconnect with nature he would probably stare at you funny and say "Que?"
How ironic is it that these hard-working, "uneducated" (in the academic sense of course) laborers who live more simply than most of the world today are really who we should look to for guidance. For some reason we "civilized" people feel the need to run to politicians, business executives, academics, and scientists everytime we run into a problem, desperate for answers. I just can't buy into this idea any longer. I do not believe that having set in a classroom, on a Board of Representatives, or in a lab makes you any more knowledgable than the rest of us; if anything I would say it makes you more distant.
Most people today no longer see the connections associated with everything they buy, sell, and choose. Our purchases, just like our decisions, are having global effects that we can not see. We have become blind to our own destruction. Sometimes you have to paddle out into the middle of the sea and climb to the top of the mountain to finally gain some perspective. Obviously these things can be done mentally and spiritually and don't always require physically overcoming challenges, however sometimes it takes that physical push to get your mind to follow.
Maybe one day it'll work the other way and people will actually mentally overcome obstacles and dilemnas, enabling them to change their ways. For now, however, there's a lot of us that could benefit profoundly from a trip to the top of the mountain.
How ironic is it that these hard-working, "uneducated" (in the academic sense of course) laborers who live more simply than most of the world today are really who we should look to for guidance. For some reason we "civilized" people feel the need to run to politicians, business executives, academics, and scientists everytime we run into a problem, desperate for answers. I just can't buy into this idea any longer. I do not believe that having set in a classroom, on a Board of Representatives, or in a lab makes you any more knowledgable than the rest of us; if anything I would say it makes you more distant.
Most people today no longer see the connections associated with everything they buy, sell, and choose. Our purchases, just like our decisions, are having global effects that we can not see. We have become blind to our own destruction. Sometimes you have to paddle out into the middle of the sea and climb to the top of the mountain to finally gain some perspective. Obviously these things can be done mentally and spiritually and don't always require physically overcoming challenges, however sometimes it takes that physical push to get your mind to follow.
Maybe one day it'll work the other way and people will actually mentally overcome obstacles and dilemnas, enabling them to change their ways. For now, however, there's a lot of us that could benefit profoundly from a trip to the top of the mountain.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Taking Waikiki Back
Last Tuesday was, historically, incredibly eye opening for me. While the speakers were super educational and provided tons of information I had never heard or even thought about before, my real jaw-dropping moment was a few hours earlier in my ANTH 2000 class with Topher.
We watched a short film titled "Taking Waikiki". It was about the first American businessman and missionaries who came to the Hawaiian islands in the late 1800's and how those few people shaped the place forever, responsible for many of the issues faced today (massive sewage leakage and contamination from the Ala Wai for example). As depressing as this film is, everyone needs to see it. I never understood the power that so few people held. This centralization of power, not unlike a dictatorship, is key to the injustice and abuse that occured. As a result of the self-interest of Dillingham, McCarthy, Dole, Frear, Pinkham and a few others Hawaiians were literally displaced and moved off the land that they had farmed for centuries. This land was extremely productive, full of taro fields and aquaculture setups. This, supplemented with ducks, chickens, and their eggs allowed many Hawaiians in this area to be sustainable, supporting their families with some still left over. However, the Americans had a different plan for this land, Waikiki.
Today when I think about Waikiki there is only one redeeming quality, the surf. I'm now realizing this is only because it is the least touched aspect of this area (although still definitely and largely affected by human action). Beyond the unbelievable long boarding perfection, in my mind, is nothing but concrete jungle, sewage, and crowds. It's hard for me to imagine a day when the area was characterized by an extraordinarily complex drainage system, productive farms, and clean unpolluted air, earth, and water. It seems unreal that in so little time so few people could literally pave the way for centuries of destruction.
"Taking Waikiki" infuriated me, and I'm just some haole boy who's been here less than two years! Although there is no way for me to understand the pain endured by the native peoples during this time, the film exposed me to it so that now at least I know the truth behind one of the world's greatest tourist destinations. I wish we could just go in, tear everything out, and make things how they used to be. Still, we all know this is not possible and even if it was, that nature and society could not go back to way it used to be; too much damage has already been done. I guess all we can do is fight it from getting worse and maintain the natural beauty, though scarce in Town, that is still left.
I believe one day Mother Nature and Mother Ocean will have their revenge and Waikiki will be taken back.
We watched a short film titled "Taking Waikiki". It was about the first American businessman and missionaries who came to the Hawaiian islands in the late 1800's and how those few people shaped the place forever, responsible for many of the issues faced today (massive sewage leakage and contamination from the Ala Wai for example). As depressing as this film is, everyone needs to see it. I never understood the power that so few people held. This centralization of power, not unlike a dictatorship, is key to the injustice and abuse that occured. As a result of the self-interest of Dillingham, McCarthy, Dole, Frear, Pinkham and a few others Hawaiians were literally displaced and moved off the land that they had farmed for centuries. This land was extremely productive, full of taro fields and aquaculture setups. This, supplemented with ducks, chickens, and their eggs allowed many Hawaiians in this area to be sustainable, supporting their families with some still left over. However, the Americans had a different plan for this land, Waikiki.
Today when I think about Waikiki there is only one redeeming quality, the surf. I'm now realizing this is only because it is the least touched aspect of this area (although still definitely and largely affected by human action). Beyond the unbelievable long boarding perfection, in my mind, is nothing but concrete jungle, sewage, and crowds. It's hard for me to imagine a day when the area was characterized by an extraordinarily complex drainage system, productive farms, and clean unpolluted air, earth, and water. It seems unreal that in so little time so few people could literally pave the way for centuries of destruction.
"Taking Waikiki" infuriated me, and I'm just some haole boy who's been here less than two years! Although there is no way for me to understand the pain endured by the native peoples during this time, the film exposed me to it so that now at least I know the truth behind one of the world's greatest tourist destinations. I wish we could just go in, tear everything out, and make things how they used to be. Still, we all know this is not possible and even if it was, that nature and society could not go back to way it used to be; too much damage has already been done. I guess all we can do is fight it from getting worse and maintain the natural beauty, though scarce in Town, that is still left.
I believe one day Mother Nature and Mother Ocean will have their revenge and Waikiki will be taken back.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
We are all islanders suspended in a sea of space...
Class last week was really moving and somewhat inspirational for me. It really didn't feel like a forced educational setting but more like an educated, yet spiritual, conference of sorts. I wanted to absorb as much as I could in the short time. I was writing notes like crazy, trying to find some hope of potentially holding onto all that was being taught about the environment, language, Hawaii, and life.
Hawaiian culture and language have always fascinated me. I had no idea of the complexity and intricacies of vowels and how their combinations make words. Still, it made so much sense. Even in the language the spiritual and physical connection with the land in Hawaiian culture is overwhelming. The simple things like living in the earth instead of on it really have profound and far reaching meanings, connections, and consequences.
One quote that really stuck with me was "We are all islanders suspended in a sea of space". To me this speaks of unification but also responsibility. We, as global citizens, need to work together with our fellow people of all kinds, for we all share this island of Earth. It is our joint responsibility; this is our aina.
Hawaiian culture and language have always fascinated me. I had no idea of the complexity and intricacies of vowels and how their combinations make words. Still, it made so much sense. Even in the language the spiritual and physical connection with the land in Hawaiian culture is overwhelming. The simple things like living in the earth instead of on it really have profound and far reaching meanings, connections, and consequences.
One quote that really stuck with me was "We are all islanders suspended in a sea of space". To me this speaks of unification but also responsibility. We, as global citizens, need to work together with our fellow people of all kinds, for we all share this island of Earth. It is our joint responsibility; this is our aina.
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