Nourishment for Our Times
Dear Reader,
Hello and good morning from beautiful Hawaiʻi Island; home of my heart. Itʻs been a while since I have written and you have been on my mind. ❤️
May you find some source of calm, beauty and courage in the words I share with you today to navigate the wide ocean of the unknown.
Our values are our navigation system; lean into them. Use them to guide your words and deeds, especially when itʻs hard.
Iʻve recently had the privilege to work with 3 incredible organizations to continue to align their team around their shared values and to utilize them as a way to chart a path into the future, the unknown. Maybe you were one of these people I saw in my travels last month. If so, it was SO GOOD to see you and connect over your important work.
The work of alignment and planning is honest, hopeful and messy. I am endlessly inspired by all of you who continue to strive to make our world one we want our dearest descendants to live in, and one that honors our ancestors.
The Hawaiian language is rich with layered meaning. Each word has extraordinary depth to it so I share my understanding with you of the word Kuleana with humility, knowing there is so much more yet to be discovered in it’s wisdom.
My understanding so far is that Kuleana is both privilege and responsibility. It is a calling and it is a path. It is a sacred obligation of care. It is something we can choose, and it is often chosen for us. When I first moved here I thought that I would simply bring my work and my purpose with me. This has not proven to be the case. It is a wonderful unraveling, a chrysalis phase of growth. I often say that I am butterfly goo right now. My Kuleana is to listen and to learn. The freedom in not knowing is powerful. I am open and curious. I am in a PhD level of inquiry. I am having a blast and I recognize the incredible privilege to have the time and resources to open and allow this phase to unfold. I am spending a lot of time in nature and in my garden.
When I first moved here a year ago I asked many people what they would like for a new person like me to understand about living here. Thank you to everyone who shared their perspectives with me. These are the most common answers shared with me:
Listen to the community, don’t overstep, don’t give direction and attempt to tell others what to do. Do this for at least 2-4 years. I have found this advice to be a tremendous relief and a paradigm shift. I donʻt need to know -whew!
Relax, be patient and make space for talking story. This means the aunties in the grocery checkout, the neighbors in the road, the folks at the ticket office. Everywhere. Make space for conversation and be patient. This is how community is revitalized and nourished.
There’s always tomorrow. Let go of the need to push or rush.
No honking, unless someone is literally inches from hitting you. No one honks here. It is glorious.
Live sustainably within a small footprint. He waʻa he moku, he moku he waʻa. The canoe is an island and the island is a canoe. Live in this wisdom.
Respect the Hawaiian people, their values and their culture.
As someone who has worked with so many organizations to clarify and operationalize their values, it is truly magical to live on an island where there are shared values that are known, articulated and lived into throughout the community.
Hawaiian values are spoken about at community meetings, at school, between neighbors and in the news. They are living and embodied in a deep and meaningful way. They are renewed through everyday actions. They are a gift from the ancestors and responsibility of all of us to deepen and perpetuate them for the generations to come.
I hope that every visitor and resident will take the time to listen and understand the Hawaiian culture and value system. My life on this island is so much richer for it.
These are the values that I have heard expressed in Hawaiʻi over and over again. This is my interpretation and any error or omission is mine alone.
Reverence and respect for Kupuna (elders) and their wisdom.
Love, respect and care for the ‘Aina (land) and all of nature.
Live simply and within your means.
Care for Water - water is life.
Eat your values; from your garden and local growers.
Practice Aloha in every interaction, with everyone.
Reverence and respect for language, culture and history.
Diversity is strength.
‘Ohana is strength. Our family and kinship ties are essential to living well in community. There is wisdom, strength, love, Kuleana and aloha within our family. This is a much broader term that the western notion of a nuclear family. ‘Ohana, ‘Aina, Kupuna and aloha are inextricably woven together.
He moku he wa’a He wa’a he moku. The island is a canoe and the canoe is an island. No one is coming to save us, we must continue to find ways to live respectfully and peacefully within our means and within our resources. This is the call of our times.
If you love Hawaiʻi, get to know the Hawaiian people and respect their culture and values. Show up as an ally in the struggles of the people.
Let go of individualism. There is no place for individualism on a canoe.
With Heart ❤️
Mary Christa
What I’m Listening To
Seriously, do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast. Drink in itʻs beauty and truth.
❤️
What I’m Reading
This book inspires me to continue to create the world I want to live in with my ʻOhana, my Lahui (community) and to build a world worthy of our descendants.
