Observing the extreme polarization of folks who have different political, cultural or religious points of view over the last decade, we should recognize it is nothing new. We have had divisions throughout history, and it makes us wonder if we will ever change for the better. The answer is yes — if we are willing to focus on the real sources of our misery.
We can start by recognizing we are one race and that is the human race. There are no truly black people, yellow people, red people or white. There are just shades from dark to light. There are different cultures, subcultues, ethnicities, nationalities and tribes if you wish to put folks into boxes. There are those that are privileged and those that are not. There are the rich and the poor. As long as we separate ourselves from one another, we are subject to the disease referred to as xenophobia or prejudice and hatred against anyone different than us. Once we are truly aware of core of our malcontent, we can begin to heal.
Have you noticed that a walk in the forest or time spent in the garden brings a sense of peace? It is a way to get back to our natural roots. Seriously, hugging a tree can help one feel a sense of connection with the Earth.
Most folks say they hope for “Peace on Earth” especially at this season when that message is loud and clear. Many also wish for a Happy New Year. The question is what is happy and what is peace. This past year was difficult with many folks suffering from economic difficulties. To some, having more material wealth is what apparently makes them happy. A recently released book by Mary Trump, “Too Much And Never Enough” does a good job describing this condition. To others, knowing that real wealth is being spiritually in harmony with humanity, a higher power and the natural environment.
Spending time traveling leads to the realization that being at peace and happy has little to do with material wealth. You can meet many folks who would be considered poor, but don’t see themselves that way. It is more about having a strong spiritual foundation, family and community connections.
Most folks in Southeast Asia and Japan for example, believe in the teachings of Buddha that are in many ways comparable to the teachings of Jesus. The rich Hindu prince Siddhartha gave up his wealth and meditated for years until he reached “enlightenment” under the shade of a Bo tree or Ficus religiosa. He gave up his material wealth. This is reminiscent of the teachings of Jesus quoted in the new testament chapters of Mark and Luke going something like this. I tell you the truth. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Wow, that is heavy! However the concept is repeated in the Babylonian Talmud, Quaran, Old Testament and basically all the major religions. In more modern times, some have promoted the concept that the richer one becomes is proof of God’s blessings. Unfortunately it seems that the more we have, the more we desire.
Perhaps the key to peace and happiness is that it should be coupled with faith, hope and the greatest power of all, aloha. The world’s great religions place the importance of loving one another, our creator and creation itself. There are those who distort the message for political, economic, power or control. Some even place themselves and their group above others and this leads to unresolvable conflict misery.
The question is, can aloha help us to have ethnicity without ethnocentricity? Can we appreciate that we are unique without putting down someone else. It is so easy to fall into the “us and them” mode of thinking that it takes constant mental pushups to see all humans as connected. We may even expand that connection to all living things. One way to practice is by noting our attitudes about other inhabitants of our global ecosystem.
For example, let’s take a look at our beautiful Hawaiian gardens. They are composed of plants from all over the world. Some of these plants arrived long ago transported by ocean currents, winds and birds. Hundreds of varieties were brought here by the first human inhabitants. These include kukui, coconut, ti, breadfruit, banana, sweet potato and many others. Later, each group brought the plants associated with their culture.
When it comes to our gardens we may then see things differently. We see that it is essential to protect what is unique to Hawaii, but simply labeling life forms as native versus alien and then to infer that one is good and thus the other must be bad is a disservice to all. Our gardens give us opportunity to do our mental pushups and acknowledge the value of each of the diverse life forms including insects, lizards, frogs and birds.
Most non native plants introduced purposely have benefited man. With diversified agriculture essential for our economic survival, it is important we don’t hamstring ourselves so that we are unable to grow a crop that is of benefit to our community and economy by maligning all non native species. Our responsibility is to recognize that our communities include many other life forms, most of which are unique and need our special protection, and at the same time to recognize the need for non native species including those introduced by the Polynesians and other ethnic groups.
The message for our future is that it is time for all members of our Island Community, including environmental groups, agricultural interests, visitor industry, politicians and others to work together on plans that focus on good management of our resources. It is not a time to be confrontational. We can learn to manage our polarities if we can shift our patterns of thinking. There is a lesson to be learned in how we treat all the varied life forms in our Island Gardens. Maybe if we learn that garden lesson, we will treat one another better! It is the essence of aloha. Even though 2020 to 2024 seemed the worst in recent history, let’s make 2025 the best by really living aloha.
Norman Bezona is professor emeritus, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
