What is the Aloha Spirit? (opinion)

Sunday, April 15, 2012 by: Hesh Goldstein
Tags: Aloha, Hawaii, people

(NaturalNews) Every time we pick up a newspaper or watch the news, the lead story is always about some person-to- person horror with the foundation being centered around race, culture or religion always resulting in bloodshed, mayhem, chaos or oppression.

Seeing this we become fearful and anxious and struggle to remain optimistic and positive. Somehow, in Hawaii, we seem to find a way through this with tolerance, civility and being observant.

Coming to Hawaii in the 70's, in the laid back town of Lahaina, I was definitely the new kid on the block. I was haole (Caucasian), had long hair and a beard, and stood out like a sore thumb.

Every day I would go to the town tennis court, watch 3 guys playing 2 against 1, and never say a word. After about an hour I would leave. This scenario was repeated for 4 days. On the 5th day the 1 guy said, "You like play"?

My game was good and my vibe was easy. In no time we all became friends. When that happened, I was asked, "Why you say noting every day"?

I explained that I didn't want to push myself on anyone and I respected their right to play the way they wanted to.

My feeling was that Hawaii was a "melting pot" of ethnicity and for the most part they were here a lot longer than me.

That's the reality. For nearly 200 years, people from all over the world have come here to form a community where our differences defined us rather than divided us.

We have no majority race and diversity is readily accepted. This is counter to other parts of the world where things are looked at as majority or minority.

Our cultural philosophy leans away from the more, the better. So, our foods, language, traditions and actions morph into chop suey. But the one thing that has its defining moment is the condition of our heart. No one says they are better, or tries to show anyone up. It's like we are all family. We walk down the street, look a stranger in the eye, smile and say, "Howzit"? They smile back.

Recently, a program was started here called, Pillars of Peace. The program is designed to bring global peace leaders here to learn of our unique culture and see if it can be replicated worldwide.

The first to come was the Dalai Lama. His intent is to spend quite some time here to learn about why we have what we have and why we take it for granted as the way it is supposed to be.

Does he hold audiences in large churches, auditoriums, or stadiums? No! He visits schools, interacts with the kids and says he wants to use Hawaii as the example to create a society where peace is built on a foundation of aloha.

We are not in the illusion that the aloha spirit will endure without a conscious effort to preserve it as we undertake the same effort to preserve our unique physical environment.

As islanders, we are all linked and dependent upon each other's actions, so much so that it is impossible to separate the notion of environmental or economic sustainability from the notion of personal and communal interdependence.

Why can't we all be "pillars of peace"? How hard is it to promote a just and equitable society that meets its challenges head-on with mutual respect for differences in race, color and creed and the grace to find common ground?

Accepting this and devoting ourselves to it opens the door to a bright future devoid of hate, prejudice and animosity.

Rather than seeing different colors or religions we see "family", with each member having their right to choose their own path.

This unique "spirit of aloha" is our contribution to the world and our most precious resource. It's just too bad the politicians and Monsanto don't see it the same way.

As a final note, the literal translation of the word aloha is, "I see the spirit within you".

Aloha!

About the author:
I have been doing a weekly radio show in Honolulu since 1981 called "Health Talk". In 2007 I was "forced" to get a Masters degree in Nutrition because of all the doctors that would call in asking for my credentials. They do not call in anymore. Going to www.healthtalkhawaii.com enables you, among other things, to listen to the shows. I am an activist. In addition to espousing an organic vegan diet for optimum health, I am strongly opposed to GMOs, vaccines, processed foods, MSG, aspartame, fluoridation and everything else that the pimps (Big Pharma, Monsanto and the large food companies) and the hookers (the doctors, the government agencies, the public health officials, and the mainstream media) thrust upon us, the tricks.
After being vaccinated with the DTP vaccine as a child I developed asthma. After taking the organic sulfur crystals (they are harvested from the pine trees in Louisiana) in November of 2008 for 10 days my asthma reversed and has not come back over 4 years later, 18 cases, so far, of autism have been reversed, as has cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, joint pain, astigmatism, gum disease, increased sexual activity, heavy metal and radiation elimination, parasite elimination, free radicals elimination, faster athletic recovery time, increased blood circulation, reduced inflammation, resistance to getting the flu, reduction of wrinkles, allergy reduction, reduced PMS and monthly period pain, nausea, migraines and so much more. And it's only possible because of the oxygen it releases that floods the cells of the body. The sulfur, as proven by the University of Southampton in England, enables the body to produce vitamin B12 and the essential amino acids. You can find out more about this incredible nutrient also on my website - www.healthtalkhawaii.com -.
My book, "a Sane Diet For An Insane World", has been published. It can be viewed at
www.asanediet.com.