Na wai ho'i ka 'ole o ke akamai, he alanui i ma'a i ka hele iia e o'u mau makua.
Why shouldn't I know, when it is a road often traveled by my parents? Pukui 2301. A reply of Liholiho when someone praised his wisdom.
Observing and absorbing the wisdom of our kupuna are ways to improve the quality of our own lives and futures. Sometimes, all it takes is to follow in the footsteps of our parents in little things that mean a lot like eating meals together, saying grace, saying "Good morning" and meaning it. Sometimes, we need to tweak a good practice to suit our way of life...instead of letters, we might send emails or text messages to our loved ones just to check on how they are. And then, there are times when we need to improve a practice through change.
Of importance is understanding why things were done in a certain way. Being observant of the social interactions and ramifications are very much the Hawaiian way of learning. Checking things out and then filling in the blanks to create our own sense of meaning are approaches that need to be used more often in our busy lives. Taking time to talk and listen are more ways to gather data. Communication from the mouth and the heart needs to be shared.
