Kanaka Thinking: Contentment

E 'olu'olu i ka mea i loa'a.

Be contented with what one has.  'Olelo No'eau #367

 

Even beautiful flowers have flaw and bugs crawling in them.  Be grateful for what you have.  Don't worry about the past...it is gone and no amount of worrying will change that fact.  Don't worry about the future...it is beyond our power to control.  It is better to live in today.  To enjoy it.  To be thankful.  To smile and laugh.  To do what you can.  You may never see today again so live it!

Kanaka Thinking: Hula and the Merrie Monarch Festival

'A'a i ka hula, waiho ka hilahila i ka hale.

When one wants to dance the hula, bashfulness should be left at home.  'Olelo No'eau #2

I am always impressed by people who are willing to stand up in public and spontaneously begin to dance the hula.  Although I have been a hula student since elementary school, I am quite hesitant to get up and dance.  Do I remember the moves?  What if I mess up? 

Such a focus on technique can be a hindrance to spontaneous dancing.  Rather, the driving spirit should be the message of the song, the beat, the sway, and the smile.  While one should do the hula kumu proud by remembering all the hand and feet movements, there are times when one should just dance to share the beauty of the song.  And if there is a memory lapse, make it up and carry on.

E hula kakou.

Kanaka Thinking: Gratitude to our Kupuna

I ulu no ka lala i ke kumu.
The branches grow because of the trunk.  Pukui 1261

Without our ancestors, we would not be here.

In our gadabout lives, we often forget about the trials and tribulations of our ancestors.  If we think we have it tough, let's try to re-imagine our lives without electricity, household appliances, flush toilets and indoor plumbing, automobiles, and supermarkets!!  Yet our kupuna had and raised their families, persevered, survived, and perhaps even flourised.

I wonder how our progeny will see our lives today.  Would this period be considered the "good ole days?"  One way to make it a period of fond remembrance is to work hard to create memories in our children and grandchildren.  Family adventures, good food, good conversation, and time make for lasting positive memories. 

Kanaka Thinking: Parental Support

Hele aku la a ahu, ho'i mai no e omo i ka waiu o ka makua.  Pukui 730
He goes away and, gaining nothing by it, returns to nurse at his mother's breast.

Said of a grown son or daughter who, after going away, returns home for support.

It is always sad to see our children leave the nest.  It is always a joy to have them back at home.  The key to raising independent children is to allow them to leave home, explore, knowing that there is a temporary refuge at home.

Kanaka Thinking: Hard Work

'Ohi ka manu o ke ao.

The bird of the day reaps its reward.  Puku'i 2366

Said in praise of one's industry whereby he has gained prosperity.  "The bird of the day" refers to the industrious 'uwa'u that flies daily to the sea for its food.

Complaints of stress, overwork, anxiety are often heard when people gather.  Although we have many conveniences in life like th microwave oven, roomba vacuum cleaner, we just don't have time to get all that needs to get done done.  I am wondering how we would have fared if we lived a subsistance lifestyle where we had to gather and grow our own food.  Talk about hard work.

But I suppose that working out in the garden, cooking in the primitive kitchen would make for a simpler life where the priority is to feed the family.  Simplify life.

Kanaka Thinking: Peace and Understanding

E waikahi ka pono i manalo. 

Pukui #284

It is well to be united in thought that all may have peace.

   Peace of mind, unity, harmony...all of these things are necessary to have peace in the world.  When people can agree upon the core values of love, family, and harmony, we can have peace.  When people are burdened by greed, selfishness, ego, then there is disharmony.

     To rid someone's self of these negative attributes, it is necessary to polish your soul.  Polish your soul.  Sometimes, challenging events cause us to polish our soul and re-examine our  lives.  Sometimes it is the quiet times of introspection to help us to see the error in our own ways.  Sometimes it is a sunset or sunrise to remind us of the beauty in our lives.  Polish your soul.  Live to serve others...then we can have peace.

Kanaka Thinking: Family Standards

Ku i ka welo. 

Pukui #1879

Fit into the family behavior pattern. 
Whether good or bad, one's behavior is judged by the family he belongs to.

     Parents in a Hawaiian culture have great responsibility in raising their children to be pono representatives of their family.  Keeping to high ethical standards, portraying humility, self-control, generosity, and compassion, and behaving in ways that bring honor and respect to the family and the kupuna are the huge tasks before the parents in their education of their children.  To bring shame to the family is a great disgrace...not only to the family today but also to the family's ancestors and the future members of the family.

          He pula, o ka 'anai ka mea nui.  Pukui 934.  A speck of dust in the eye causes a lot of rubbing because of irritation.  Let one member of a family do wrong, and like the resultant irritation, he is a shame to all.

     If a child acts up, the question of the adults is often..."who is this child's family?"  The same questions is true if a child does well.  After considering the behavior of the family, the resulting conclusion is, "No wonder."

      In these stressful days, it is easy to understand how some parents have forgotten that the way they raise their children is not only for today but also for yesterday and tomorrow's scrutiny.