Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 7, 1 September 1984 — Emulate that Aloha [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Emulate that Aloha

By Ciard Kealoha Trustee-At-Large

Several months ago I wrote on the uselessness of ranting over historical wrongs committed long ago. Those who perpetuated those crimes have been identified and although many of the wrongs have yet

to be corrected, we must all look ahead with confidence and with enough intelligence and renewed zeal to improve our futures. To constantly dwell on the wrongs robs us of those attributes that ennohle us as a people. There are many lessons to be learned. When the prodigal son returned home to an overjoyed father, his puzzled brother couldn't understand all the hoopla. After all, hadn't the brother been faithful and kept up with his responsibilities unlike his errant brother who had wasted his life and had not contributed to the general well-being? Nevertheless, the father asked his obedient son to share his great happiness at the brother's return to the fold. In the process of ourhooponopono, we who are wronged must forgive those who wronged us. Onee that is done, we must

oki or cut off that wrong from our minds forever, taking out thc hate and the poisons that ean only further infect us if we let them remain in ourselves. lt is very difficult to do this but we ean marvel at how our kupuna developed a process of hooponopono that heals our very naau when we are willing to fully participate in this both wonderful and painful process ol' restoring our general well-being. We are all people of aloha. That is our eommon heritage and our eommon legacy. When we fail to acknowledge this great gift of our kupuna we demean our inheritance and become as mean spirited and small. But if we believe that we have a unique and special grace that sets us off from others in our strivings to achieve the perfections that man ean attain; and ifweare indeed, descendants of the gods, the great spiritual force and mana that permeates life, then we should emulate that aloha, turning our hearts and minds to forgiving the shortcomings of our neighbors and of ourselves. And that my fellow Hawaiians is very difficult to do in the midst of eonflicts and hakaka that only leads to a diminished sense of who we were, who we are and who we ean all become. E alu like mai kakou, e na oiwi o Hawaii.