Think About It Hawaii

Perspective. We approach things with our own viewpoints, based perhaps on our background, upbringing, education, or lack thereof. Views might be skewed based on one’s tribes, parents, peers, and/or mentors. But perspective is vital nowadays with far too much fragmentation and far too little active listening, empathy, and compassion.

Even visual perspectives can be tainted by our personal history, what we know, or at least think we know. Example- last week I took my lunchtime break at Sand Island State Recreation Park; just because. I grabbed a sandwich, parked at the park, and casually gnoshed while watching fishermen, passing ships, parasailers, birds, and peripatetic park patrons. 

As I turned to leave, there it was- downtown Honolulu across the water… from the “other side”. I espied cloud-draped mountains behind downtown buildings which I’d always seen from a completely different angle. It was almost like looking at a different cityscape, with green, rugged peaks as the backdrop- not Aloha Tower Marketplace or the pier one might glimpse while driving down Bishop, Vineyard, Nimitz, Ala Moana, et al. Same place, different viewpoint.

How often do we approach issues from a different perspective? How often do we do a 180 and actually listen when we find ourselves in disagreements with others? How often do we seek to gain diverse perspectives before allowing our own beliefs and deeply-chiseled opinions get in the way? Having strong convictions can be self-assuring, but it can also cut into one’s emotive capabilities to try to see things from a different angle; and I’m not rationalizing anti-facts-ers.

That brusque coworker? You have no idea what’s going on in that person’s brain, at home, or what his/her background might be that led to this behavior. I know, that may not be your problem, but it is your attitude. 

I’m not excusing anti-social behavior or beliefs that are an affront to the human race. I’m suggesting that actively listening or letting go of one’s entrenched vantage point is possibly a fair way- maybe the only way- that we’re going to narrow chasms that only seem to widen these days. 

Absolute gun rights, vaccination validity, native and women’s rights, TMT, the rail, short-term rentals… Pick a topic and everyone’s got an opinion… and a belly button. Sometimes, we can’t see the forest for their trees. I just discovered downtown from Sand Island, and it sure looked a whole lot different.

Think about it…

One thing that’s surfaced from the pandemic is the local sense that we really need a “Plan B”; something alongside tourism as a dependable, economic driver here. As horrific as bubbles, isolation, quarantining, social distancing, and staying put have been, the more people you talk to here, the more you realize how nice many feel this place is without huge crowds, constant traffic, parking dilemmas, short term renters, et al. Geez, what a concept.

But reality indicates that, despite omicron’s ominous overtures, the vital visitors are back, and so are the discomforts many feel with that additional human crunch. Yes, tourism is the engine of our economy, with huge ripple effects felt throughout so many other industries. We got it. But now that we’ve had a glimpse of what Hawai`i looks and feels like when the visitors don’t arrive in droves, wouldn’t today be a really good time to focus on Plan B and even C?

Since we didn’t solve the local alternate-economic-source dilemma during 1995 or 2009 recessions, and since inflation, supply shortages and workers malaise are also a reality today, now would be a great time to pool local and outside brainpower as we seek new options, rather just speculate, pontificate, and ponder?

Can Hawai`i become a bigger haven for remote workers due to its natural charm, friendliness, and all of the other reasons one might want to live here but work elsewhere? Can public-private partnerships or tax incentives allow Hawai`i to become a hub for alternative energy corporations, cybersecurity firms, think tanks, or other sectors that might keep a workforce well-paid and engaged?

Plan B could be an all-encompassing effort to keep 25- to 55-year olds here, rather than continue to see the emigration we’ve witnessed over the past five years. For if we don’t get serious about Plan B, the “B” will stand for Plan Bale, Plan Bumbai, or Plan Bye-Bye, as floundering residents will continue seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

And before you say “good, if no can, no can” relative to people staying, take a look at our aging population. Who’s going to provide the resources, labor capital, and tax base for everyone’s golden years if we don’t act now?

A series of all-inclusive, action-oriented strategy conferences might provide tangible, actionable, and even legislat-able answers needed today, not in 2035 or 2050. Maybe, just maybe, Plan B could evolve into “Plan Brilliant”.

Think about it…

Too much heaviness too often can make the weights seem too great to bear. Inflation, war in Ukraine, omnipresent omicron, American tribalism, health care… the beat goes on. This week, in tribute to the great George Carlin tribute documentary that recently debuted, we go from the sublime to the ridiculous!

Americans love to identify, celebrate, be festive, and fête just about anyone and anything. So here are a few (I kid you not) “official” things celebrated in June, besides those items really worth noting this month (LGBTQIA Pride Month, Father’s Day, Men’s Health Month, et al.). With tongue firmly planted in cheek…

National Give A Bunch of Balloons Month– no joke here; this is about giving a seriously ill kid or one going through rough treatments a bunch of balloons; just, because. I love it.

National DJ Month– ahhh, where would we be without those peripatetic platter spinners? Let’s rave about raves as you celebrate your favorite local techno stylists.

National Accordion Awareness Month– as if you’re not familiar with the omnipotent, omnipresent squeezebox. And a “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic debuts this fall, starring Daniel Radcliffe- a/k/a Harry Potter, so bone up now on your zydeco and polka.

National Candy Month– celebrating its 38^th year! Dude, some of us celebrate this every day; c’mon, a few Kit Kat/M&M Almonds/Raisinets/Skittles/Li Hing Gummies/Lychee Jelly/Yan Yan are surely part of mental health. Floss and brush, of course. 

National Dairy Month– I speak of this with complete and udder respect for Lani Moo.

National Papaya Month– probably not a big deal in Kentucky or Maine, but locally- this bulbous delight is about as good as it gets. National Mango Day is July 22. Ho-hum… 

Turkey Lovers Month– no, this is not about fans of the U.S. Congress. But why is this celebrated in June, as the cross-marketing effort to get people stuffing turkeys outside of November has failed miserably? 77% of turkeys are sold in November; I’ve kept abreast of when people hoard (turkey) breasts.

National Homeownership Month– well, it used to be a worthy dream, didn’t it??

National Pollinators Month– no joke here; we need more busy bees… please.

National Safety Month– because I guess we simply let ourselves go the other 11-months annually. But, what the heck, check those smoke alarms and first aid kits at home.

So much to celebrate and so little time! Enjoy June (carefully, of course).

Think about it…

We’re coming to the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, but for those in need of help, May 31^st won’t signal the end of anything. While the stigma of people coming forward to knowledge mental health issues has lessened in many ways, there is still a great need, especially as we begin to come out of these last two years of heightened anxiety, for people to come forward and get help without judgment.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in any given week over the past two years, between 29% and 43% of U.S. adults experienced symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders. The calls and cries for help have been growing locally. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Hawaii has been doing its part through a multitude of offerings and services to anybody, any ethnicity, any age- CEOs, caregivers, teens, front line workers, lawyers, retail clerks, retirees, et al. Mental health concerns are ubiquitous, but the great news is that assistance is available no matter how seemingly benign or how dire your circumstance may be.

Support, mentorship, and peer groups, online or phone chat opportunities with absolute anonymity (if desired) can help people today. Now is as good a time as any for you to check-in and check-up. As Alice in Chains sang, “somebody check my brain”.

Braveness shown in this arena by celebrities like Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps going public is wonderful, and I’ve read a few columnists opening up about personal mental health issues recently, but it’s really about your concerns, friends, family, co-workers and/or neighbors. Busy therapists might be tied up for months, but a counselor or support group may provide an immediate beacon of hope for you. Crisis lines are also available locally if the need is immediate, sporadic or acute. 

People freely discuss heart issues, cancer recovery, or nagging knee ailments. Talking openly about mental health should be just as easy and cathartic. Yoga, meditation, nature, music, learned coping skills- there are myriad ways to deal with what ails you, but don’t wait or let anxiety build. 

Find what works for you, now, June 2, or around the holidays. Go to www.namihawaii.org, call (808)-591-1297, or call 211 for a referral. Please don’t let creeping mental health issues fester. And if you’ve got a personal mental health success story to share with others, how great might that be?

Think about it…  

“Three things cannot be long hidden- the sun, the moon, and the truth.” I enjoy that quote, often attributed to Buddha. But I’ve also seen it attributed to Confucius, and others simply suggest its origins are unknown. Wow; a quote about the truth, and we can’t even agree on its truthful origin.

As for the moon, I realized its power when trying to comfort crying toddlers decades ago. Simply take the tot outside at night, point up and say, “Look, the moon!” Sure, it’s a diversion, but it usually works wonders to calm the teary storm. We now hear talk about revisiting the moon, perhaps colonizing it, or even Mars. Ho-hum. Perhaps we should first figure out how to make this mortal coil more habitable before we start planning escapism into celestial realms. Talk about getting away…

The sun is life-giving, of course, and after coaching a tough soccer defeat, I would query my AYSO soccer tyke teams by asking, “Hey team… is the sun going to come up tomorrow?” Perhaps confused or at least (again) diverted from their sadness, they’d all nod affirmatively. “Good,” I’d say, “because as long as the sun rises tomorrow, we’ve all got a chance…” whatever that meant.  Looking back, I realize that perhaps my most profound pronouncements worked best with two- and nine-year olds, surely easier groups to cajole or compose than tainted adults.

We see, feel and celebrate the sun and moon; and then there’s the truth, which has taken a beating of late. Opinions are like belly buttons- everyone’s got one. Politician/philosopher Daniel Moynihan once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts.” Alas, that seemingly pragmatic, rock solid truism has been sorely tested. Mark Twain presaged today’s reality when he allegedly said: “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

Which brings me to our upcoming 2022 local elections that become reality in mid-July, when mail-in ballots will be sent out statewide. Now would be a good time to search for the real facts via objective candidate observations on issues which matter to you. Go beyond perennial posturing, pontificating, and pandering, and search for substance to help you make educated choices.

Hmmm… somehow I’ve now transitioned this treatise from referencing a possible classic Buddha quote to suggesting that we all study up to be ballot-ready. Must be the full moon.

Think about it…

It’s been almost a month now since we first learned of reported illnesses. Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting- well-known unpleasantries that should never be an integral part of one’s diet plans. The alleged culprit? Hang on now… Lucky Charms. 

Yes, that most basic yet vital food staple, cherished by many as one of the four major food groups along with Fruity Pebbles, Cap’n Crunch, and Cocoa Puffs (allegedly Hawaii’s favorite cereal), is being doubled-checked by authorities after over 450 reports about folks reportedly feeling ill soon after eating the sweet morsels. So much for being “lucky”… or charms.

Reports with details are available at https://iwaspoisoned.com, an actual website that aggregates comments when people report eating something(s) that made them feel yucky, and that site is now populated with marshmallow-y tales of physically off-putting symptoms noted after eating the marbits (yes, a word concocted when the cereal was concocted back in 1964, combining “marshmallow” and “bits”).

Now there’s nothing funny about food-borne illnesses, of course. But seeing that the alleged culprit here is not poorly-washed lettuce or spinach, undercooked chicken, raw eggs, bacteria-laden sprouts, or tainted seafood- but rather a dry cereal made from oats, corn starch, corn syrup, dextrose, etc.- is rather bizarre.

And I know it’s been a tough, debilitating and weird couple of years, but did you ever think you’d hear about Lucky Charms being a possible health hazard? Again, the jury is still out, but this revelation reminded me that occasionally we all crave food that’s simply enjoyable and fun. One can only consume so many cruciferous veggies, after all. In moderation, of course, sometimes you gotta eat for your mental health, like when pounding down that XL bag of butter-laden popcorn and mochi crunch at a movie, or munching massive malassadas, or scarfing down tri-colored, shave ice (watch for brain freeze).

We understand empirical advice to avoid overdoing it with sugar, salt, alcohol, fat, trans fats, red meat, fried and processed foods, white rice, artificial additives, soda… the list seems endless. Yes, sometimes you just gotta have whatever you prescribe as food for your soul. We know people didn’t pile on that so-called “COVID-19”, as in pounds gained, by noshing on kale, broccoli, and almonds, but sometimes, just sometimes, you just gotta have it. And that’s what makes this mysterious Lucky Charms scenario so potentially unappetizing; like a soggy bowl of, well… you know what.

Think about it. 

I went to a play two weeks back, and it was just beautiful. No, seriously, it was just “Beautiful”, the Broadway-in-Hawai`i version of the Carole King story. Attendees surely knew of King’s artistry through her multi-million selling “Tapestry” album (1971), but many were no doubt stunned to learn of the lengthy list of monster hits that King and her Brill Building cohorts wrote for others. King is considered the most successful pop female songwriter of the 20^th century with 118 written or co-written songs that charted, and “Beautiful” provided two-plus hours of pure joy at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

But this story gets even more beautiful. 2,000 people sitting side by side without anybody getting in anybody’s face about what they were or were not wearing on their face. It was like fantasyland, or at least 2019. Most concertgoers were respectful of the “request” to keep one’s mask on, leading one to perhaps sense that we’ve entered a calmer, gentler moment.

BA.2 Omicron subvariant cases cause concern (“BA” must stand for “Bad Attitude”, as this stealth stinker proliferates), but many people still smartly appreciate sensible safety measures learned and practiced over the past 750 days; so maybe now we can look forward to things finally staying stable, and maybe even getting beautiful.

Sure, there remain many post-pandemic issues and items to deal with, but perhaps we can now focus on fixing things without having to worry so much about fixing one another. This is not to suggest that PTSD and other post-COVID realities will just drift away, but should cooler heads prevail, maybe we can rationalize that working together with empathy to resolve issues beats going into self-serving bubbles, playing tribal games, or resorting to “gotcha” at the expense of making things better for all.

While expecting little of value from the self-focused flotsam and jetsam working (not) in our nation’s capital, we can now pro-actively get back to putting our (big picture) island home in order as we put our personal island homes in order. The willpower appears to be there; the funds are certainly there (for now). How about a couple of years of transition, breakthroughs and small wins, followed by bigger celebrations?

How about we all start singing from a songbook of accomplishments and successes; great things can happen when no one cares who gets the credit? Doing that would really be beautiful.

Think about it…

I was used to my weekend routine- shower after golf, and that was it for the day. By 2p, my live Saturday/Sunday contact with outside humans often ceased to exist for two years. But last weekend a strange sensation overcame me post-golf. I realized that we actually had “plans” for Saturday night, plans involving other mortals. No books, crosswords, Zoom calls, binge/cringe-watching, numbing news numbers, or constructing my 453^rd Spotify music playlist.

We’d actually made dinner plans to see people we hadn’t seen for over two years. Yeh, the world is still frazzled, the country is still polarized, but some things are getting back to recognizable, positive normalcy. As I also attended my first large-scale group event last week, it almost feels like the parties Prince told us about in “1999”!

Streets full of cars and a lack of parking spaces everywhere mixed in with recurring sagas that simply never get handled locally- Laniakea parking, the Stairway To Heaven dilemma, UH autonomy, illegal short-term rentals, the lack of truly affordable housing, sovereignty, planned economic diversity, North Shore sand berms brunting nature’s ways- it all feels so normal again. We may have a plethora of local problems, but at least they’re our problems. We see ‘em, we own ‘em, and I guess we love ‘em, since we never seem to resolve ‘em with final actions and solutions, not just words or edicts. So who needs COVID?! 

Add in indecision on the TMT debacle, Waikiki Natatorium stasis, rapid (or vapid) transit, wayward feral chickens, Ala Wai Canal clean-up/flood mitigation, Red Hill water woes (who knew?), homes for a new Oahu prison and a new Oahu landfill, and yes, you can see things really are getting back to normal. No runs, no hits, just errors. While we were bubbled, almost nothing changed as little of the big stuff was fixed. But move over omicron, because the boyz and girlz are back in town and ready to (safely) party hardy! 

Our outdoor Saturday dinner was great as we caught up on life, family, work, and included the occasional whine (that comes with wine) about things never getting done locally- all edified live and in person!

I’ll soon seek my first post-bubble concert venture to aid in restoring order to my personal universe. I’ll keep a mask handy for safety, and perhaps to avoid “Ainokea” anarchists in our midst. Party on!

Think about it…

If you live on Oahu and have been looking askance at the debacle known now as the Red Hill water crisis, look again. An anticipated dry summer might necessitate mandatory water restrictions, according to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. The Red Hill water crisis meanders forward with obfuscation and some red faces, but resolutions (and time frames) are not yet in clear sight. But we can lessen our own water usage via simple solutions that’ll add up when repeated by hundreds of thousands of Oahu residents. We’ve been here before, but here are easily implementable ideas to obviate the looming concern about pending water usage restrictions…

Brush your teeth and/or shave with the sink water off. If you… um, “go” often, don’t flush every time. As we say, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” (easier to do when living alone or with an empathetic, significant other). Shorten lawn watering times, manually or remotely; water less frequently- in the early AM; shut ‘em down if it’s wet out; make sure automatic sprinklers are aimed accurately. 

And those vital, stress relieving, daily showers? Put on your favorite five-minute song as you begin. When it ends, you end. No more 10-minute masterpieces under the shining Moen in your near future, please. The neighbors will thank you, too, as your singing will be truncated. Oh, and sorry, but baths tend to be water hogs (vs. short showers). Check for household leaks (toilets, sinks, pipes, et al.). Run full loads only in the washing machine and dishwasher. Smartly rinse dishes without running the faucet ad nauseum. Clean vegetables and fruits thoroughly, but quickly.

You can take an active role in water conservation, as we all lend a hand now. I’ve pondered whether water, an essential and scarce survival resource, will become the oil of the 21sy century. In some places, it is already used as a weapon or a bargaining chit, and its handling has caused great consternation and sometimes great cost. Ask your friends living in the mainland southwestern what the future of potable water portends- it’s not rosy, it’s not fiction, and it’s not a fear-mongering plot. Heck, ask your friends in Moanalua!

Chicken Little exasperated her friends when she insisted that the “sky is falling”. With current groundwater issues here, a sizzling summer might provide us with a grim reminder of what happens when the rain is not falling.

Think about it… 

Three weeks ago, right here, I commented on proposed legislation that would help to mitigate the growing problem of feral chickens rambling around these islands. I certainly had some fun writing the column, with some obvious double entendres and wordplay, but I also thought that the suggested solution of using birth control feed to render hen eggs infertile was interesting.

But here come vocal ova-omitting opponents, shedding some new feathers on this chicken tale with testimony given during the early-April legislative session. “Save Hawai`i Chickens” spoke about how chickens eat centipedes, provide fertilizer via their droppings, and provide eggs for food; they say that feral chickens could provide a sustainable food source, and there’s a contamination risk to other birds and animals with specially-formulated pellets. There might be risk to our groundwater as uneaten chicken feed leaches into the soil. Who knew? Well, certainly not me.

Wow; civic-minded individuals coming forward to defend feral fowls. The chickens, who speak loudly (that’s part of the problem) but were too chicken to gather forces at the legislature, surely wished their human advocators good cluck…  

Unlike some of the bewildered bird brains who disagree with one another ad nauseum on myriad issues befuddling our nation, this was all done via common sense arguments based on facts, not half-truths, alternate facts, social media chicken feed or omnipresent, digital bird poop rantings so rampant in our tribalistic nation nowadays.

National squabbles today evolve around ego, power, control, fear, and not getting egg on one’s face. But this local poultry powwow revives my sense of hope for humanity because, yes, political discourse can actually be presented reasonably, civilly, and can ultimately be decided upon by focused leaders elected to decide great debates, whether locally or nationally.

In days of yore, reaching across the Congressional aisle might mean accommodating, actively listening, compromising, and/or keeping in mind the bigger picture. Nowadays, reaching across that same aisle is likely to be met with a virtual viral slap, condescending comments, grandiose accusations, or we witness tired, redundant retreats to predictable sectarianism. Voters grow weary, remain wary, and too often, we witness nothing productive getting accomplished.  

But this well-presented, local debate about the fate of foraging ferals can be celebrated as an example of how “the system” works when cooler heads prevail. So, why did the chicken really cross the road? Perhaps to actually listen to the other side.

Think about it…