john fink

There’s difficulty these days providing objective perspectives. Science and historically accepted truths are debated and bandied about endlessly, like a social badminton shuttlecock. Invariably, we end up in disagreement about so much with so many.

Facts (or maybe we should say “true facts” to be clear), by definition, should not be debatable.  It’s the interpretation, twisted meanings, subtle nuances, and incessant bludgeoning with misinformation we se far too often via snippets, social media regurgitations, rampant politicizations, and deepfake crap that makes us weary, wary, and worried about information and “facts”. 

Incessant posturing and subsequent pontification nowadays make one long for an era when simple storytelling among friends, co-workers, family and/or acquaintances was accepted with a nod and a smile, even if we knew that the presenter was kinda full of it on aspects of his/her oral saga. Who cared? Harmless non-inflammatory banter.

But nowadays, perhaps heightened by over two years of avoiding humans thanks to COVID, we are often on alert. We wait for someone to slip in a statement or phrase that gets our blood pressure up. One way to repair some of the angst about verbal damage in today’s who-knows-where-society-is-going whirlwind is to lighten up, relax; don’t take everything proffered as being laced with mal-intent and animosity.

Ultimately, one’s perspective can be quite subjective… based on each person’s own life experiences, expectations, where they’ve been, what they’re going through, how they’ve been raised, where their principles lie. While media-savvy wing nuts on either side of the political spectrum blabber, studies show that most people gravitate toward more centrist opinions and deeply held beliefs. Again, perspective is relative… even on manini topics. An amateur golfer shoots an 83 and laments having a “bad day” on the course while talking to a guy who’s never broken 95, who must be thinking “…what a whiner”. It’s all based on personal perspectives and presumptions. Some see a protective tree ahead to park under; others see inevitable bird droppings. Half-empty or half-full? Either way, there’s liquid involved- true fact. We can both drink.

We witness a ubiquitous lack of empathy and tolerance in today’s social landscape. I’m not naïve; It is hard to relax sometimes, especially when true facts are involved. Can we take a deep breath, realizing we’re not in this sitcom alone. “They” are not all evil and hopeless; we must all fit into the same room. What’s our option?

Think about it…

The University of Hawaii at Mānoa just announced a new master’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI), along with graduate certificate programs in AI and data science. Which is great, because advanced AI is not the future; it’s the present.

Computer science aficionados are the most likely candidates for this timely master’s offering, and the timing is propitious. AI, in our midst for decades, is now a huge determinant in many facets of our lives (including workforce “opportunities”), and UH is wise to cater to students (and workers) interested in this burgeoning field.

AI laser-focus and increased funding has allowed for exponential growth (AI keeps getting smarter), yet caution flags remain about what more advanced artificial intelligence will allow for and result in. For every amazing opportunity in medicine or science where AI optimizes solutions and expedites answers to long-term dilemmas, some nefarious individual, consortium, or country seeks to take advantage of AI in ways that we must prepare for… now.

This is not Chicken Little “the-sky-is-falling” worrying; it is the existing morality reality. We’ve already seen manipulation via drones, social media, false narratives, deepfakes, chatbots, phishing, intellectual property theft, scamming of the elderly and other examples of technology running amok. Heck, maybe I didn’t actually write this?! (I did). 

In 2021, American oil company Colonial Pipeline experienced a  major ransomware cyberattack via a compromised password that caused an East Coast  gas shortage and consumer panic. 2021 seems like the Stone Age in AI-speak as upgrades occur geometrically (see Moore’s Law). Bad actors won’t play by whatever international rules might invariably be set up. Social media companies have been accused of betraying initial mission statements and ethics charters. Tristan Harris, a Google design ethicist who left Google in 2013, became a spokesperson for more ethical technology design and speaks eloquently of this reality.

This decade, AI might be performing tasks that heretofore required human intuitive and empathetic thinking, beyond the concept of AGI (artificial general intelligence). Is that good? These “what if” hypotheses might creep you out. What if AI courses are taught by AI-trained machines? Would that benefit humans, or just be more efficient? Noted NYU professor/author, Jonathan Haidt, suggests that already “…the transition from a play-based to a phone-based youth has ‘rewired childhood’” (USA Today). Wow.

Here’s hoping UH’s AI programs can become leaders in transformative and “human” AI training… and perhaps even provide some job development.

Think about it…

Just for fun, have you ever put together a local bucket list of things you’d like to see, do, attend, play, visit, eat, etc.? Certainly the uncertainty of the economy these days is causing some folks to hold back on purchases, which might even include that planned family summer trip. But one should never lose the hope, goal, or passionate zeal to satisfy wants and needs, especially in a place that offers so many options.

Like the Merrie Monarch Festival… I was blessed to return in person last month after a seven-year absence. The splendor, smells, beauty, colors, tradition, storylines, cultural pride- the stunning emotions that this event creates, including the ever-smiling Hawai`i Island folks in Hilo and all over the place, is life-reaffirming. If this one’s not on your bucket list… perhaps reconsider. 

How about a “simple” trip to one of those places you know about anecdotally, but you’ve never been? You know, the one your mom told you about, or your friend’s cousin’s daughter went to visit? Hana? Punalu`u Beach? The Byodo-In Temple? Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden or The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden? A sunset on Kailua Beach, Upcountry Maui or Kauai’s South Shore? The list is endless.

Throw in restaurants or even simple foodstuffs you’ve never tried, and you can combine some interesting culinary bucket list items. Squid luau? ‘Ulu fried rice? A stuffed Zippy’s Mochizada? A sapodilla/zapota (chico) from a Waimanalo nursery or the weekly KCC Farmer’s Market? Now that one changed my life…

We’re lucky. Though we live in the most remote, inhabited place on earth, we have lots of unique, exotic, and/or amazing things to experience locally. If only we would… So a summertime plan for those of you (rightfully) experiencing some angst over financial market conditions, prices, and your own retirement or daily portfolio might include looking at previously ignored, local opportunities. Create a great time, eat/do great things, meet great people.

Decades ago, during an actual recession, local businesses joined forces to promote a “have a kama`aina summer!”  campaign. And it worked- mentally, spiritually, physically, and fiscally. Rather than focus on woe, some people said, “oohhhh” and made the best of tough times in our backyard. 

Just a thought that might allow you to check off some wanna-do boxes or create a mini-bucket list if you cannot make 2025 grand plans. It might even start a wonderful, new family tradition.

Think about it…

So many things to contemplate and explore, and yet so little room to extrapolate here:

Science has done it again… The James Webb Telescope sighted exoplanet K2-18 b and early reports suggest its atmosphere might have atmospheric gases found only via biological processes, and thus “may” be full of microbial life. E.T., call home! K2-18 b is 124 light-years from Earth; a light-year is 5.9 trillion miles, so K2-18 b is a mere 731.6 trillion miles away. Set the phasers on stun, this could be the big one! Or not. But, kinda cool to think just what might be, yeh? And IF there is possibly lifeforms out there, shouldn’t we see a Starbuck’s sign in future telescope probes of K2-18 b?

I don’t know how to say this subtly, so I’ll be forthright. Be quiet. Please. You, sitting in the airport lobby with the Bluetooth earpiece… we can hear your inane phone chat. Not interested. You, in the restaurant with your speakerphone on, we don’t care to hear about your sister’s boyfriend’s cousin’s gout flare up. You, in the movie theater eight seconds before the movie begins- we’re unamused with your Cancy Crush or Call of Duty gamesmanship. Yes, I know it’s your world and we’re all just guests, but how about a bit of public decorum and aloha. Shhh.

It gets confusing about who’s leaving here and who’s moving in, as Census Bureau numbers include nationwide estimates that might not be appropriate or clear for small states like Hawai`i. Recent details provided by UHERO and others now indicate that working age people are coming back home. Certain ethnic groups are now making up larger percentages of Hawai`i in-comers and out-goers than in past analyses. The bottom line is- we need workers who want to and can afford to be here, and can live fulfilling work/home/extracurricular lives… an age-old dilemma being addressed at many levels (again). If you build it, they will come? Well, maybe; if it’s reasonable and I don’t have to eke by paycheck to paycheck for 30-years.

Finally, what’s your financial literacy IQ? With today’s concerns about tariffs, a possible recession, job cuts, et al., it’s not great that far too many American adults don’t know their ABCs (or 1,2,3s) of finance. 87% of American consumers think financial concepts should be taught in high school, and 27 states currently mandate a personal finance course. Hawai`i doesn’t.

Think about it… 

Hmm… where do we start… or finish? A relevant question to ask as we’ve recently been reminded of myriad projects that have, over time, taken on gargantuan costs relative to initial plans/concepts. Suggestions that emerged years or decades ago but simply haven’t come to fruition. You’ve heard of “local time”? Well, meet “linger time”.

It’s not that these issues “simply” haven’t come to pass or even been started. It seems that we have a repetitive protocol to stall, avoid, table, discuss, delay, tweak, question, and committee-ize, invariably resulting in the great lag seen often locally, which invariably costs us beaucoup bucks, IF these projects/reparations ever do see the light of day.

Like the $160 million state hospital building which opened four years ago and now might cost another $35 million to retrofit. Unsafe fixtures, leaks, dubious A/C, etc. Legislators appeared stunned at the mistakes. We waited too long to ensure early or initial corrective action, it appears.

How about the decades of talk about flood control for the Ala Wai Canal and Kaimuki/Waikiki area? Talk about funny money. An original price estimate was $345 million… then $1.1 billion… and now (brace yourself) $11.1 billion. Read it in the 3,741-page Ala Wai Flood Risk Management Draft General Re-evaluation Report and Integrated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Surely the city and state will revisit options. We waited too long, as we’re still wondering if we’ll get that destructive “100-year storm”.

The Hawai`i Convention Center has been leaking and causing problems for years. Convention Center roof repair costs, now estimated at $64 million, will force a closure, which will obviously affect future bookings there. We waited too long… well, you know.

The State Capitol has been leaking literally under local legislator’s noses and feet for over 25 years, but leaders have apparently never seen the urgency to resolve repetitive problems like mold and the rain/pond water leaking onto vital records and electrical equipment below ground. Repairs might’ve been added to costs during asbestos removal in the 1990s, but funding was an issue. Repairs today are expected to be in the $50-$100 million range. Plus, $63 million is needed to replace the emptied reflecting pool. Water under the bridge, or the lege? Perhaps a lack of reflection over 25+ years. 

There are other lagging projects, but this quartet of items has come up (again) as costs have gone up (again) and demand attention (again).

Think about it…

Life is like a 500-piece cardboard puzzle… or maybe not. If you analyze various aspects of your life, there is sometimes a real sense of order… much like a puzzle. With a puzzle, you can stare at the box cover to see how things will invariably turn out; you can’t do that with life. Like people, puzzles come in diverse shapes, colors, and sizes. Puzzles include all the pieces. Sometimes in life, people don’t accept some pieces.

If only we could know that everything will fit in its right place as we deal with the vagaries of life, which can be messy, befuddling, and inconsistent. Things get out of our control in life, unlike that fixed, exact puzzle with 500 perfectly-fitting pieces. 

But even with a puzzle spread out on a table- like your existence spread out on the unpainted canvas that is your life- the unexpected occurs. A piece falls, unbeknownst to anyone, and gets vacuumed up. Your scavenging dog finds a “treat”. Kids whisk by and a piece falls unseen under adjacent furniture.

Blues and greens in their places, borders created… you feel sure of the outcome. But what if you get to those final few pieces and cannot complete that puzzle, because something’s missing… even one piece. Anger, frustration.

Kinda like how we feel about our lives at times- somethings are missing. Respect, attention, love, connection, sense of purpose, acknowledgment, quality or quiet time, health, happiness, understanding, exploring, improving, tranquility, harmony, self-esteem, growth, joy, adventure, learning, freedom, balance, financial security, personal security, spiritual realization- wow, the wish list seems endless… but as with puzzles, we can put pieces together to create fulfillment for ourselves and others around us. We can even create pieces with effort.

Puzzles bring people together- focusing, working on common goals, knowing there will be a successful resolution (assuming no missing pieces). If only life was so sure, a box filled with all the pieces necessary to fit together. But life’s not like that, and this we must embrace; heck, maybe life’s a 1,000-piece puzzle?!

We see angst and uncertainty among far too many nowadays in far too places. We are redefining “normal” in a post-COVID world. Daily. By working together, staying in touch with people who matter to us- near friends/dear friends, real friends/deal friends (to paraphrase Robert Brooks’ “From Strength to Strength”)- people can piece together a more satisfying life puzzle.

Think about it…

Community-based organizations (CBO) provide amazing social services throughout our state. Without these entities efforts, hundreds of thousands of local residents would have a harder time getting food, finding housing services or relief from domestic violence, helping keiki in need, etc. This never-ending work is performed day in and day out.

But that work is in real jeopardy, which was readily apparent well before the current concerns about federal and state cutbacks on contract work, annual funding, and grants that help local non-profits perform their irreplaceable, indispensable work.

While private fundraising often provides basic CBO funding, those investments alone cannot support all the work being done by nonprofits. And if (when?) some of these long-admired agencies shut their doors or cut back on services due to staffing shortages and other financial hardships, who will pick up the slack? The government? Not gonna happen. The work of these organizations is vital to our community. 

Our local legislature is in conference committee proceedings this week, so now would be an ideal time to remind them that the current payment system to CBOs is out of whack. Many nonprofits are getting paid the same amounts for current government contracts that they’ve been paid for over 15-years! With inflation, rent, cost of living increases, and the general price of everything going up since 2010, how can these agencies continue to do crucial work tomorrow when they’re still being paid yesterday’s rates?! And if CBOs turn this necessary work down, then what?

A local 2022 survey indicated that 91% of CBOs’ government contracts didn’t fully cover basic operating costs; 79% acknowledged they’d cut administrative expenses; 56% reduced staff salaries (making it harder to find quality workers). The parade of financial horribles goes on, as does the desire and strong social ethics of these CBOs to help our community- whenever, wherever, and however. 40% of organizations surveyed said they might have to cease operations if funding challenges persist. And that was 2022, when COVID funding was in play to help.

It’s long past time for legislators (with your supportive voices) to right wrongs, not just pontificate that “the keiki are our future”. Prove it. Our social safety net is unraveling, and those in need will not-so-slowly fall through widening cracks when services and/or personnel are further cut back. The True Cost Coalition of 70+ community-based entities is simply asking for financial fairness. Is anyone listening?

Think about it…