Under the Wave at Waimea

 Presented with the necessity of using a jet ski to get beyond the sea spilling over to form a 100 foot high wave, aging big wave surfer Joe Sharkey asks himself: Is it pono?  Suffers paddling their boards out to sea remain in balance with the natural world. Does the jet ski break that sense of balance and unity with nature?  

Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux reads as if the author actually lived the life of a big wave surfer. Follow Joe Sharkey from his troubled youth, through his surfing fame, to an awaking of his spirit as he discovers the identity of a homeless man that he accidently kills in a traffic accident.  

Reviews:

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/10/986042509/paul-therouxs-latest-book-explores-surfing-as-a-metaphor-for-life

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fiction-paul-therouxs-under-the-wave-at-waimea-11620397189

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-358-44628-6

 Upon enjoying two weeks with my step-daughter on Hawaii as well as reading Under the Wave at Waimea, I have been pondering the intersection of the Hawaiian words: ohana, alhoa and pono. Think of each as a sphere of meaning, connotations and experiences intersecting with one another. What is this intersection? In this pondering, surfing the internet led me to Leialoha.  On her website, she reflects on the deeper meaning of these and other Hawaiian words. Go there to be enriched.

Pono  Dozens of other websites popup upon googling Pono.  From the Aloha Shirt Shop:  "In Hawaiian, if a person is living pono, it means that they have struck the right balance in their relationships with other things, places, and people in their lives. It also means that they are living with a continuous conscious decision to do right by themselves, by others, and by the world in general.  Essentially, pono is a state of existence that is characterized by integrity and a feeling of contentment when everything is good and right. The idea behind this word and this way of life is that moral behavior leads to happiness for the doer and for everyone around them. "

Ohana  Ohana means family. Leialoha writes “It’s more than just inclusion or not being forgotten. It’s about fostering loving and lasting relationships with those of our blood-relatives, as well as our brothers and sisters in the human family.” -  https://naturallyaloha.com/ohana-family-connects-us-all/      

Aloha  The world over, almost everyone knows Aloha means Welcome to Hawaii, tourists.  But it means more in Hawaiian. It is actually the law:

   [§5-7.5]  "Aloha Spirit".  (a)  "Aloha Spirit" is the coordination of mind and heart within each person.  It brings each person to the self.  Each person must think and emote good feelings to others…

https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/hawaii/hi-statutes/hawaii_statutes_5-7-5

https://www.mauimagazine.net/aloha-law/

 “The Hawaiian word “alo” means “presence” or “share” and the word “ha” means “breath of life” or “essence of life.” So the word aloha is something that you experience, your interaction with life, passion, joy, something that’s present within you. But at the same time, it’s something that you share, something that is spread to those around you, sharing that energy and joy that is within you…”  - from https://polynesianhostel.com/blog/what-does-aloha-mean/

So I asked Leialoha,  What is this intersection of Pono, Ohana and Aloha? She said Love.