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.
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