On the plane home from Hawai’i, I thought about my overall travels outside the mainland—visiting places folks still call home. Places that were once native to a particular race or culture, now are reconstructed under the power of colonization. I became sicken. Weakened by the revisualization of native landers and their stories of how it used to be. Their traditions, both spiritual and physical, ripped away and replaced with a transaction first mindset powered by materialism and capitalism. The mindset of the colonizer.
I ask myself, what is the world without people to buy product? It took me back to the reason slavery was abolished. Too much product and not enough buyers. The colonizers strike again.
…
I was asked by many, ‘Why are you going to Hawai’i?’ Or told ‘They don’t need tourist there.’ I began to question my motives the moment I stepped off the plane from LA to Honolulu. But all that would change over the course of 10 days.
Connecting with locals, I shared stories, personal experiences and gained understanding. The truth is: locals need us more than ever. Yes, Hawai’i is part of the USA and naturally we’d think the US Government would help those in need. But just like here in Chicago, when something breaks, it goes unfixed, falling on the shoulders of an already underserved community.
From conversations with locals, I learned a lot, but two things struck out to me.
One, our presence goes beyond a vacation as our dollars spent while on the island helps fund their everyday living expenses. Everything In Hawai’i is imported and very expensive. With everything being imported the opportunity to sell and export items for income is limited.
Two, 75 percent of Maui is Forest Reserve and National Park, leaving 25 percent of the island livable and the land very limited, valuable and vulnerable.
Whether the fires were on purpose or an act of negligence from the government not holding the power companies accountable for the faulty power lines throughout the island for years when high winds are very prevalent. Hundreds of islanders lost their lives that day, and for those that survived lost their home and land. I was told after the fires many native islanders never received anything from insurance or government assistance leaving some homeless.
Then it hit me. Visiting isn’t the problem. Moving there is.
…
Hawai’i breathes an energy that connects and purifies your soul. Some of the kindest people Hawaiians are. Patient, Generous, and Respectful. Waiting on the runway as we begin to take off I gazed out of the window once more for a final look. Taking all the beautiful and energy in I thought to myself, how could one destroy the past to create a future of narcissism, greed and selfishness. Putting everything above the human experience that defines the true meaning of life. And then I thought about Christoper Columbus arrival in the Caribbean islands, he would journal - “so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone.”
Penalized by the wicked for being wholesome.
Punished for generosity.
Life is too short to urge for temporary material possessions of physical living.
To understand the mindset of a colonizer is to understand the devil. The more I undercover, the more I burn with rage. But I must let go and let god limiting myself to uncover other discoveries for hell is hot to whoever visits.
-
Kevin Carter - The Hood Philosopher
