Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 12, 1 December 2005 — In a fast-paced world, take time to enjoy life and family [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

In a fast-paced world, take time to enjoy life and family

Today's world is a different world than the one I grew up in. We are bombarded daily with deadlines and activities that cause many of us to lead stressful lives. Gone are the carefree days that I grew up in, and I oftentimes find it hard to comprehend how things got to be this way. Although modern technology has made things mueh easier for us, it has also made daily living seem to speed up. Modern technology allows us to be almost anywhere at any time with the touch of a finger and has created a populahon that expects things to eome quickly and easily. Gone are the days when families sat down together for breakfast and dinner, gone are the days when vacations were truly vacations. Today's families are going in so many different directions, sharing daily meals is not possible. Our children are inundated with hours of homework, organized sports and other activities. You name it, they participate in them and are rewarded for excelling in them. Gone are the days when children eame home from school and went out to play for hours with their friends. Today, however, private school and college applications require not only good grades and test scores, but a record of participation in sports programs, scouting programs and community service. Iob applications require a solid educational background and previous experience, and we need great paying jobs to pay off college loans and to get all the material things that will make us look successful. We have no time to play and to relax. Families are becoming fragmented. As the holidays approach and our already busy lives heeome almost frantic and out of control, let eaeh of us take a moment to slow down, take a deep breath, get in touch

with our surroundings, solidify family relationships and embrace friends so that we may truly enjoy this most special time of the year. As the holidays approach let us also look for opportunities to perform as many acts of random kindness as we ean. Traditionally, Christmas is a time when many people remember the birth of Iesus Christ, but Christmas has heeome mueh more than that. Christmas has heeome a time when we make it a point to gather with family and friends, a time when parties and gift giving is the nonn and a time that is more "coimnercial" than any other time of year. Sadly, it ean also be a time when many are depressed or feeling inadequate because they laek that whieh many see as "necessary" to participate in the holiday season or to be a participating member of our society. Eaeh and every one of us ean make a difference in the lives of others. An extra hug, a kind word or a hot meal, even for a stranger, ean make a world of difference for someone. Let us promise ourselves, today, that this holiday season we will make it a point to do something extraordinary for someone else. Let us promise ourselves, today, that random acts of kindness will heeome a part of our daily lives. Let us promise ourselves, today, that we will love one another and ask eaeh recipient to pass it on. Let us promise ourselves, today, that we teach our children that they need to be kind, respectful, loving children in a society that is full of examples to the contrary. It is my hope that eaeh of us will truly live the sentiment, "Peaee on earth, goodwill toward men," not only for this holiday season but for the rest of our lives. Let there be peaee on earth, and let it begin with us. S

ūz Stender TrustEE, At-largE