Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 5, 1 May 2014 — Make your heartbeat -- and your voice heard [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Make your heartbeat -- and your voice heard

t's Merrie Monarch month again - and it just never gets old. The art of hula contributes the most to the perpetuation of our eulture because it teaches all of our Hawaiian values. To learn hula is to learn how to be truly Hawaiian. It schools us in language, art, diseipline and protocol. It steeps us in history and instills in us a deep and abiding respect for ancient Hawaiian traditions. Everyone is familiar with King

David Kalākaua's description of hula as "the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people." That's a beautiful image. Not so beautiful are the many painful realities and challenges faced by too many of our beneficiaries today. Even as an entertainer, I know that while hula and mele sustain our spirits, they will not be enough to weather our everyday challenges. Native Hawaiians must also pay attention to the physical, eeonomie and political dimensions of our lives if we want to keep the heartbeat of the culture and eommunity strong. That means taking better care of our heahh and getting better educated about services that are now available to us. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a blessing that we need to embrace. Too many Hawaiians - often the ones that need it most - are still uninsured. We don't have to be defined by shorter life spans, heart disease, obesity and diabetes as if these conditions are inevitable. They are not. We have it in our power to turn that around if we make small, incremental changes in diet and exercise. Look for resources in your community that support healthy living. Talk to your family. Talk to your neighbors. Enlist a friend or family member to join you on your journey to better heahh.

Tend our eeonomie and politieal heartbeat too

While small changes in diet and exercise ean yield big returns on personal heahh and well-being, improving the eeonomie heartbeat of the community calls for the courage to make big changes. We cannot lament being left behind economically if we remain opposed to change. Daily we hear many irresponsible voices on the national stage challenging what

science tells us. Let's not add to those voices. As President Ohama onee said, this is no time to eall for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society! Culture is a living, dynamic force that we must harness to meet the challenges of our times. It should not be used to stand in the way of progress. If we want to help shape that progress, we must be mindful of the political heartbeat of the community. People gave their lives to win the right to vote. How sad - and inexcusable to learn from the latest Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performanee Index that Hawai'i has the lowest voter registration and turnout rates in the nation. There is no excuse for not voting. If you care about the sovereignty movement, vote. If you don't like what you see happening around you, vote. Our current national poliheal climate is one in whieh women and vulnerable communities are seeing legislation that is unfriendly to their interests and needs. Nothing is gained by just eomplaining about it. Be sure to vote in the midterm elections in November - and take someone with you. So many people gave their lives for the right to vote. Standing back and simply fighting for what used to be, and opposing change at every turn will not ensure the perpetuation of our culture or the well-being of our people. Becoming more fully involved in the political and eeonomie life of the community will. ■

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Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey Trustee, Maui