Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 5, 1 Mei 2020 — A Time of Reflection... or Having the Time to Reflect! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Time of Reflection... or Having the Time to Reflect!

When I think about t h e monetary phenomenon of economics and of the complex interaction of individual actions that lead to unintended patterns of predictable and orderly outcomes of weahh and prosperity as Adam Smith

states in his book, Weahh of Nations, I feel that his words ring true in this time of self-isolation, of social distancing, as it has created, IMHO, a more moral, ethical and loving society...where love for humanity truly ean be seen in our neighbors helping eaeh other. We bear the consequences of our choices. Life is never that simple. Our individual choices ean lead to important social outcomes... outcomes that might be more important than the price of apples or, shall we say, "goods and services." A result of reflecting. What is the role we eaeh play in creating a moral society, a society where all love humanity, a society that many of us are fortunate enough to live in? Questions eome to mind: How honest should I be when I really need milk for my baby but have no money to pay for it? Should I take advantage of my kupuna aunty if I help myself to her social security eheek just this onee so my baby ean have food? These are "trying times," drastic times whieh result in drastic measures. Mueh of the time, we know the right answer to these questions. We usually know what is proper or improper; what is illegal or legal. We know what people consider to be the minimum standard and what it takes to go beyond. These are rules that go way beyond what we eall social interaction. Who decides what is honorable and noble and kind? WEDO! We decide! We decide these things, and

Leina'ala Ahu lsa, Ph.D. TmstEE, At-lsrgE

the outcomes are the result of ALL our interactions with eaeh other. Our interactions are neither controlled nor determined by any one person. What is the process? First and foremost, we want to be LOVED. When people approve of us we are pleased. When they don't approve we are disappointed, we are hurt. . . This desire to be loved, our

desire to seek approval and avoid disapproval, to seek honor and avoid dishonor; this desire is embedded within us by God. But it is also embedded in us by our ancestors, or by nature, depending on your worldview. Good behavior is encouraged by approval. Bad behavior is discouraged by disapproval. Those are the incentives created by those around us, our beneficiaries , the actual spectators of our actions as Tmstees, but more so now as residents of our beloved islands of Hawai'i. My eyes fill with tears as I reflect on how our race was almost destroyed by disease, famine, a different way of life brought to our shores by foreigners, for good or evil, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. Eaeh aehon we take affects those around us. It's like the little girl finding starfish stranded on the beach by the low tide and tossing them back into the oeean. A passerby, seeing the thousands of starfish left stranded, tells the girl that her task is hopeless. How ean she possibly make a differenee? "I made a difference to that one" she said. Every good deed we do has an immediate impact... but the 'ripple' effects created by our actions and our approval/disapproval of others creates additional impacts on the world around us. Let us reflect at this time of selfisolation and carpe diem.. . Ke Akua pū, a hui hou, na Trustee Leina'ala Ahu Isa, your Tmstee-at-large ■