• Leave some things as they are • Raising consciousness good for the island Leave some things as they are Give me a break. “A new look at an old holiday” is the heading of an article on the front page of
• Leave some things as they are • Raising consciousness good for the island
Leave some things as they are
Give me a break. “A new look at an old holiday” is the heading of an article on the front page of The Garden Island dated Monday, Oct. 12. The subject reads, “9 cities rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day.”
Thank goodness no city in the state of Hawaii has done this. The indigenous people of the United States didn’t discover America in 1492. They were already here and many welcomed Christopher Columbus when he arrived on the shores of the Americas. Why is it that some people simply can’t leave old traditions alone and celebrate what has been a recognized holiday honoring a great discoverer since 1934?
As if that wasn’t enough, on page A6 some little known group founded by Mikey Weinstein, who call themselves the “Military Religious Freedom Foundation,” want the sign at Marine Corps Base Hawaii that reads, “God bless the military, their families and the civilians who work with them” taken down. It seems that 72 Marines on the base find it offensive.
Well, Marines, just look the other way or enter by another gate in order to smooth your ruffled feathers because millions of Marines, military personnel and their families and we civilians will not allow you to tell us what we can or cannot say on our signs.
And get this people. It’s not a holiday tree, it’s a Christmas tree and the cards we send out are Christmas cards, not holiday cards. We greet each other with a cheery, “Merry Christmas” and delight in singing Christmas carols and going to Christmas parties. Why this country has allowed so many people to cave in to these radicals who want to change the very format of our way of doing things is beyond me. I say let these people have their own holiday celebrations but don’t lump all of ours into one homogenous, meaningless event.
A very early “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”
Gini Stoddard, The Regency At Puakea, Lihue
Raising consciousness good for the island
Thank you Garden Island for your human interest stories that touch the heart. It taps into an energy that says, “There is a better way to live and respond to life than “power and control.” I was moved by your interview with Brett from the homeless camp between Walmart and Wilcox.
Brett, displayed a higher consciousness than did the corporation who told them to move in deference to another land project. A greater legacy plus a contribution to the issue of homelessness for this corporation could have been to hire Brett to build a model transition camp for homeless persons and provide latrines, showers and a shelter. Other homeless persons could be hired to help develop and build this model. Social services offered, lives and self-worth can be restored. Brett would insure the honoring of nature in the process.
We are not powerless. Let us hold a vision of shelter, food and worth of all humanity as a priority over a profit, power and control society which supports war and conflict. Changing our consciousness as we emerge out of 5,000 years of patriarchy involves letting go our “belief in separation” from one another, from source and from Mother Earth who is losing her patience with our pollution and disrespect of her resources.
A great master has said that “all the misery on planet Earth is caused by the belief in separation.” Shifting out of this belief requires living with a forgiving and inclusive heart, listening to the voice for love (Source) for direction rather than the voice of fear in our heads. This master also said in the “Introduction to A Course in Miracles” that “a universal theology (religion) is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary.” That universal experience is connecting from the heart and accepting another as “ I am.” We are all different expressions of the one prime creator — unconditional love. Undesirable expressions can change with the recognition of our core “I am” identity.
Thank you, TGI, for any contribution you make toward a vision from the heart.
Petra Rose Sundheim, Lihue
