Practice the Aloha Spirit
Aloha! I’ve recently returned from two full weeks of vacation with family in the Hawaiian islands. We spent most of our time in Maui with a quick hop over to Oahu for a few days. The Hawaiian islands have always held a special place in my heart. One reason for this is the spirit of Aloha practiced.
To be a living example of the Aloha spirit, one actively practices the principles of Akahai, Lokahi, ‘Olu’olu, Ha’aha’a, and Ahonui.
Akahai means kindness (grace) expressed with tenderness. Lokahi means unity (unbroken), expressed with harmony. ‘Olu’olu – means agreeable (gentle) conveyed with pleasantness. Ha’aha’a – means humility (empty) forwarded with modesty. Ahonui – means patience (waiting for the moment) sent with perseverance.
In a sentence, it is the practice of gentle, unbroken grace delivered with selfless kindness and patience in this moment, now. It is said that a secret of Aloha is that we cannot practice one of the five principles without practicing them all, and all five of them are required to be a living example of the Aloha spirit.
The dictionary defines Aloha as a salutation used to say hello and goodbye, but the true spirit of Aloha goes well beyond anything you’ll find in a dictionary. In its simplest form, Aloha is love.
In 1986, Hawaii lawmakers passed the Aloha Spirit law. This law defines Aloha Spirit as the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It requires each person to think and emote good feelings toward others. It means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return.
The late Aunty Pilahi Paki wrote the law because she foresaw a twenty-first-century world in deep strife that would look to Hawai’i for healing. Aloha would be its remedy. Perhaps this is why so many travel to the Hawaiian islands for vacation every year, to experience the healing balm of Aloha.
On our flight to Maui, the flight assistant spoke on the overhead speaker about an hour before landing, informing us it was time to complete our travel declaration for entering the Hawaiian islands. We were to fill out one document per family. He shared that the airlines provided them with forms but not ink pens and asked us to practice the Aloha Spirit of love and kindness by sharing our pens if we had them.
I completed the document for our group and could hardly wait to share my pen. I jumped up and offered it to whoever needed it. I told them they could keep the pen, too. It felt liberating to do this. There was a warm fuzzy feeling, almost like a buzz from practicing the Aloha spirit of kindness and warmth in caring without expecting anything in return. So, this week, I invite you to practice the Aloha spirit of affection and warm regard toward others. A little bit of Aloha goes a long way.
Aloha, a hui hou.
And so it is.
