Essay #2 POLS 326

oct 2019

Essay #2 POLS 326

Climate change and the loss of biodiversity are both interrelated environmental issues that need to be addressed.  The increased levels of carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuels have lead to increased change within the earth's atmosphere.  Man made emissions cause changes within the earth's climate system resulting in new weather patterns that remain in place for an extended period of time.  

  These climate changes in the earth's weather systems affect the variety and variability of life on earth.  The biodiversity of all life on the planet are directly impacted by the earth's climate system and mankindʻs impact on the environment.  In summary our emissions are being trapped in the earth's atmosphere causing a complex and ever increasing change in our planet. Humanity is the one responsible for these increasing changes in our climate.   

   Some examples include; Japanʻs Nuclear waste struggle that are affecting local fishermen, islands disappearing such as Tuvaluʻs sinking islands, and the desecration of the island of Kaʻaholawe.  Each of these examples have a direct connection to man's struggle to care for this sacred earth and all of the sacred creations within it. Each of these are examples of greed, selfishness, and apathy that bring out the fruits of destruction and theft.  The problem that Adam and Eve faced in the garden of choosing to eat from the tree of good and evil instead of choosing the tree of life is the problem that humanity is still facing today. Should man only choose what is beneficial to him?, or will he choose abundant life for all?

  In the April 2002 IPCC Climate Change and Biodiversity paper, some of the summaries include that at the global level human activities have caused and will continue to cause a loss in biodiversity.  Many species will move poleward or upward from their current locations due to climate change, and globally by the year 2080, about 20% of coastal wetlands could be lost due to sea-level rise.  Event further, the risk of extinction will increase for many species that are already vulnerable.  This paper by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gives us a tangible report that our globe is changing.  The data is in, the reports have been made, and humanity's power is at an all time high. In these reports it has been shown, man is still choosing only to benefit himself.   

In the paper “The Historical Roots of Western European Environmental Attitudes and Values” Callicott gives us some insight on how humanities disregard for earth might have come to be.  Here he analyzes the early chapters of the book of Genesis and the actions in the garden of eden and how three different interpretations are given to influence man. In one interpretation called the “Despotic Interpretation”, man is master, and nature is its slave.  Here earth's natural resources and environment are unruly and need to be conquered. In this kind of interpretation creation is just another tool needed for survival, therefore any means necessary is justified. In another interpretation called the “Stewardship Interpretation” man has special duties and responsibilities given to by God.  To abuse the earth is to violate the trust God has placed to mankind. Here this interpretation is closer the idea that he should care for the earth. And finally the third interoperation called the “Citizenship” interpretation mankind was once a part of the community of Godʻs creation.  But because of His disobedience he chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  What was useful to him was called good, what was less comfortable he called evil. Thus the imbalance of Godʻs creation created by mans ability to choose himself over the environment.

Climate change and the loss of biodiversity can be seen to the connection that was first seen in the garden of eden.  That old temptation from the snake that man could be indeed like God, deciding good from evil paired up with the idea of the despotic interoperation (mostly in modern times), that since now there is no God, he is master.  And thus started the first hundred thousand years of cultivation of his brokenness taking earth's ecological systems for his own benefit and good, and in more modern times the rise of industries and private organizations calling their own interest “good” and everything else “evil”.  But what can stop this generational disconnect and man's lust for power?

Thomas Berry gives us a new story a paradigm shift in his writing “Earth as Sacred Community”.  Here Berry brings us back to a “bio-spiritual” consciousness that calls all of humanity to reflect within and see themselves not only as characters (or subjects) within a story, but in reality they (we) are the story of the universe.  Berry talks about how tiny elements such as atoms to the universe itself is all moving and living in a particular flow and dance interdependent on one another. He challenges us to take the issues in climate change and loss of biodiversity as something personal.  As if your physical body was sick with a kind of cancer, or with a kind of high fever. He likens even humanity to all of creation as one family unity under one body. As if one part of our globe was ill, each of the members of the body would have been affected.  

The challenge here is for people of all professions, cultures, and nations to acknowledge this kind of knowing.  This kind of knowing and awareness that everything is sacred and everything is spiritual. That if you were to harm the earth it would be like harming your own body.  It would come with a perspective of no one should be harmed, and so should our planet. What would you do if you saw your mother being attacked by a stranger wanting to use her for personal gain?  And thus feeling those same kind of emotions when corporate private organizations and industries want to harm our mother earth for their own gain should be a natural reaction. We need the majority having this kind of emotional experience and reaction to speak to these large companies that are harming our environment.  Within the area of loss of biodiversity. When likened to the human race, we are full of culture, languages, and types. For humans to only prefer one race would be a loss to humanity. Each culture has generations of wisdom to pass down, loaded with knowledge and information for us to share and delight in. It is the same with the biodiversity of plants, animals, and terrain.  Each distinction subtle or unsubtle can teach us more than we will ever know.  

In conclusion, we need to bridge the head knowledge with the heart.  The dialog between the sciences and the humanities should happen filling out industries, government, and educational institutions.  With this kind of education the science of climate change will become a more personal one.   

Intergovernmental Pannel On Climate Change. “Handling the Impacts of Climate Change on   Biodiversity.” Climate Change     

Berry, T. (2006). Chapter 4/Earth as a Sacred Community. In Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as a Sacred Community (1st ed., pp. 43–58). San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club 

Books.Callicott, J. B. (1994). Chapter 2/The Historical Roots of Western European Attitudes and Values. In Earth's Insights (pp. 14–43). Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.

EA Field School 2018 Journal #4

EA Field School Journal #4

  What if instead of using all of our time, energy, and resources on developing our personal structures (homes, buildings, shopping centers, etc) and accumulating resources (material goods, entertainment, and excess) and we spent some attention and a little more energy on helping to restore and revive our natural systems on Maui,  strengthen community, and build up future leaders in helping to shape this island towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
  Ahupuaʻa around Maui start to produce highly nutritional food that we could distribute to our Schools, community neighbourhoods, food banks, and feeding the less fortunate.  Members of the community would be able to work alongside each other sharing, communining, and getting to know one another on deeper levels creating a tight mutual network built on authentic relationships.  And future generations would come to know and experience this kind of environment creating a solid foundation deep within, building character, and producing healthy individuals with a sense of kuleana for their ʻĀina.
  What if wholistic natural food systems were put back into place?  What kind of benefits or challenges would that bring?  What would it require?  Is it possible?
  For millions and millions of years the creation of Hawaiʻi was built with certain potentiality in mind.  It would have seen the most poetic songwriter, romantic artist, insightful and wise creator(s) orchestrated every mountain top, valley, kahawai, wai puna, makani, all pieces of this island to work and function together in interdependency.  Each land feature, territory was given a god to cultivate and teach the coming of kanaka to survive and mālama ʻāina.  It was as if each wahi was treated with purity, sacredness, and respect, first by the god guardians that protected it then passed unto the kupuna and aliʻi who held those secrets.
 Modern insights in todayʻs world has given another angle of perspective.  The geographical landscape and natural catastrophes create the foundation and resources for life.  From volcanic explosions to ice glaciers on top of Haleakalā falling and creating rides in the landscape, to massive mudslides and pounding winds building and blowing minerals originated as far as China.  The ahupuaʻa such as Kaupō area are filled with exciting geographical stories to be rediscovered.  With each geographical realization brings deeper validation of the kupuna who lived on these lands and cultivated them.
  With some problems we face today such as importing 80%+ of our food, materialism, excess entertainment, etc.  Reestablishing a sustainable ahupuaʻa system within the community, from the community, by the community I believe would alleviate many of the tensions and pressures that come from a european westernized culture.  To set up the success of that vision it is necessary for the proper research to be done ma mua.  Research experts such as Scott Fischer, Kiana Frank,  and Noah Lincon are provided important groundwork for the vision of restoration and malama ʻĀina.  As we continue into the vision of a sustainable Hawaiʻi once again models such as Aunty Dona provide a visual for us to experience this dream.
  As we continue to look into the past to gain wisdom on how to move forward it would seem the biggest barriers can be the comfortable chains that bind the mind to greed, apathy, and selfish ambition that come from generations after generations of institutionalized brainwashing.  It is not only till we are exposed and experience “Aloha ʻĀina” for ourselves that we can truly dive deep into being truly connected to the values of the Lā Hui Hawaiʻi.  This experience not only requires deep intellectual understanding but also hard work and dedication, and mostly passionate spirit to truly live out Aloha.

O Na Kumu Akua

May 17, 2018

O Na Kumu Akua a Pau

 In this naturalistic worldview of our post - enlightenment culture, the idea of gods and goddesses, spirits, and shapeshifters are only held in fairy tales, myths, and children stories.  The modern western man has found himself comfortable in this matrix of the natural unguided process of science and nothing else.  There is no room for what we cannot see with our natural eyes.  There is no sacred (connection with God or gods), only the secular ( whatever club they chose to be a part of, and the “cult”ure attitudes and behaviors). 

 In many indigenous world views the world is saturated and highly active with spirits.  There is a yet another layer to what we can see with our natural eyes, the realm of the sacred.  In this realm there are powers, principalities, and forces manifested by free agents with unimaginable qualities (Iʻo, Kane, Ku, Lono, Kanaloa, Wakea, Papa, Pele etc.).  With many of the world tribes (such as the Babylonians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Sumerians, and even the greek philosophers)  and upon thousands of thousands of years many of the worlds tribes have come to known these forces, ideals,and powers and may have even found ways to harness, collaborate, and maybe even work with these unseen agents.  

  In Christianity,  most evangelical theology regarding Godʻs sovereignty and angels, these principalities and unseen forces are just extensions of Godʻs will.  As if these agents were just divine robots, extensions of this kind of god.  These gods, spirits, angels, whatever you call them are static beings without the choice of making their own will come to pass.  Some sects of christianity would even go so far as to say not only this is true, but that all of humanity shares this same kind of static, zombie like, notion of a highly controlling dictatorship.  In other words we are all robots, mechanically programed, made to do the bidding of a cold distant creator.  But is this true?

 In the Hebrew bible in the book of Daniel chapter 10.  We see interactions with angels/ spirit beings taken on human forms who are either cooperating with the will of God or battling against it.  In this chapter we see the “guardian” Michael battling the god of Persia and soon awaiting the god of Greece.  There is a kind of warfare that the natural eye cannot see.  It was an assumption in the Hebrew culture of the existence of other godʻs.  And that each supernatural being like humans had free will choice to participate or wage war against each other.  Here a different perspective is seen.  One where the world we live in is as dynamic as the personalities of the individual himself as well as this free will is extended to the unseen forces and “gods” as well.  

 We see more examples within scripture of free agents choosing their own will such as the Behemoth, Leviathan, Yam (in the Psalms), Rahab, “the serpent of the air”, satan, etc.  It would not be a far assumption to take this idea and project it to the different cultures and ancient stories of other gods, goddesses, and supernatural agents.

 In Hawaiʻi there is a pantheon of gods and goddesses (akua), guardian spirits (ʻaumakua), wandering spirits (huakaʻi pō), and a deep connection to the Kupuna ( ancestors and aliʻi).  It is a life of rich and deep connection to the ʻāina and the moʻolelo in which is passed down from generation to generation.  The awareness of the activity of the spirit world was woven into every activity through pule, oli, and aloha ʻāina.  Just as Daniel was able to familiarize himself with the guardians of the geographical territories the Hawaiian people (like many indigenous people groups) were able to recognize the imprints of these gods and goddesses.  Not only there was an awareness to this reality, Hawaiianʻs took it a step further through the Aliʻi.  Aliʻi were manifested gods on earth.  They were the representation of the powers and authorities that were required to maintain Pono (ballance).  Some Aliʻi were so sacred that if even their shadow were casted on you the consequence would be death.  The spiritual world was not even hinted as a joke to the Hawaiian people.  Much care, attention, and sacrifice was given that they would be in harmony with all of creation (seen and unseen).   

 With the coming of the Calvinistic Christians to Hawaiʻi in 1819, came many positive and negative impacts.  With Calvinistic Christians from the ABCFM  leaning more to a hellenistic Aristotelian view as God as an Infinite in power, knowledge, and size (omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent etc.), God became less personal and relational and more abstract and authoritative.  And all gods and goddesses were reduced to evil and wicked in the eyes of the uncultured missionaries.  With this hellenistic christianity hints of Gnosticism became yet another invasive species.  The idea of the physical being evil and only the “spiritual” is good, came many destruction of the sacred sites, places, and geographical locations.  Another school of thought that came with the missionaries were the “Apatheia” of Stocisim.  Where in Hawaiian worldview you are an active agent with the gods, the school of greek thought that influenced these missionaries came the idea of “gods providence”.  That whatever happened you could not change it, it is the natural, unstoppable will of god.  

 Here we start to see the sterilization of religion and spirituality and the split between the sacred and the secular.  Does one leave the complex dynamic interconnected spiritual world for a more straightforward, academic, greek focused religion?  While both alternatives donʻt seem very outdated these were some of the very questions the people of the past (and present) have to answer deep within.  Is it easier to stay objective and passive?  Yes.  It seems better to not event mention these types of topics at all.  But is it beneficial to for the spirit of a man to see beyond himself and into the realm of the unknown?  Yes, but only with guidance and council from the spirit of wisdom and the guardians entrusted to keep pono in their respective territories.

 

KUMULIPO

Sam Peralta

Kumulipo

Did The Universe Have a Beginning?

 The question “Why is there something rather than nothing?” has been one of the deepest philosophical questions of mankind which all worldviews must answer.  In the Hawaiian world view the creation of time, space, and matter is infused with the culture, traditions, and history of the Hawaiian people.  The Kumulipo is interested in allowing the listener to be connected and somewhat involved in the process and ongoing of the creation of the universe in contrast to most 16th century philosophy where the individual remains detached and “objective” in his own sense from the universe.  Here from the start we see the Hawaiian worldview interested in calling mankind into history, inviting him to take part in the development of the unknown to the known.  Rather than the question “why is there something rather than nothing?” The question seems more like “what part does humanity have in the history of the universe?”

From the Unknown to Known

 The Kumulipo starts off the first section with the idea of “Po”.  Po can mean a variety of things in the Hawaiian language, and in context of the Kumulipo and various interpretations the definition can include darkness, obscurity, mystery, realm of the gods, and or chaos.  It is interesting to note that the idea of the formation of order of the universe has always come from disorder, this idea has been throughout all creation stories and legends of the major ancient world religions (Mesopotamians, Babylonians, Persians, Egyptian, Judeo Christian, etc).  With the evolution of consciousness creation chants, stories, and legend were effective ways to make sense of the dangers and unknown mysteries of the world.  And as man could articulate more and more of the mysteries and sacred it seemed he could now organize beauty out of the chaos.  And even start to make sense of his surroundings by the world around him.  

Biological Evolution

 Charles Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection gave science and philosophy new ways of seeing the human body development within the context of creation.  In the Kumulipo the stages of the development and process of creation appearances give me the sense of the same kind of idea.  It seems that the evolution of the human body came from stages of animal development, selection, and adaptation.  Each stage of creature development allowed and paved a way for more complex creatures to appear until the first functional human appears. 

Consciousness of the Sacred Realm

 For the first seven or so Wa (epoch/ time span), the Kumulipo finishes with the saying “O ke Akua ke Komo, ‘a’oe komo kanaka”.  Here we are given insight to the awareness of not only the deep understanding of the biological evolution of the human body, but also of the awareness to the realm of the unknown “the spiritual”.  Hawaiians were intune with creation and the force(s) in which sparked life.  They were not naive or ignorant of the fabric layer of the immaterial.  In the Kumulipo we see that this immaterial world is actually the foundation on which the first humans, even gods, could live in.

Consciousness of Creation

 The land and all of creation were in perfect harmony long before humanity became consciousness.  Here in the Kumulipo it is expressed at the end of the first 7 Wa as “Po No”.  “Po No” in the context of the Kumulipo has two possible meanings.  One meaning “darkness indeed”, implying the great mystery that none can fathom in the creation process.  And the other meaning “Pono” the Hawaiian word that cannot be fully expressed in a single English articulation, but is seen or known to mean balanced or in perfect harmony.  Here in the consciousness of creation the Kumulipo is expressing the idea of complete self sustainability as a functional interdependent organism system. 

 One of the hints Hawaiians had the idea of creation being a self sustaining organism is their idea that before the first humans were conscious everything was “Pono”.  

 Other Thoughts:

 Some other thoughts while pondering the Kumulipo is the understanding of the Consciousness of Self, understanding of Social Consciousness, and the Ethical and Moral Implications implied.  Those discoveries are made in the second section of the Kumulipo called “Ao”. 

 The Kumulipo is a very advanced complex narrative of the creation of the universe while weaving in social, moral, and sacred codes to help guide a society of pioneers, adventurers, and warriors.  What made the Kumulipo even more impressive was the writer’s ability to use the Hawaiian language in its most raw original form through melody and rhythm. 

Sources:

Kalekoa Ka’eo HWN Culture 231

Kiope Raymond HWN 107

“Reading Kumulipo” by Peter 5/07/97

Kumulipo “Wikipedia”

Kumulipo Translated by Martha Warren Beckwith

 

Settler Colonialism For HWN 107 Class

Sam Peralta

HWN 107

Settler Colonialism

   Settler colonialism can be used interchangeably with the idea of “dominance hierarchy”.  But first let us look at the world colonialism and its origins.  This idea of extending power over for the purpose of control has been traced first back to Greek influence after the fall of the Bronze Age with population growth no longer sustainable they looked towards seas to direct their people too.  This hunger and need for “tribe” survival no matter how sophisticated they may be now called “colonialism” can be examined further and deeper by looking at the natural structured system found in the the very similar concept in Colonialism called “dominance hierarchies”.   

Dominance hierarchies arises when members of a social group interact, often aggressively to create a ranking system.  Ever since the start and development of creation, dominance hierarchies have been a huge part of survival and adaptation for all of life.  This power struggle and hunger is embedded deep within creation history.  From humanity's most basic beginnings found within the darwinism evolution theory ( or found in Kumulipo) as a basic single celled organism, to the fierce almost impossible odds of organizing and adapting to more complex creatures, for millions and millions of years this dominance power struggle has been the norm for creation.  The necessity of one power (or group of powers) overcoming another for survival has been almost genetically wired within this worldʻs inhabitants.  From the earliest of tribes aiming for survival, conquest, and urges to satisfy their desires, settling and extending collective power for personal gain has, is, and will always be the case.

 But the Hawaiian Story like many other indigenous stories (Africans, Hebrews, Indians, Polynesian islands, etc.) premises their human consciousness not on the random, cruel, and unguided materialistic/ naturalistic processes of evolution.  Life does not begin with the carnal beastly urges for survival, but life begins with the touch of the divine.  The idea of settler colonialism is an ideology of power and hierarchy that stems from the animal kingdom.  Power takes on different forms such as military, diplomacy, science, etc. and uses it for its own tribes agenda, purposes, and wantings.  In the Hawaiian Kingdom like many other cultures in tune with creation and the Creator, life isnʻt random but is built in with sacrifice, offering, and the awareness of the principalities, powers, and authorities seen and unseen.  Life isnʻt about fending for the individualistic self but a more holistic, accountable, consciousness for Akua, others, and self.  Bob Marley sang “emancipate yourself from mental slavery, for none but ourselves can free our minds..” Here I believe he is singing about getting out of the world system of dominance hierarchy, colonialism, imperialism, babylon etc. and stepping where this game cannot be played.  Bob Marley continues to sing about prophets and fulfilling “the book”, he sings about the realm of the sacred, of the unknown, of a reality more real than the ones we can only see with our naturalistic eyes.  The Hawaiian people were deeply in tune with this reality way beyond the years of its oppressors (americans) who only formly copied their oppressors (europeans) and so on (greeks).  As Dr Keanu Sai has said “Sovereignty Continues” for the people of Hawaii.  It is only this ghost or a structure that tempts mankind to participate with this game of power, oppression, and apathy.  With deeper meditation and reflection the structure of “settler colonialism” controls and consumes only those who want to play that game.  For those who have been lead out of this suppressive system structured by the powers of this world it is plain to see that greed, selfish ambition, and apathy has colonized the hearts of persons who have not noticed its enemy of the soul.  In the book of Ephesians chapter six verse twelve it says “... for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of this evil in the heavenly realms.” 

 E mālama ʻia nā pono o ka ʻāina e na ʻōpio.  ( The traditions of the land are perpetuated by its youth).  Maybe itʻs a lack of knowledge of what the Kupuna already knew and the practice of the sacred traditions, sharing of stories, and prayers that those who have/ are waiting for their salvation really need.  A lift from the structures of this secular world into the realm of the sacred and the tools and wisdom in how to navigate within it.  Settler Colonialism to me seems like a “western world” concept.  For those who do not want to participate in that system, deep thought, council, and wisdom can be taken, to take a leap into the unknown.  For those who have taken that leap into the unknown without wisdom, council, and help most of them do not come back in a sane state.  But the benefits if one makes it to the consciousness of a grand narrative beyond human constructs find themselves surely liberated.  Hawaiian people served their Aliʻi in representation to their faith in the sacred realm.  And for one to leave the sacred, the very reality of living, the place where identity dwells in replacement for a materialistic existence is surely a bad trade off.  In this paper hopefully I tried to make a distinction between “Settler Colonialism” (or Dominance Hierarchy) is in the reality of this world and its powers.  Where if one can take a different approach, and not play the games of this world, and be a -tune with the sacred realm, focusing on words like calling, vision, mission, prophecy, destiny become world's available to discover and adventure in.  I guess when it comes down to it, the attitude and free will choice to choose freedom or slavery, history has shown that humanity usually chooses what its used to.

Refrences:

https://globalsocialtheory.org/concepts/settler-colonialism/

Bob Marley “Redemption Song”

Ephesians 6:12    

Dominance Hierarchies:  Jordan Peterson