“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” - Sean Fitzpatrick, Former All Blacks Captain
I stood on an open grassy field in nuuanu valley along with other students during a course in lua, The ancient Hawaiian martial art. No one was there except for our olohe and a few members of the group.
We were learning a haʻa where we transformed ourselves and took on the characteristics of Kamapuaʻa, the boar demigod. Over and over, we practiced, pounding our chests, hitting are arms, stomping the ground. Over and over, but still our olohe and the rest of senior members were not satisfied.
As we stood in the middle of that field dripping in sweat and feeling the lingering sting on our bodies, one of the leaders walked up to us and told, “Look forward, what do you see?”
I looked forward and saw the same group of guys who were telling me that what we were doing wasn’t good enough and I was beginning to get frustrated.
The leader continued, “In front of you are your ancestors who have led you to be here today. The ones who have paved the way for you to be the man you are today. And it is your kuleana to uphold their name and our culture.”
He mentioned that we were not looking for their approval, but instead we were looking for the approval of our ancestors.
We were showing them who we are and wanted to make them feel proud for what they did for us and the legacy they left behind.
I began to think of all the people who have passed onto the other side that had made an impact on me and I felt my heart start to race.
Then another leader came out, “Not only are they in front of you, but they are behind you. They are even right next to you. So when you perform this ha’a, they are right there with you.”
Finally, the olohe called out, “Do it again.”
One of the senior members commanded, “E tu!” and we did the ha’a telling our ancestors who were there that we will not let them down.
Philosopher, Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it’s is the only thing.”
In the 1940s and 50s, polio reached epidemic proportions and became a haunting worry for every parent. It paralyzed over 500,000 people around the world every year. People reacted saw it as a plague.
Then on April 12, 1955, Jonas salk announced the Salk Vaccine which combatted polio and was considered a miracle. He became one of the most celebrated man in America and refused to patent his new vaccine. Instead, he donated it to the human race instead and used his fame as a platform to argue that it was time for the human race needed to change, and it was “our responsibility to find solutions to the key issues facing the human race”.
In his book, Survival of the Wisest, he wrote, “What is my job on the planet? What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won’t happen unless I take responsibility for it?’
The way we live our life has a direct impact on the lives of others, especially our loved ones and our community.
It starts with character and the commitment to our life’s purpose.
Muhammad Ali said, “Service to others, is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
Sometimes you may be unsure of your purpose or what to do with your time in this world. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and change the world. No. Although it possible.
But in order to become a good ancestor, you must strengthen yourself by building a strong body and a sound mind. Your actions today will echo beyond your time.
An Old Greek Proverb tells us, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never see.”
We are the caretaker of our own lineage. Our biggest responsibility is to honor those who came before us and those who will come after. To leave Hawaii a stronger place.
It’s starts with you. What are you doing today to make yourself a good ancestor? What happens with your character when you are placed under pressure? What sort of example are you to those you influence?
Part of building a Ku body and living a Ku life, is building up the strength to answer life’s most deepest questions and putting those answers into action.
