Well, here we are, just a short day or two away from choosing our next US President and that Commander in Chief could be a boy from Hawaii. By now, everyone knows that Barack Obama is from Honolulu, Hawaii and that he grew up here and finished High School here. He was just a kid with a single Mom and loving Grand Parents, like so many here are, however, he chose a path that somehow lead all of the way to the White House. How did he do that? Did it just happen or did he carefully plan that journey?
I wonder how many keiki (Hawaiian for "kids") in America were told by an elder at one point that if they were to study hard, "One day you might be the President of the USA"?
I guess every President was a boy somewhere, growing up like most kids, playing sports or learning music, arts, reading, writing, math, etc.,. But what separates them from the rest? Was there a system of self belief and self worth layered in along the way that gave our Presidents the overwhelming and strong desire to lead a nation? In Mr. Obama's case, he reminds me of the determination of many of our keiki here in Hawaii. Take our Grandson Jaden. He's only 6 years old and is full aware that one day he too, could be the President, if he wants to be. He knows who Mr. Obama is, they drill that into him in school, but interestingly enough, he has no idea who "that old man is" referring to John McCain. Like Obama, Jaden is also from a mixed ethnic background. His Dad, an African American from Texas, His Mom, (our Daughter Brandy) Hawaiian Filipino German Irish. Handsome and adorable, he is the pride and joy of his Mom and is a Tiger Woods looking sort of child with an amazing talent for information recall. Future President? Maybe. Does he want to be? No, he says. He'd rather be a software designer / computer programmer for a game company, or a Chef. He loves to learn everything he can about what goes on in the kitchen and often falls asleep to the sights and sounds of the Food Channel, which is second only to his beloved Xbox and Sponge Bob.
Obama wanted to be a basketball star.
As for the Ambassador of Aloha title I gave Obama in the blog headline, it's true, like it or not. He is a true product of the Hawaiian Islands and has values that were instilled upon him as a youth that any man or woman takes with them throughout life wherever they may go. These are core values, perhaps the very same core values Mr. Obama often refers to when he is out stumping. Obama has been called a Socialist and it may be partially true, but the form of Socialism that Obama practices is good and safe for all of America and the World. Incidentally, if you did not know, every child is insured here until he is 16 for free by the Quest system if his parents cannot afford to purchase healthcare. If an adult can keep a part time job of 20 hours or more per week, that adult will receive free health care, dental too. This is a State of Hawaii law.
However, regarding this socialism thing circulating around...many of you on the mainland may not be not aware of the core values that are taught to younglings in Hawaii. It is a bit different here. Kids grow up here with a sense that the family consists of more than just the typical Mom & Dad thing or "blood" relations. They have strong and unshakable ties to Brothers and Sisters, Aunties and Uncles and with Cousins. There are so many Cousins that usually everyone they meet is at least a Cousin. And let's not forget Grand Ma and Grand Pa--they are literally a second set of parents in Hawaii that play huge roles in their development. The bond between all of this family is very strong, stronger than I have witnessed in my years on the mainland. I mean, my immediate family is very close, but here in Hawaii, it is common that a kid has upwards of 100 family members to relate to, some with the same DNA, many just close long time friends, but they are all core family members. The kids are loved and asked to share this love and in a word, "Aloha", is what they practice and believe in. And they assume that the entire globe around them is also living this way. So, this Ambassadorship that I bestowed upon Mr. Obama is only natural and it suits him well. The children of Hawaii look up to him because in so many ways he is spreading Aloha around this world, just as they would do if they were in his shoes. Our shared view of the world is that it can be a happy place where every nation cooperates with each other to make it a safe and fun place to be. Are our kids Socialists? Is Obama? Only in the good sense. Do our keiki want to be the President of the United States like Mr. Obama? Did he want to be when he was a kid? Perhaps not. Maybe. like our keiki, he thought that one day it could happen, but first they want to be kids--the true ambassadors of aloha. And besides, above all, there's a basketball game to play or a wave to catch.
I guess every President was a boy somewhere, growing up like most kids, playing sports or learning music, arts, reading, writing, math, etc.,. But what separates them from the rest? Was there a system of self belief and self worth layered in along the way that gave our Presidents the overwhelming and strong desire to lead a nation? In Mr. Obama's case, he reminds me of the determination of many of our keiki here in Hawaii. Take our Grandson Jaden. He's only 6 years old and is full aware that one day he too, could be the President, if he wants to be. He knows who Mr. Obama is, they drill that into him in school, but interestingly enough, he has no idea who "that old man is" referring to John McCain. Like Obama, Jaden is also from a mixed ethnic background. His Dad, an African American from Texas, His Mom, (our Daughter Brandy) Hawaiian Filipino German Irish. Handsome and adorable, he is the pride and joy of his Mom and is a Tiger Woods looking sort of child with an amazing talent for information recall. Future President? Maybe. Does he want to be? No, he says. He'd rather be a software designer / computer programmer for a game company, or a Chef. He loves to learn everything he can about what goes on in the kitchen and often falls asleep to the sights and sounds of the Food Channel, which is second only to his beloved Xbox and Sponge Bob.
Obama wanted to be a basketball star.
As for the Ambassador of Aloha title I gave Obama in the blog headline, it's true, like it or not. He is a true product of the Hawaiian Islands and has values that were instilled upon him as a youth that any man or woman takes with them throughout life wherever they may go. These are core values, perhaps the very same core values Mr. Obama often refers to when he is out stumping. Obama has been called a Socialist and it may be partially true, but the form of Socialism that Obama practices is good and safe for all of America and the World. Incidentally, if you did not know, every child is insured here until he is 16 for free by the Quest system if his parents cannot afford to purchase healthcare. If an adult can keep a part time job of 20 hours or more per week, that adult will receive free health care, dental too. This is a State of Hawaii law.
However, regarding this socialism thing circulating around...many of you on the mainland may not be not aware of the core values that are taught to younglings in Hawaii. It is a bit different here. Kids grow up here with a sense that the family consists of more than just the typical Mom & Dad thing or "blood" relations. They have strong and unshakable ties to Brothers and Sisters, Aunties and Uncles and with Cousins. There are so many Cousins that usually everyone they meet is at least a Cousin. And let's not forget Grand Ma and Grand Pa--they are literally a second set of parents in Hawaii that play huge roles in their development. The bond between all of this family is very strong, stronger than I have witnessed in my years on the mainland. I mean, my immediate family is very close, but here in Hawaii, it is common that a kid has upwards of 100 family members to relate to, some with the same DNA, many just close long time friends, but they are all core family members. The kids are loved and asked to share this love and in a word, "Aloha", is what they practice and believe in. And they assume that the entire globe around them is also living this way. So, this Ambassadorship that I bestowed upon Mr. Obama is only natural and it suits him well. The children of Hawaii look up to him because in so many ways he is spreading Aloha around this world, just as they would do if they were in his shoes. Our shared view of the world is that it can be a happy place where every nation cooperates with each other to make it a safe and fun place to be. Are our kids Socialists? Is Obama? Only in the good sense. Do our keiki want to be the President of the United States like Mr. Obama? Did he want to be when he was a kid? Perhaps not. Maybe. like our keiki, he thought that one day it could happen, but first they want to be kids--the true ambassadors of aloha. And besides, above all, there's a basketball game to play or a wave to catch.
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