In Hawaiian culture, the Native people have often relied on specific concepts that, when followed and appreciated, lead them to lives of contentment. The concepts include:
- Mana: is the spiritual energy of power and strength that both people and objects possess. It is a life energy that people can influence; the choices made can either strengthen mana or take it away. Living a life of meaning, being modest, building and maintaining relationships and giving back to others or your community are all examples of good mana.
- Pono: is righteousness. In Hawaiian culture, it denotes goodness and has a spiritual connotation to being in a state of harmony. Pono is the concept of leaning into moral values so as to live a life that is balanced and essentially good.
- Aloha: is the Hawaiian word for love. Often used as a simple greeting, aloha for Hawaiians is a way of life – aloha is a way of living and treating each other with love and respect.
- Ohana: means family. In Hawaiian culture, the concept of ohana refers to one’s social support system, including nuclear family, extended family, close friends and colleagues, and/or other communities or groups they are a part of. Being part of an ohana means that there is a mutual obligation to care for each other.
Hawaiians are known to live a life that is peaceful and less stressful than Westernized society. We can take a lesson from their pages of ancient wisdom by consciously thinking about how these concepts have contributed to living a simple and grounded life.
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@little_plant
this is a really cool post kristine. i thought aloha was hello
Thank you Brian!