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© 2004 Richard A. Cooke III Introduction Essay for Hawaii 24/7 Aloha 'Aina By Curt Sanborn The key to understanding everything about Hawaii is to keep in mind that the archipelago is the newest and most temporary bit of land on Earth. Its growth and demise are simultaneous. You can watch both: Acres of docile lava ooze from K-lauea's fissures, making the half-million-year-old Big Island bigger. Meanwhile, heavy rains stain Kauai's nearshore waters the rust red color of its volcanic soils, melting that 5-million-year-old island back into the sea. The bittersweet life-and-death drama of these islands is evident and stirs sympathetic human emotions. Essentially, that's what "aloha" is: an enduring, pervasive affection that cloaks these awesome yet tender islands in sweet perfume. Okay, so the weather's not bad, either. It's never too hot and never too cold, the trade winds bless us, and the sunsets unleash unimaginable colors in the western sky every night at 6. Hurricanes are rare. There are no poisonous insects or barbed plants-or snakes. For the here and now, Hawaii is, indeed, Paradise Found. Over the last millennium, a million people or so have found Hawaii and now call it home. We've built stone terraces and irrigation systems, freeways and beige subdivisions, malls, universities, and prisons to manage our numbers. And what about the 7 million strangers who show up every year to savor the paradise they've been promised their whole lives? For them we publish "Hidden Hawaii" guidebooks; build obscenely luxurious resorts, scenic lookouts, and golf courses; and post "Danger: Killer Waves" signs. Now that sugarcane and pineapple have shrunk down to boutique businesses, the 50th state's economy is completely dependent on tourism and U.S. military spending, both subject to faraway forces. The high costs of living combined with low-wage service jobs make it tough to get by. Two and three generations-call 'em 'ohana-jam together in old bungalows, cinder block walk-up apartments, or "affordable" new townhomes sprawling across abandoned sugarcane fields. "No need!" is the cheerful refrain: No need air conditioning, no need heat, no need a fancy car. No can afford-no need. The other key to understanding Hawaii is to accept the distinction of the Polynesians who found and named these islands. Historically, the Hawaiian people warmly welcomed others and spread their koko (blood) around. Today Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians are the third-largest ethnic group in this most polyglot of states, behind haole (Caucasians) and Japanese Americans. Since the U.S.-backed overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, and after two centuries of dispossession and displacement, the state and federal governments are finally grappling with their obligations to the Hawaiian nation. Meanwhile, Hawaiian cultural practice-land stewardship, spirituality, health care, music, dance, sport-has energized every corner of these cosmopolitan islands. What goes around, comes around. The unique triumph of aloha 'aina, love for the land, will be the lasting legacy of the living islands. CURT SANBURN is senior editor of the America 24/7 States Project. He was formerly managing editor of the Honolulu Weekly. Browse    View All    Aloha 'Aina    Hearth & Home    Hard at Work    Hawaii at Play    Reason to Believe    Our Town Photos: 150 Photographers: 38 Towns: 62

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