Page 2 - MidWeek - Aug 25 2021

2 MIDWEEK AUGUST 25, 2021
Stranger Things
ate is a virus and children have the antidote. One of the
o many things to talk about and so ... little (much?) time. We shan’t be socializing soon, but we can always ponder the unexplainable, unknown or just
mind me how truly effortless being kind and compassion- ate can be. I witness daily how these children implic- itly understand that we are all profoundly connected by love. They demonstrate it with every fiber of their be- ing.
weird.
I recently mentioned the Hawai‘i Symphony Orches-
Relearning Simple Lessons
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being Hshared.” — a teaching of the Buddha
things I miss most since the pandemic began is spending time with our preschoolers during their monthly temple visit. Greeting their joyful faces at the door, sharing a story and talking with them was truly the highlight of my day. Despite being there to learn from me, I always came away with my heart full and lessons learned.
tra played harmonic Led Zeppelin. Even with relative separation and all, events going forward will have to wait (for me) until after we get past upcoming COVID variations epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, et al. But don’t blame the Greeks. Scientists have decided to use their alphabet to name COVID variants. Think I’m a Debbie Downer? Well, it may be Greek to me, but with 70% of the world unvaccinated, and since variant strains thus far have come from abroad, the odds suggest what’s possibly coming down the road simply isn’t pretty. Hmm. Maybe I’ll get to see Billie Eilish’s kids live in concert in 2032.
Children by their nature are natural teachers. With open hearts and minds, they teach us how we can be. As adults, many of us have for- gotten how the happiness of others is directly connected to our own. Children, on the other hand, naturally under- stand that happiness is not a finite resource to be jealously
Children teach how to open our hearts and minds.
Great Kindness Challenge to help cultivate a culture of kindness and compassion in their school and throughout the world. Landon and his friends made and delivered floral arrangements to busi- nesses in the neighborhood, and waved signs along the highway in front of our tem- ple. They eagerly created paper links that were joined with others from around the world to create the world’s longest paper chain, all con-
KELLEY
These little teachers show me how happiness inspires happiness just like how one candle can light a thousand. In our troubled world, can we take a moment to relearn these simple lessons?
The asteroid Bennu now might have a slightly great- er chance of hitting Earth than was previously thought. What? You haven’t rushed out to buy toilet paper yet? Good move, as prophetic rocket scientists are now sug- gesting that this catastrophe is a 1-in-1,750 possibility over the next 180 years. Bennu, named for a mythical Egyptian bird, must mean “who cares?” Is this really a value proposition space dollars usage? Gee, let bored astro-nut billionaires zap wayward space nuggets as they flaunt their fortunes on 10-minute joy rides to nowhere.
guarded, but rather is limit- less and expands when freely shared.
Landon was excited to share “I will try to be kind and gentle to every living thing!” and Aki joyfully wrote “Kindness Matters!” and “Love One Another!” They danced and cheered when they finished making all their links.
The Rev. Blayne Higa is the minister of the Kona Hong- wanji Buddhist Temple, a Shin Buddhist Sangha, in Kealakekua.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
Local rail officials warned that the first 10 miles of track are now fully electrified as testing begins. Good to know, especially since four wanderers recently scaled a HART fence near Aloha Stadium for some nighttime train track meandering. Perhaps they don’t trust the sci- ence on electricity and its ability to kill people who come in contact with the infamous “third rail”? We have eons of proof that too much electricity harms the human body. But wait! There’s this guy on the internet with a cool website who says he’s an expert on electricity and ... oh, nevermind.
Recently, Landon and his classmates participated in the
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
Amid the chaos of our lives, these little ones teach me how we should treat and care for one another. They re-
nected by messages of love and hope.
with the Rev. Blayne Higa
Finally, two mainland visitors were busted here re- cently for using allegedly fake vaccine I.D. documents. No surprise, as sleazy internet sites purportedly boast the availability of such cards for as little as $15. So let’s have a fake trial for these counterfeit cardholders and make them work on a hospital cleanup detail for six months, alongside overworked health care professionals who still have to bear the brunt of this protracted pandemic.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com