Page 2 - MidWeek - March 30, 2022

2 MIDWEEK MARCH 30, 2022
The Highest Honor Of All
“Trust, one of the most beautiful words in any language.” — Unattributed
A n 86-year-old mem- ber of my congrega- tion came to the tem- ple to see me one day. In his gentle, humble way, Chirio showed me a phone bill and asked me if I could help him. There was an unusually large charge on the bill, which he said must have been an er- ror. He was obviously upset about it. I reassured him that we could call the phone com- pany together to inquire what the charge was for. He placed his palms together and bowed
Chirio, who had a scared look on his face.
IChange Reaction
’ve suggested before that change is good — as long
“In order to be able to talk to me, the lady needs your permission,” I explained.
as it’s good change. You know, if the change works
Chirio put the phone to his ear. I could hear the custom- er service agent saying, “Sir, in order for me to be able to speak to someone who’s rep- resenting you, I will need you to say ‘I give my permission for Rev. Jiko to be my repre- sentative.’”
Chirio’s phone bill was quickly resolved, much to his relief. Although he is no longer with us, to this day I can feel the words “I trust her!” reverberating inside me. At the moment those words burst out of Chirio’s mouth, I truly understood how being the recipient of someone’s trust is a sacred matter of the utmost gravity. Those three simple words — I trust her — encapsulat- ed the highest honor I could ever receive.
Jiko Nakade is the first woman priest of Daifukuji Soto Zen Buddhist Temple in Kona.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
for me, my family, team, bank account, interests, tribe, community, species — yeah, then it’s worth it.
According to Gallup pollsters, Congress currently has a 20% approval rating. Odd, since the same people asked if they approve of the job Congress is doing annually are often the very same people who vote bi-annually. The Congressional approval rating was 9% in November 2013, so one could argue that Congress is now over twice as popular! But good luck changing the “system,” which has been befuddling people for years as voting numbers sag. Intransigence, tribalism, self-preservation, false bra- vado, you name it, we see it regularly.
deeply.
His furrowed brow soft-
Chirio froze. Here was an elderly Japanese-American nisei gentleman born on a plantation who could only speak pidgin English.
It’s a bit of a different situation at the state level, as our local legislators are part-time legislators — right or wrong. While most of them do work year-round, the an- nual legislative session lasts for just 60 working days and in that window, some 2,500-3,000 bills are proffered, but only about 10% pass into law. There must be a smarter way and a better use of limited time. Yet, 46 of 50 states have part-time legislatures, and some meet for only 30 days a year!
ened. “You call, OK?” he said.
“Da kine ... da kine ...,” he stammered. He then fell silent.
Then there’s the fact that many of our local legislators have “outside” jobs. While understandable from a finan- cial standpoint, this would seem to create potential con- flicts of interest among other concerns. Having outside jobs arguably keeps legislators grounded and in touch. Being in touch is a good thing, but having your fingers in the pie? Not so good. Outside skills and knowledge abso- lutely come in handy when discussing and deciding upon major issues where inside expertise can be helpful. But how often do legislators recuse themselves when issues being voted on strike too close to home?
“In order to speak with you, I will first have to re-
I handed the phone to
The problem regarding
“Yes,” I replied.
I dialed the customer ser- vice number on the bill. A customer service representa- tive answered, “How may I help you?” I explained who I was and said that I was help-
“Sir? Are you there?”
ing a member of my congre- gation who had a question.
ceive verbal permission from the customer. Please put him on the phone,” the represen- tative said.
“OK, sir, I understand. Please put your minister on the phone.”
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
Being the recipient of someone’s trust is a sacred matter.
Chirio took a deep breath. Then he yelled into the phone, “I trust her! I trust her! She my minister. I trust her!”
KELLEY
with Jiko Nakade
We do have some rules and an ethics commission, so this is not to suggest anything other than perhaps it’s time to revisit “the system.” Maybe we should pay higher salaries to full-time legislators? Might that relieve some angst about a constant crossing of a moving line as bills evolve? Maybe it’s time to revisit oft-suggested legis- lative term limits, though that would remove historical perspective and innate knowledge, plus limit the people’s right to choose. Many questions. Perhaps it’s time to look at addressing a confounding, unwieldy, archaic and some- times stifling system of democracy here and elsewhere.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com