Page 2 - MidWeek - April 6, 2022

2 MIDWEEK APRIL 6, 2022
ay Kinsella heard the call: “If you build it, they will come.” That was 33 years ago in the movie Field of Dreams. Ray, of course, was a fictional character,
halo. You belong here.” With the growth of mutual appreciation, our lives became interwoven and remained so even after that seasonal job ended. Today, the drawings threaded into the fabrics of my aloha clothing business still feel like a continuation of the inspiration found long ago in the flora, the fauna and
David Shepard, a horticul- turist-turned-designer, works his illustrations of native plants into Hawaiian cloth- ing to raise awareness of, and encourage funding for, local conservation. Visit davidshep- ardhawaii.com.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
but the concept lives on. The question in Hawai‘i has al- ways been what is “it”? We’ve been talking about building something economically viable here to help keep our keiki home, to retain our incredible culture and character without relying so much on the tourism industry alone. We’ve heard a lot of talk, but little investment or capital put forth in real- izing our field of dreams. Cybersecurity? Alternative, clean or renewable energy? Defense initiatives? A mini-Silicon Valley or a tech hub with remote work encouraged? Medi- cal research? Ecotourism? Rocket farm? Innovative kūpuna care? Perhaps dozens of smaller but potentially lucrative and alluring opportunities that add up, rather than pegging our hopes on just a few ideas.
In a first glimpse of the is- land through the prop plane window, impassable sea cliffs appeared to seal off a pictur- esque town set on a small remote peninsula. Its harsh timeless beauty would at first seem to be matched in char- acter by its inhabitants: care- takers and a handful of cured leprosy patients living out their lives far from the bus- tle of life. Most unexpected was the loneliness. Once on the ground and surrounded
from all those around me. An early visit to the grocery store, the center of town life, garnered a guarded reception
the hearts of Kalaupapa.
The Census Bureau reminds us of our ongoing streak of losing residents annually — down 12,337 from July 2020 to July 2021. That makes five straight years of population de- cline. Hunches suggest that in-migration includes wealthier second homeowners and immigrant service industry work- ers, while out-migration includes those who want a starter home and a sustainable career, or older folks who’ve simply decided that the price of paradise is too tough to handle.
from the lady who ran it — and the realization that I’ d have to prove myself. Perhaps with music and art, we could build connections.
Post-COVID, economic recovery here may quicken as visitor floodgates reopen and tourism increases. Suggested, sensible usage restrictions and user fees may help the state/ city coffers without seeing visitor numbers rebound to new records. But even with an expected, long-overdue minimum wage increase, how to thrive here and plan one’s future real- istically makes our now-annual population decreases a rele- vant concern. We need the best and the brightest, from within and without, to hui. We need local stakeholders, passionate empaths and interested investors to get actively involved in realistic, yet far-reaching, proactive economic planning.
KELLEY
Threads Drawn From The Heart
To work with love ... is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your Gheart. — Kahlil Gibran
The author used his gift of drawing native plants to build community and a thriving business.
work, the nurse who fed stray cats, the patient who regular- ly stopped by the nursery to talk about plants. Weekends were soon spent drawing native plants with the town archivist. Then the grocery store auntie invited me to play piano for a community concert. After I accompanied a nurse who sang Ave Ma- ria, a patient, almost blind, clasped my hand and, through tears, quietly affirmed, “Ma-
RIf You Build It ...
left me burned out — from arduous study, from working three jobs, from sleep depri- vation. Yearning for a slower pace, I jumped at a seasonal job offer to run a native plant nursery. Location: Kalaupa- pa, Moloka‘i. Population: 86. Median age: 57.
raduation day from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
by three suitcases of belong- ings — heavy with a large drawing book and full-sized keyboard — I felt sealed off
Slowly, the individuals around me emerged in their humanity: the Catholic sisters who played mahjong, the car- penters who drank ‘awa after
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
with David Shepard
If we extrapolate this annual trickle of people leaving Hawai‘i over the next 20 years, it portends a diminished labor force not offset by a retiring, elderly population with age-related needs. It’s time to get serious. This conundrum has been tossed around like a barbecue burger for decades, with little emphasis given to solutions. Entrepreneurs, re- alists, problem-solvers, culture advocates, philanthropists, educators, gerontologists, astronomers ... we’ll need a big room, big thinking and big action plans. Who’s ready to dream and build?
Think about it...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com