Centuries ago on this island, in fact on any island in the South Pacific, four equivalent words of prosperity would have been: “…catch lots of fish!” Depending on the culture, both sets of words usually spell wealth. At this point, you may be asking yourself, so where is the teaching? Don’t they both have the same meaning?

Well, yes and no. Both spell wealth, but the spiritual teaching is in the answer—no; there is a huge difference between the two. A wealth based on fish cannot be accumulated nor can it ever be horded. The wealth magically, and practically, disappears when the fish spoils! Any excessive amounts of fish would naturally be shared not horded away. Such is not the case with money. It is accumulated and stashed away to satisfy one’s personality inadequacy, sense of external materialistic power (false as it may be) and to reduce one’s fear of life and it’s many unknowns. Fish, does not breed greed, money does as the desire for it opens Pandora’s box to ethical and moral depravity and spiritual void-ness.

Fish wealth brings status as it would contribute to the Hawaiian concept of pono (balance and harmony) and the well-being of the island's extended family (ohana) and the community. In contrast, money fractures communities into the haves and the have-nots.

And then possibly, the biggest problem of all, money and a capitalistic spirit separates and exploits, as well as, destroys nature. To improve the bottom line and their own wealth index, the welfare and the protection of nature and the environment is “left to hang out in the wind” to the greed and the materialistic mind-set of the corporate ‘demi-gods’ and their shareholders. To the evil ones and their false empires of bottom-feeders (bottom-line analogy), there is no concept of “the love of the land”.  On the contrary, their motto, belief and rallying cry is: “the love of money”.

The CEO’s and their fellow cronies reside in a lair of the man-made tower that in it's creation ripped and tore the earth, replacing the magic of nature with the concrete and steel of dominance. This cavern of greed only separates even more their consciousness from the earth and blinds them to the paradise of natural beauty that provides a sanctuary and garden for creation's creatures. 

In an irony of our 21^st Century corrupted culture, even though fish have an intrinsic value, while money does not, except in its illusion of value and if you happen to be out of “toilet paper”, money is still worshipped as a saviour of humanity. And having no intrinsic value, unlike gold, has led to the ethical and moral problems plaguing our culture. And then in addition we have the “ethereal” money that appears magically in the world of stocks, options, hedge funds and futures but has no intrinsic value what so ever as it can’t even be used to wipe your _ _ _.

Making money focuses on achieving external power. This outer power, in the minds of the weak, justify the desire for wealth and the behaviors of lying, deceitfulness, deceptiveness, destructiveness of the environment and families (workers as commodities to be hired and fired) and an ego that focuses on the ‘I’ not the ‘we’.

However, catching fish from an outrigger canoe requires inner power. This is the power of spirit and heart that results in a harmonious partnership with the land, the sea and the sky and all the inhabitants of such. This inner power is reflected in the love, respect and prayers of thanks that are given to the ocean and to its creatures as the bounty taken is shared with all of the family and community. On the other hand, in the world of commerce and profit even fishing may be despoiled. I am talking about commercial fishing. Being true to its name, it tends to over-fish while turning a blind eye to any destruction and/or pollution of the oceans and the rivers of the world.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not advocating a society of individual communities that grow their own food or fish the sea nor, as you are well aware, am I supporting a Capitalistic society of destruction that spawns an inequality of the haves and the have-nots. There is, however, the balance between the two, a point of harmony of humanity and nature where love resides for all.

This is my vision: a spiritual egalitarianism.