PARADISE LOST

I grew up on the west coast of the United States in the 1950's--1960's. I remember vaguely when Hawaii and Alaska became states. As a child, I had silly notions of these remote areas, promoted in school and in books. I kept the book that intrigued me as a child which depicted Alaskans as cute natives in igloos and Hawaiians in grass skirts, kneeling on the ground making poi or surfing in the ocean. 

As children, we played "Hawaiians," gathering together grasses and flowers and sitting amongst plants and bushes. Popular Halloween costumes were grass skirts and leis. The hula hoop--popular toy of my childhood-- was inspired by the hula dance. To me the Hawaiian islands represented paradise--warm weather, blue ocean, swaying palm trees, and scrumptious fruits, Alaska--not so much, too dark and cold. Perhaps, I would have imagined being an Eskimo if I had lived in a snowy place. As an adult, I traveled to Alaska where I found a spectacular land of mountains, forests, and quiet.

I recognize that Hawaii must have inherent difficulties given its colonial history and conflicts between the indigenous population and white transplants. Asians moved to Hawaii to work on the plantations, and there is a large U.S. military presence. 

Hawaii was first populated by ancestors of Polynesians. The people lived in an isolated, untouched environment for centuries. They developed a close relationship to the land and the animals. Spiritual practices evolved from the attachment. Hawaii's ecosystems have changed dramatically over the centuries. Non native plants dominate the land now. 

Before Cook's arrival in 1778, Hawaiians used their precious resources for building communities for the survival of their people. Plants of one kind were substituted for the native plants of the area when the community benefited, not dissimilar to the native Alaskans hunting whale for food and other resources. As people from foreign lands arrived, new plants and animals were introduced and flourished. Non native plants and animals account for half of plant species now as compared to when Cook arrived. Before 1778, a tiny percentage of plants were not native.

Peoples' attitudes towards nature have changed, including stewardship of the environment. One works for what one takes is the traditional view of a human's relationship with nature. The modern view differs; people are entitled to take what they want. 

Ironically, the creation of the lei has lead to the decimation of certain plants. A lei represents love and respect and was used in religious ceremonies. What began as a beautiful tradition turned into greed and the desire to use leis for all types of contemporary celebrations. Currently, leis are made from non native plants. In earlier days, the leis for personal adornment, were constructed from commonly growing native plants which no longer are readily available. Conservationists educate the people about viewing Hawaii's native plants as "inexhaustible free resources;" in other words, one should not traipse in the woods and take what one desires. The advice can be applied to any locale.

Back to fires, indigenous populations, and over development of the land, subjects I have pondered in thepast. The usual blame game has commenced in Maui, with the people blaming the government, the government assigning the problem to further study, and everyone pointing fingers at the utility company. Governor Josh Green blamed climate change, essentially trubut still a "cop-out" for responsibility.

We witnessed the identical dynamic in Paradise, California in 2018. When I was in Northern California (Sonoma County) last September, I saw scorched hillsides and burnt acorns, twigs, and bark on giant oak trees. The locals seemed humdrum about the situation. Paradise (not in Sonoma County) has rebuilt itself by following new safety standards. Resource guides have been printed to help residents with fire prevention. PG&E, the utility company, was found liable for the fires in Paradise and has paid out millions to rebuild. 

The elderly, infirm, disabled, and poor suffer the most from disasters, a frequently documented fact. Support has been implemented in California to assist home-bound and less informed people to install emergency text messages, answer the phone, and be generally aware of one's surroundings. 

Indigenous peoples suffer more from changes in the natural environment due to their cultures and lifestyle. Simply put, they live closer to the earth, spiritually and physically. Tragically, indigenous groups were forced from their original lands and shunted to less hospitable places. Lahaina is important to native Hawaiians, so they grieve deeply. 

Next to impossible for me--an outsider--to determine the actual ethnic/racial proportions that exist in Lahaina which would support or dispel if indigenous people suffered more losses. Charts prepared by government agencies are confusing and deceptive at best when a population consists of mixed racial groups. From pictures, it appears that a disproportionate number of older, mixed race adults perished.

Evidently, hubris and misjudgement were human factors compounded by extreme wind and drought which resulted in needless tragedy, simply difficult to understand given that this fire was not the first in the Hawaiian islands and was predicted by scientists.

https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/files/2014/02/Hawaiian-Ecosystems-and-Culture-Growing-Lei-plants-1.pdf

https://calmatters.org/events/2020/10/rebuilding-and-resiliency-how-we-need-to-handle-wildfires-from-now-on/

https://climate-xchange.org/2020/05/08/disproportionately-impacted-by-the-climate-crisis-indigenous-nations-lead-on-lasting-solutions/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrfymBhCTARIsADXTabmEDqAb1jPoi7e399VVvit3bgwidGwphlynsxGyRIV1IAO8RCZeBLIaAsFeEALw_wcB

©Karen Levi 2023

COVID, FIRES, JAIL--"MEMORIES" ON FACEBOOK

What do they have in common other than appearing on social media on the anniversary of the first postings? All three remain serious problems after a year, two, three years, and actually longer.  The human loss, property damage, and associated trauma of fires and COVID linger in the lives of victims. Our democracy has been challenged and continues to be a threat from demagogues.

COVID is a natural phenomenon of nature, a virus which has behaved in typical fashion. The definition of a virus on Google is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat.   A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself. The rest we experienced in 2020 and before that in 1918 through books and articles. Human fallability and frailty add to the tragedies resulting from viruses, but essentially viruses are biological events.

In most cases, the ignition of brush fires results from human error--campfires, cigarettes, or improperly functioning electrical wires Over-development and destruction of forests are additional human related causes, especially the recent well-publicized events in California, Greece, and Hawaii. Fires are natural. Certain types of wind determine the nature of a brush or forest fire, critical elements being the strength, direction, temperature, and humidity level. The fire and smoke are chemical reactions comprised of four stages--ignition, growth, fully developed, and decay. A flame is air with combustible gas. Smoke is a suspended emission of particles from a flaming source. 

When we see or yell "fire," our impulse is to run, but first gather a cell phone, purse, etc. and people and animals. Instinctually, we know that fire is hot and dangerous. We fear and are awed by the conflagration. We gather around the fireplace or campfire.Sensible people take care to prevent its occurrence in buildings, parks, and habitable places. Fires are natural, creating a homestatis in the wilds. Fires caused by lightening strikes have controlled plant growth in forests for millenia. 

Part of our problem today stems from insufficient controlled burns by forest fire professionals. I am a cautious human, so I have listened to Smokey the Bear, fire safety movies, and fireman for as long as I can remember. The climate changes occurring now, the result of human produced ecosystem and environmental change, add to the dangers of fires due to droughts and extreme heat. Irresponsible development and removal of trees increases the risk of tragedy at the level we understand most readily.

Sickness and fire scare me which is a human reaction to a threat. Both seem situations beyond our control, but there is a scientific explanation for them. Jail refers to Trump and other greedy sociopaths we have witnessed recently who create chaos by human action. These evildoers cause more lives to be lost than fires and viruses. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Putin are additional examples to a list of villans which winds backwards down through the ages.

Trump continues to lie, cheat, and steal, encouraged by enough of the population to keep him going. But what is the origin of the inappropriate behavior? Human emotions and actions are incredibly complex, no simple answers. However, Trump was enabled for years and years. Trump grew up in a home controlled by an unscrupulous father and protected by money whenever he or a family member faltered. The creation of a Trump develops through myriad missteps, chance, and socioeconomic factors. A bad white boy protected by his father--sent to military school, attended elite college based on family influence, and took charge of father's business. The bad boy developed into a bad man who has manipulated women and lied to shareholders, voters, the media, judges, lawyers, and business associates. Cheating and a lack of consideration for others became his modus operandi.  He's a T.V. star and big mouth and then a U.S. President. What?? Since 2015, a seemingly impossible scenario come true.

I find human created problems more frustrating than ones resulting from natural phenomena, though the latter can be influenced by scientists, politicians, leaders, and all of us. We can follow common sense safety rules, vote against impulsive development of the land, and protect our natural world of plants and animals. 

I recognize that we are flawed. I accept that we err. When a person turns a corner and lies continuously with impunity, harming others, I draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable. This applies to the Trumps, Epsteins, Kushners, and Madoffs of the United States to name a few recent culprits. Unnamed individuals have destroyed families and relationships by smaller acts of dishonesty. Smaller lies harm individuals as mass murder, treason, and greed affect humanity at the national and international level.

©KarenLevi2023