01-10-2010, 08:44 PM
Let me see if I can answer the original question with a simple and direct answer despite the fact that I do not fit the intended responder demographic.
I moved here because I have lived other places, and when I discovered this place, it felt right to me. I'm sure the first settlers of the islands felt the same way. This is not an absolute paradise - never was and never will be. But each of us seeks our own happiness in life, and my partner and I think we can find it here.
That doesn't make me a better person than someone who doesn't like it here - it just means we see things differently or want different things in life. It's not my job or my business to try to convince someone that this is the right place for them. And likewise, no one has the right or responsibility to assume that I can't see a place as it really is -- warts and all -- and try to convince me that I have made an error in judgment. Have I been the victim of some prejudice here? Maybe, but then again, so has everyone here - longtime resident or newcomer alike. But I've found in my life that if I treat folks the way I'd want to be treated, in general, they respond in kind. If you respect the environment, the culture and your neighbors, in general you'll be welcome here no matter what you look like or where you come from. And part of our responsibility as residents of the island -- whether our roots here go way back, or are just developing -- is to identify the problems of our home and then try to fix them.
It would be nice if we could turn back the clock and live in the idyllic days of the past. But if we could, I'm sure we'd quickly realize that things weren't quite so perfect -- or even better - then. There were just different problems. Likewise, it's not very productive for us to compare this place to that one, because everyplace has it's own unique advantages and disadvantages. Why anyone would choose to live in cold, damp, dismal Maine is beyond me, but I'm sure someone in Maine is saying "Why anyone would choose to live 3000 miles from 'civilization' -- on the edge of an active volcano to boot -- is beyond me."
So at the end of the day, we need to find a place that works for us, enjoy the good stuff, try to fix the bad stuff, and remember that we only get to experience but so many sunrises. Is it worth getting spun up because someone doesn't agree with us, doesn't see things our way, doesn't like us, or treat us fairly. In most cases, probably not.
Aloha
I moved here because I have lived other places, and when I discovered this place, it felt right to me. I'm sure the first settlers of the islands felt the same way. This is not an absolute paradise - never was and never will be. But each of us seeks our own happiness in life, and my partner and I think we can find it here.
That doesn't make me a better person than someone who doesn't like it here - it just means we see things differently or want different things in life. It's not my job or my business to try to convince someone that this is the right place for them. And likewise, no one has the right or responsibility to assume that I can't see a place as it really is -- warts and all -- and try to convince me that I have made an error in judgment. Have I been the victim of some prejudice here? Maybe, but then again, so has everyone here - longtime resident or newcomer alike. But I've found in my life that if I treat folks the way I'd want to be treated, in general, they respond in kind. If you respect the environment, the culture and your neighbors, in general you'll be welcome here no matter what you look like or where you come from. And part of our responsibility as residents of the island -- whether our roots here go way back, or are just developing -- is to identify the problems of our home and then try to fix them.
It would be nice if we could turn back the clock and live in the idyllic days of the past. But if we could, I'm sure we'd quickly realize that things weren't quite so perfect -- or even better - then. There were just different problems. Likewise, it's not very productive for us to compare this place to that one, because everyplace has it's own unique advantages and disadvantages. Why anyone would choose to live in cold, damp, dismal Maine is beyond me, but I'm sure someone in Maine is saying "Why anyone would choose to live 3000 miles from 'civilization' -- on the edge of an active volcano to boot -- is beyond me."
So at the end of the day, we need to find a place that works for us, enjoy the good stuff, try to fix the bad stuff, and remember that we only get to experience but so many sunrises. Is it worth getting spun up because someone doesn't agree with us, doesn't see things our way, doesn't like us, or treat us fairly. In most cases, probably not.
Aloha