Mentionable quotes:
"When I was a kid we used to climb up the mountains and pick mountains apples. Have you ever tried one? They're delicious. Kids now? They don't go outside. They stay inside and play their video games."
Of all the people we spoke with, Popo was absolutely the most timid at first. We approached her outside of a Whole Foods in Lanakai. Her quote about children native to Hawaii not wanting to go outside and explore shocked me. She spoke of ponds that she used to search for with her friends when she was a kid. She says most of those ponds don't exist anymore, because they were filled in with land to make room for more houses and hotels. 'But the mountains are still there,' she tells us. Popo told us about the Hawaiian people's worldview pertaining to nature. She mentions mountains where people's souls leave their bodies when they die, and rain that is considered a blessing. She says this is all a part of the 'Aloha Spirit' that Uncle Ben also mentioned. Unfortunately though, many kids would rather spend their time inside than partake in religious teachings or explore nature for the sake of beauty. The reason I was so surprised, is because this attitude is so common amongst kids in the mainland US. I suppose I expected that in a place with such a rich history of cultural customs and utter beauty, people would be more inclined to stay away from technology. After all, Hawaii was still its own kingdom until 1959. It's very interesting to me how mainland US and Hawaii, which are so isolated from one another, can be so similar in this respect. I think it's helpful to consider however, that this is the perspective of a woman who was a child when Hawaii was still a kingdom. Kids now are raised as citizens of the United States, which more and more mainlanders touring Hawaii each year. The connection is more apparent than ever.