'A'ama Crabs or Flying Geese?

Aloha e nā hoa pepeiao! Have you ever watched crabs in a bucket? Just as one crab begins to make his way to the top of the bucket his journey is cut short by another crab, just below him, grabbing on to his legs and pulling him back down. The consequence? Both crabs end up at the bottom of the bucket again. We call this the 'a'ama crab syndrome and it can be compared to us as people. It saddens me when a fellow Hawaiian is unable to celebrate the progress of another and instead, minimizes his accomplishments with snide remarks and criticism. We already face so many challenges as kānaka, the last thing we need is another kānaka pulling us down. Instead of perpetuating this mentality, let’s look at another analogy in nature. Have you ever wondered why geese fly in a perfect V formation? Well, as each bird flaps its wings it creates uplift for the bird following and the entire flock creates 71% more flying range than a single bird flying alone. When one bird is tired, he rotates back and another assumes the point position. When a goose is sick or wounded, two other geese fly out of the formation with it, providing protection and help and they stay with the sick goose until it gets better or dies. The geese in the back of the flock honk encouraging those up front to press on. Everyday each one of us has the opportunity to choose to be like crabs in the bucket or to spread our wings and soar like a flock of beautiful geese in a perfect V formation. E nā kānaka Hawai'i, it is time for us to choose to be like geese, flying in unity, honking words of encouragement, caring for each other. Pēnei kākou e holomua ai, then and only then can we move forward as kānaka maoli. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Mana'o Podcast.

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