Think Global, Act Local

The root word of global means circular. Thinking global means to think in a non linear way. We need leadership who thinks globally, meaning in an interrelated way (Global communion, Universal Intimacy). What we have in the past is linear thinking leadership. Meaning one dimensional thinkers. Getting one dimensional outcomes.

Thinking global means involving the whole. Thats what it means to be holistic. In order to be holistic you have to come out of the box. Today we have many environmental issues because we are still in the human box. In academic language it is called anthropocentrism.

Anthropocentrism, philosophical viewpoint arguing that human beings are the central or most significant entities in the world. This is a basic belief embedded in many Western religions and philosophies.

Many of these Western religions and philosophies bleed into our political and educational institutions. Which creates a society that is obsessed with itself. The glorification of humanity has become the desolation of the environment.

In Hawaii we see this desolation in real time dramatic effect. While only comprising of less than once percent of the United States land mass, Hawaiʻi contains 44% of the nations endangered and threatened plant species.

Indigenous cultures around the world, including our very own kanaka maoli think circular. They are global thinkers. Not linear as compared to our modern western worldview. More specifically, Hawaiians thought like an ahupuaʻa. An ahupuaʻa is the basic self-sustaining unit that extended elements of Hawaiian spirituality into the natural landscape. They were in intimate relationship with the flora and fauna, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. These elemental forces, natural vibration, universal conscious expressions were deeply embedded in how Native Hawaiians thought and acted.

Today we need come back to an ancient Hawaiian proverb “nānā I ke kumu” (look to the source). We need multidimensional thinkers in our spheres of society. Spheres of society such as government, education, religion, family, arts, and entertainment.

During this cultural revival here in Hawaiʻi. Let us learn to think global. Let us as Hawaii people think like an ahupuaʻa.

Support the Podcast here:
https://www.patreon.com/samperalta

Podcast co-production and music by Sam Litchfield: samlitchfieldmusic.com