The groups in opposition on the mountain aren’t true enemies. Their core spirits overlap. There’s an “outside world” manipulating conflict.
Entities not present on the mountain have spiritually and physically pushed the protectors into a circle of last resort, and placed the explorers of the universe on the mountain top as human shields for their worldly gain and spiritual disdain.
The protectors’ and explorers’ hearts are set on seeking answers and holding on to places where answers are found.
The answers they seek — and indeed, the seeking — are not valued anymore. They are cast aside in today’s cacophony of “I, me, and mine.”
We are one human race. We are as wonderfully diverse and interconnected as this great Earth, as this great universe.
We as a race are in trouble. Maunakea represents our trouble.
We’ve striven to imitate, represent and re-live the awe felt when touched by a spirit in laughter of an infant, the infinite expanse of a dark sky night, the roar and rumble of a lava river, a smile of a loved one, or the last breath of a mother or father. Our minds and hands created wonderful things. Over time the things we created became more important than what we were trying to represent, until there was absolutely no connection between what we created and the awesome creation of our race and our universe.
Our seeking answers about the spirit in laughter of a child turned into seeking things bringing brief smiles to us, and possibly, a child. We lost the awe and wonder of the infinite night sky and the star dust that is in each and every one of us. Rather than seeking with all our hearts our true spirit of our race, we turned away from and ignored each other, and our planet.
Our enemy is not among the protectors or the explorers. Our enemy is the selfish limiting of our vision, and the walls we’ve allowed to be built up around our hearts by others. We no longer feel us – only I, me, and mine.
From the mountain top we must see the limits of our planet. We must re-exercise our unlimited capacity to love, to work and create an incredible world with each other, for each other.
As for us, we hope a millennium from now, a child with a molecule of our DNA will look up into a revered mountain night sky, be struck in awe and wonder, and joyfully seek answers of the loving spirit of our God.
Robert and Judy Ripp are residents of Kealakekua
