Yesterday was King Kamehameha day celebrating King Kamehameha I. King Kamehameha is best known for unifying the Hawaiian Islands into a single kingdom. As I was reading more about King Kamehameha and learning about his life and his impact on Hawaii, I started to think about unity or lōkahi (pronounced: loh-kah-hee). 

Lōkahi to me means community, of everyone coming together to take care of one another. For me it isn’t about two opposing sides coming together as if ending some sort of feud. It is about a mutual respect for each other and the desire to make things better for the greater good. It doesn’t mean that we have to think the same way, or do things the same way. That is what makes people so interesting is how unique we all are!

But lōkahi seems to be missing in our world these days. Last night, for the first time, my neighbors and I decided to do an impromptu happy hour. On a lovely summer evening, 8 neighbors …..with different backgrounds, different experiences and different stages in life…. had snacks, drank some wine and laughed…a lot. That is lōkahi. 

What are you doing to build more lōkahi?

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