Communicating Authentically

I took a break from writing for a couple of weeks and now that I’m back, I’m consumed by the sad news of the fires on Maui. As I watch news of the devastation on TV, I find myself thinking about the words of the great prophet, Don Henley: 

You can leave it all behind

Sail to Lahaina

Just like the missionaries did

So many years ago

They even brought a neon sign

“Jesus is coming”

Brought the white man’s burden down

Brought the white man’s reign

Who will provide the grand design?

What is yours and what is mine?

‘Cause there is no more new frontier

We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs

And justify our bloody deeds

In the name of destiny

And in the name of God

And you can see them there

On Sunday morning

Stand up and sing about

What it’s like up there

They call it paradise

I don’t know why

You call someplace paradise

Kiss it goodbye

(Lyrics from “The Last Resort” from the Eagles album Hotel California)

Lahaina was once an important 19th century whaling port, where sailors would land to drink grog and meet women. Around the same time, members of Hawaii’s reigning family were being courted by with Protestant missionaries, who believed, like Rudyard Kipling (noted imperialist and white supremicist) the “white man’s burden” was to civilize the savage brown people so they would act more like white people, mostly through Christianity. The ali’i invited the missionaries to come to Lahaina.

But when native people realized the opportunity to make money by entertaining the randy sailors, they were thwarted by Hawaiian chiefs who imposed and enforced strict curfews and laws against sex work. Soon the whaling ships began shelling the town in retaliation. A fort was built to protect the townspeople, who no doubt thought, “Everything was fine until all you haoles showed up.”

Soon the ali’i died off, the missionaries slunk away, and for centuries Lahaina has been a mecca for tourists, a testament to the great god money. Only the 150-year old banyan tree in the center of town remembers what used to be. Now the town is burned to the ground, its residents displaced, and many are dead. It’s unclear if the banyan tree will survive.  

And while human behavior may not be the only cause for the wildfires on Maui, I have no doubt that is the overwhelming reason. It’s well established that human-caused climate change creates the heat and tinder for out-of-control wildfires through ongoing drought. This is exacerbated by hurricane conditions, also heavily  impacted by global warming, and highly combustible non-native plants brought to the islands by outsiders. 

One of the reasons I became interested in witchcraft was to learn to be more attentive to how my environment – the earth, moon and planets – impacts me and how my live impacts the environment. What has happened to Lahaina is, to me, a clear lesson that we all have to start controlling our impact on the environment, because there is no Planet B.

If you want to help the victims of the Lahaina wildfire, the Washington Post has gathered some reputable organizations accepting donations:

• The Office of the Governor of Hawaii has directed donors to the Hawaii Community Foundation.
• Verified fundraisers on GoFundMe are raising money to help residents rebuild and recover.
• Shoppers in Hawaii can make donations of up to $249 at their nearest Foodland, which is accepting donations at checkout to support the American Red Cross.
• The Maui Mutual Aid Fund is accepting donations to support Maui families, elderly residents, people with disabilities and those with limited or no insurance.
• Aloha United Way, a Honolulu-based nonprofit organization, has created the Maui Relief Fund that will go directly toward efforts supporting victims of the fires.
• The Salvation Army’s Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division is accepting donations to provide meals for thousands displaced in Maui emergency shelters.
• The Maui Food Bank is providing meals for thousands of displaced residents.
• The Hawaii Restaurant Association is organizing donations and volunteer efforts on Maui and Oahu. You can sign up to join relief efforts on Maui here, or fill in forms to help evacuees transported to Oahu here.
• Animal shelters including Maui Humane Society and Hawaiian Humane Society are helping injured and displaced animals as well as assisting in reuniting missing pets with owners.