Sitka’s second of three March Against Monsanto Movie nights was a huge success. We discussed the upcoming march on May 25th. Then we watched the movie, Molokai MOM – Standing Up To GMO.
Following the movie we Skyped with Imani Altemus-Williams.
Imani shared her passionate involvement in the battle to reclaim the original Hawaiian paradise that is being destroyed by modern agro-chemical biotech “farming.” At the tender age of 23, Imani possesses wisdom far beyond her years. And she shares her wisdom with grace, beauty, and classic Hawaiian pono.
There is no direct English translation for the word pono. The Hula Master Pattye Kealohalani Wright describes the traits of a person who is pono. Some of these traits include:
• “perfect alignment and balance with all things in life”
• “perfect relationship with the creative energy of the universe”
• “complete harmony and alignment with your custodial relationship with the earth” and
• “caretaker of the land.”
What an awesome word! The people who had the privilege of listening to and talking with Imani would surely agree that Imani is pono.
Monsanto and gang do their best to convince good-hearted people that world-wide famine awaits us, and that the only solution to global starvation is a global infestation of genetically modified organisms and poisons. Twenty years of data now confirms: GMOs don’t produce more food. They do, however, produce record profits for Monsanto. They also produce genetic contamination, chemical pollution, serious and even lethal health effects, and corporate control of the world’s food supply.
The data confirm what we always knew in our hearts: There is something inherently wrong with a food system that turns food into poison for profit, then saturates that poisoned food with more poisons for profit, then sells that twice-poisoned unlabeled food to unsuspecting people for profit.
We would never sit at the dinner table and say, “Please pass the poisons.” Yet that is exactly what we do when we ask for genetically modified, poison saturated food.
If pono is defined as a perfect alignment and balance with all things in life, a perfect relationship with the creative energy of the universe, complete harmony and alignment with our custodial relationship with the earth, and caretaker of the land, then Monsanto is not pono. Biotechnology is not pono. RoundUp is not pono. Monocultures are not pono. Cancer is not pono. Birth defects are not pono. Corruption is not pono. Lying is not pono. Dead birds, bees, and butterflies are not pono. Superweeds and superbugs are not pono. Fighting GMO labeling is not pono. Buying governments and politicians is not pono. Controlling the media is not pono. Intimidating independent scientists is not pono. Conducting scam research is not pono. Predatory philanthropy is not pono. Staging fake parades is not pono. Child labor is not pono. Bribery is not pono. And killing people is not pono.
People like Imani Altemus-Williams, Mercy Ritte, Walter Ritte, Forest Shomer, Justin Zern, thousands of other Hawaiians, and millions of people around the world are pono.
Ultimately, when enough people awaken to the spirit of pono, we will rise up and recognize that we are a part of nature. We will honor, defend, and protect the Earth as we would our mothers, because the Earth is indeed our common Mother.
May the people of the world unite with Hawaiians who already eat and breathe pono. May Hawaiian breath circulate spirit and life throughout the world. May we soon open our eyes and hearts. May we live in complete harmony and alignment with our custodial relationship with the earth and may we fulfill our stewardship as caretakers of the land. May we be pono.
Mahalo nui loa, Hawaii!
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Hawaiian Photo Credits: Justin Zern
