A wee little friend at San Damiano, Danville, CA[/caption]Mālama is a word we hear often in our island culture: Mālama I ke Kai (Protect the Sea), Mālama ʻAina (Protect the Land), Mālamalama (light of knowledge lit. protected light). Mālama is often translated as "to protect or care for" ; it implies maintaining a sense of sustainability when it comes to this protection or care.
Sustainability has become a key word in our cultural vocabulary and certainly a commercial buzz word. Often linked to words such as "green" or "renewable", "sustainability" has long been associated with a kind of "granola" movement- associated with a variety of efforts such as recycling and composting. Once the niche market of a few home gardens and local farmers, organic farming is now big business. As individuals and families, more and more look for organically grown fruits and vegetables, drink milk from organically fed (and purportedly happier) cows, buy eggs from cage-free, free range chickens, bake with organic flour and whole grains, get fish from sustainable hatcheries or fisheries.
Sustainability in these product areas implies a connection between the farmer and the field, the rancher and the herd, the fisherman and the sea. We have done much in the history of the human race to subdue the earth- we carved out of the earth fields with irrigation; that makes the dessert produce richly; cast nets large and small to reap the harvest of the sea; tamed beasts of the field and used them to tow the plow, hunted others and later raised them for food.
The Book of Genesis says that in the beginning that after God created the heavens and the earth and populated it with the creatures of the land, the sky and the sea, God created humankind “God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ “ (Gen 1:28) When it comes to the key words of “subdue” and “dominion” itʻs important to understand the context in which these two words exist. In Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, “kevash” means to subdue as in to literally place the foot not neck of your conquered enemy signifying the submission of the conquered enemy. “Radah” the Hebrew verb to “have dominion” or “rule” is a little different than the common understanding of ruling over a people. “Radah” is related to other words which have meanings to descend or to wander. The implication of this verb is to literally rule by wandering among the subjects as an equal.
What God commends to us then in “kavash” and “radah” is to rule over the earth and its creation not as a dictator, but as a benevolent leader- a steward and a caretaker leader who is in relationship with all of creation. Mālama.
We need to return to the heart of Mālama-to protect and to care for the relationships that allow us live and grow. It is a grave sin to continue to consume and consume with abandon simply thinking there will always be. We need to reduce, reuse, and recycle not because its a trendy slogan, but because it is the right thing But itʻs more than simply buying organic, or belonging to co-op, or joining a CSA. Mālama pono means to take care or be right. Most important is to protect and care for spiritual and the human connections in our lives. These last relationships are the ones that enable us to be resilient in the wake of loss, rejection, or hardship.
We are called to be sustainable people, to live not only with aloha, but also pono (moral right-ness). With Godʻs help, we will live in right relationships with the ʻaina, the land, with moana, the ocean, and kekahi i kekahi, with one another. Mālama pono.
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