five mile hike up the North Tip Oahu

After a 5 mi hike up the rocks in the North tip followed by watching massive waves in the Pipeline at sunset, I’m warming up towards the Island. I see polarities wherever I go, and I usually look at the downsides first and ask if they are easy to fix. This is my design. I used to think about myself in terms of “shallow” psychology, such as positive and negative thinking, self-esteem, and “ego.” Either I had those things or I didn’t.

I have come to see the world and myself differently now that I study “the psyche” more deeply and in a combination of multiple disciplines. I still think about “I and me,” but I also look at places and situations from the collective wellbeing point of view. A different question is if this could be an act of a “persona” again, who believes that he knows what is best for everyone. It’s part of my work to keep these things in balance.

I feel that I understand Hawaii better now. It can be hard to see through the flock of tourists from the mainland and Japan. Through the atmosphere of young surfer pride. Teenage girls posting bikini selfies on Instagram. And I still don’t agree with the price. I’ve seen before the similar appearance, multiplied by social challenges, but with a different markup. I guess it takes being the 50th state of America to have beautiful nature, mediocre infrastructure, and the highest cost of living all at the same time.