The Future Starts Now

By Virginia Beck

A sunset at Kalalau Beach.

Every future begins now, right here, with everything just like this. Really. Not what we expected, but here it is. Turned upside down by the catastrophe of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Four million cases in the United States. And we are adding another million faster and faster. More than 70,000 new cases daily.

It took 45 days to go from one million to two million. Then only 27 days to leap to three million. Now, it takes only 15 days to add a million. Notice how it spreads more rapidly.

This isn’t a world record we are proud to hold. More than 141,000 deaths of Americans. Each one was a family treasure.

Despite the fact many are surviving, those who do survive, find their bodies changed for life. And we still know very little. Antibodies don’t last. The new vaccines are not tested for the elders. They are designed for younger people, and they are the future.

None of us will ever have the lives we lived before. We are at the tipping point for a new world, and each of us has a chance to build something new, stronger, more resilient. We can improve on the mistakes of the past and use lessons from around the world to see how success elsewhere might be useful here. New technologies, and new ways of thinking about old problems.

If we do it in the same way as in the past, we will fail. For this brave new world, we need to do it better, greener, and consider the legacy we are leaving for the coming generations.

Writing this in July, I have been watching the world climate for months, following important climate change news. We don’t have much time to turn the rudder and sail our canoe into a safe harbor, a canoe we will likely have to build from scratch.

The pandemic is hitting us hard, since the visitor industry, hospitality, restaurants and activity businesses are all shut down. More of us are unemployed, and more of us are at home. While we do have the privilege of the beaches and ocean, we still have to practice safety.

We do not want Kaua‘i to become Waikiki. Nature’s finest jewel on the planet, the Garden Isle, is unique. So many endangered species and unique features. Huge portions of forests on this planet are disappearing at enormous rates. The ability to manage carbon footprints, prevent shorelines from eroding and washing away our roadways and harbors depends on each of us.

Managing plastics and all products that are not renewable becomes a greater problem. It all ends up in the oceans. Batteries should be rechargeable. Fertilizer and pesticides from agriculture and golf courses wash into the ocean, killing coral reefs and ocean creatures. Corals eat plastics. They prefer it. Fishing nets clutter the tidelines. Fish eat plastic. Then you eat them.

As we rethink our place on this tiny miracle of an island, whether we are a visitor or a local resident, we need to see how we can give back to the island and to each other. Education is something we can do online.

Learn about our native plants, the native Hawaiian culture, and respect the lifeguards and the protective warning signs that tell you not to go into certain places. Preserve the legacy we are leaving for the future.

We will all pass on. The Kaua’i belongs to the future, and we pass through for such a short time. The future is our kuleana to manage for next generations. It is up to us to act wisely, choose leaders who think deeply about the impacts of their acts, and be sure to vote.

Aloha makes us great forever.

• Virginia Beck, NP and Certified Trager® Practitioner, offers Wellness Consultation, Trager Psychophysical Integration and teaches Malama Birth Training classes. She can be reached at 635-5618.