In the early nineteenth century King Kamehameha united the Hawaiian Islands. Imagine. It was not a time of drones or powered warships. Outriggers. No manufacturing base to make guns. No. King Kamehameha bargained for weapons with those who would find shelter and trade in his harbor. He was both smart and patient. Kauai capitulated without a struggle just from the thought of war with the great king.
So, in 1819 with the islands unified under his rule, Kamehameha was a king in control of Hawaiians’ destiny. And then a “red tide,” you know, a bloom of dinoflagellates like the toxic Karenia brevis, floated into Honolulu harbor. Bad sign. Omen, in fact. Kamehameha died within two days. Before he died, however, he was able to utter, “Endless is the good I leave you to enjoy.”
We will all face a “red tide” some day, that is, some event that precedes our demise. For some the event will occur moments before and will be a cause of death, as in a wreck. For others, the event will last hours, days, weeks, or months, as in a lingering cancer. Maybe we should all think of an approaching “red tide” as a constant in life. After all, death is inevitable.
With that end in mind, wouldn’t it be great if we could say to those whose destiny we have influenced, even now in the bloom of our own lives, “Endless is the good I leave you to enjoy.”
So, in 1819 with the islands unified under his rule, Kamehameha was a king in control of Hawaiians’ destiny. And then a “red tide,” you know, a bloom of dinoflagellates like the toxic Karenia brevis, floated into Honolulu harbor. Bad sign. Omen, in fact. Kamehameha died within two days. Before he died, however, he was able to utter, “Endless is the good I leave you to enjoy.”
We will all face a “red tide” some day, that is, some event that precedes our demise. For some the event will occur moments before and will be a cause of death, as in a wreck. For others, the event will last hours, days, weeks, or months, as in a lingering cancer. Maybe we should all think of an approaching “red tide” as a constant in life. After all, death is inevitable.
With that end in mind, wouldn’t it be great if we could say to those whose destiny we have influenced, even now in the bloom of our own lives, “Endless is the good I leave you to enjoy.”
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