I received an email yesterday requesting that the family write letters for my uncle's Circuit Court Judge confirmation hearing in the Hawai'i Senate. I was eager to get my letter started but when I sat down I drew a blank. I started off introducing myself but it sounded like a poorly written cover letter. Then I tried connecting myself to my uncle by saying he's my dad's youngest brother and all I could think of was LAME! So I erased everything and decided to wait for some inspiration. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait long, especially since this letter is due next Thursday.
My inspiration came while eating lunch and thinking about recent happenings back home. The first thing that came to my mind was a saying that my dad used when he was campaigning for Representative. So'o le fau ma le fau. To tie two pieces of fau together. In working together, we can accomplish great things. Now that I have a basis for my letter, I feel I can write pieces here and there and still complete it by Thursday. While I am extremely proud of my uncle and his accomplishments, my mind turns to the tragic shooting back home in American Samoa.
It's obvious our 'fau' as a people is not tied as strongly as we once believed. Reading bits and pieces of information and with the understanding this happened even AFTER a favorable outcome for the guilty party, a person deemed it necessary to shoot and kill a police officer. How are we supposed to accomplish great things when we're killing each other over who knows what? Granted, we are a proud people and killing is nothing new. It has happened before. But why this and why now? Instead of breaking each other down, why not uplift? What's wrong with saying, doing, feeling, acting out something positive? If we are to continue as a strong, proud people, we need to remind ourselves that we are one; we are Samoa.
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