Part of the way that each of us walks, I think, is a matter of culture. The culture into which you are born and raised often has a lot to do with the qualities you bring to the way you walk in the world and interact with other people. Many of your highest aspirations come from it.
PRODUCT: (book) QUIET INFLUENCE: The Introvert’s Guide to Making a Difference Author: Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2013) Hawaiians have a name for them, kanaka makua, the quiet people who live out their lives without fanfare and who do their best to support the efforts of the people around them.
Pono is a Hawaiian word that is usually translated as “righteousness.” It is a bit more than that. It is a way of walking through the world that is centered and balanced. It’s the way a kanaka makua, a mature person, walks. Mary Kawena Puku’i, one of our most beloved elders and an exemplary example of a kanaka makua, worked with Western scholars to document and preserve the nuances of Hawaiian thought. Here’s how she described such a person: “A…
