While others think of paradise, I think of a utopia. These situations differ from one another for one main reason: a paradise is completely tangible, while the utopia that I speak of is a hypothetical idea that exists in the minds of those who want it, and want it badly. I speak of and for the voice of Hawaii.

Cast aside as “radical” and “too liberal,” Hawaiians have voices that too often appear to have been lost in many different ways, both in and out of the scope of today’s media. Housing is continuing to appear on our land amid much protest and many complaints.

Of course, there are many non-Hawaiians living in Hawaii that are deservedly regarded as local, but there are many more that move to this exotic paradise, completely disregarding the sanctity of our land and culture. If these people out-bid us in our own land, there will be no one to endorse the strength, dignity, and righteousness of our islands that are held in such an intricate balance.

Local farmers are averring that the development of homes out in Ewa, where the land is optimal for the growth of plants necessary for the health of our indigenous people, should be saved for its greatest potential. When the people of the land lose their land, much more harm is done than good.

The good that will arise with the revival of medicinal herbs will be incredibly astounding. Hawaiian plants are believed to have multiple health benefits, so many, in fact, that they would surely make over an entire year’s worth of Dr. Oz episodes. These plants also possess a certain beauty that (nearly) qualifies the touristy tag of “tropical,” their vibrant hues matching the rainbows of our isles.

Growing fresh produce will also be extremely charitable to another utopian goal of seed sovereignty in order to eliminate the notoriously dependent statistics of Hawaii’s food imports. While supporting local farmers who are currently struggling with the dubiously high prices of land, local produce will also improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Hawaii, who are haunted by obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other health risks due to the influx of unhealthy and foreign food. The health of Hawaii is an extremely important quandary that must be fixed, especially with the old stereotype of Hawaiians being fat and lazy.

Another issue correlated with the lack of Hawaiian voices is one that I myself have recently encountered on Nov. 28, also known as Lā Kū‘oko‘a, which is Independence Day in Hawaii. Much to my astonishment, more than a quick Google search was needed to find results on the monumental holiday, which England and France once recognized prior to the illegal annexation and overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

Although Hawaii is no longer independent and should therefore (yet arguably) not be recognized as such, there has been a recent campaign to bring back the holiday to once again legally be recognized. This will be a huge leap in the representation of Hawaii in the news, which will be worth so much more than publicity of the anti-TMT movement, a scrupulous struggle that some people are reluctant to support. I have encountered multiple people who are tired of hearing news coverage and seeing mainstream Instagram and Facebook posts because they have not fully identified the root of the issue that grounds itself in the weight of an incredibly sacred mountain.

Along with the growth of direct Hawaiian voices in media, I believe that the community of Hawaii will expand to even greater heights with all of those who are willing to yield their spirit to what I can only describe as pure and unrestricted energy that surges from a sense of belonging. This energy is unbounded, and I therefore cannot concentrate on a topic narrower than the eclectic subject area that I am currently writing on in this particular piece.

The entire nation of Hawaii belongs to the land that has stood in these waters longer than we can comprehend, and the voices of this nation have the right to be heard, especially in whichever tongue the speaker feels the most affluent in speaking.

It has been my personal statement to defy stereotypes that have been served to me on a dish even before I have ordered. I, along with many others, refuse to conform to statistics or surmises that lead us to the pre-ordained fate of the complacent majority.

We exist as one of the greatest minorities in the world, but that does not mean our voices should remain oppressed in the land of luridly glistening skyscrapers. Entropy will always increase in our universe, and so our land will continue to be developed on until entropy circles back around to the beginning and rebirth of the land, where buildings erode away, and the ways of living in Hawaii are once again raised to its splendor. This vision begins with the voices of Hawaii, and perhaps our utopia is not as far off as we believe, but is rather as palpable as the interwoven hands of ka lāhui o Hawaii.