nvi. Doubtful, undecided, dubious, uncertain; to doubt, hesitate, distrust; reluctance, doubt, hesitation. Members of the Territorial legislature abstained from voting by saying, “kānalua.rd; hoʻo.kā.nalua To cause doubt. Hoʻokānalu ʻole ʻia ʻo kona ʻoiaʻiʻo, there is no cause to doubt its truth.

So much focus going around about positive Hawaiian values such as:  haʻahaʻa (humility), lōkahi (harmony), aloha (love), kuleana (responsibility), mālama (protect/care for).  I am all for them, but how about we focus on a not so positive attribute for today’s He Momi.

Kānalua is the Hawaiian word for doubtful, that fine line you teeter totter on when you can’t come to a decision you feel pono about (to do what is right).  Or when you aren’t really sure about doing or saying something.  That is kānalua.  Probably the most important part of kānalua is the “lua” part, meaning two (yes, lua also refers to toilet but not in this context).    When you are kānalua there are usually two things pulling back and forth in your thoughts, like a tug of war match, or hukihuki.  A lot of that going on when you are kānalua about something.

Members of the Territorial legislature abstained from voting by saying, “kānalua.”

This He Momi came to mind as I was reading the book, “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel.  Therein was a great quote:

“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”

Here are some Hawaiian phrases using our He Momi of the day:

Hoʻokānalua ʻole ʻia ʻo kona ʻoiaʻiʻo – there is no cause to doubt its truth.

Mai kānalua o hala ʻē ka Puʻulena – Don’t be unsure lest you lose the opportunity.

Ua kānalua ʻo ia i kāna ipo – She was uncertain about her sweetheart.

Don’t be so kānalua in your own life. Make your choices. Or your choices will be made for you.  As Steve Jobs so eloquently said in his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

You got this.

Copyright: 2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.