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Hawaii’s Pandemic Suicide?

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By Joe Knox

October 20, 2020
11:09 pm
Los Angeles, CA

It is supposed to be amazing here. With no tourists around every day, can be an adventure, but only if you decide it so. A lot of people used to work for the tourist industry. Now they just surf every day, and contemplate surfing, breakdancing, skateboarding and Qi Gong. We all wonder when they will allow tourists back. But the date keeps getting kicked down the road. Meanwhile my friend’s been on furlough since March. The beach scene is everything. Local communities of aquatics enthusiasts. Happy children and mothers. No Tourists. All locals. “I Haven’t met so many people at one time since I came to the island years ago,” another local confided in me; and even though it was very crowded, the surf was excellent that day. “Drown

It is supposed to be amazing here.

With no tourists around every day, can be an adventure, but only if you decide it so. A lot of people used to work for the tourist industry. Now they just surf every day, and contemplate surfing, breakdancing, skateboarding and Qi Gong. We all wonder when they will allow tourists back. But the date keeps getting kicked down the road. Meanwhile my friend’s been on furlough since March.

The beach scene is everything. Local communities of aquatics enthusiasts. Happy children and mothers. No Tourists. All locals. “I Haven’t met so many people at one time since I came to the island years ago,” another local confided in me; and even though it was very crowded, the surf was excellent that day. “Drown your sorrows in the emerald waters.” a local business owner told me. He’s had to quick sale his vacation rentals, and struggle to keep his boat. His tourism-based boating business used to take people out to see manta rays, whales, whale sharks, dolphins, turtles, and commercial fish.

There haven’t been significant amounts of tourists at the Four Seasons resort in 6 months. How can my friend continue to be furloughed past the eight-month mark, and still make ends meet? My friend tells me: “I’m going back to San Jose to help my girlfriends family run their karate Dojo.” It’s a famous one. I’m sad because he’s the only other breakdown on this side of the island.

“Then I have to give you all the surf stuffs before leave.” We lament as we chat on the beach, watching the waves come in.

“There’s schools of Manini the size of plates, on the inside at the rock!” I hear from a young surf kid. It’s a savvy piece of knowledge to know where the good fishing is. Something the youngster isn’t learning in school. “Virtual class is a waste of time. I can feel my 9-10-year-old kids getting stupider.” Another teacher confides in me. Yet for me virtual class has gone surprisingly well. “My High school kids huddle into my online swamp, but only because I sing songs to them and talk in funny voices.” I’m a professional comedian, but also, I think high schoolers can handle online school better that the rest.

“It feels like I enter the barren wild every time I leave a diameter greater than 10 miles.” exclaims my “nephew.” The scenery is vast beautiful and expansive. You forget you live on an island. It’s that big. And remote. My young nephew proceeds to break his ankle riding the Kona skate park for the first time. “When the pandemic hit, all the kids started skating.” I wonder what else kids should do at this point. Skating seems reasonable.

“Hawaii is committing suicide with its “cargo-cult level bullshit” travel restrictions.” A local story reports from the island of Oahu. Even public servants like teachers, police officers and firefighters are paid from tourist dollars. I wonder how long the state of Hawaii can remain solvent.

When I take a step back and allow all these pieces of news to collect in my mind. I think to myself: “Yes the world is transforming, including Hawaii. Some things for the worse and some things for the better. And Pain is part of the process.”