In response to Judge a People by Their Language, it was pointed out to me that I missed a very important word with more than one meaning.
Unforgivably, not only is it a word most of us know, most of us (think we) know all of the meanings, and I even mentioned its place of origin in a footnote added to that post later.
Shame on me.
That word is, of course, aloha.
I was taught aloha means hello, good-bye, and love.
According to Wikipedia, it means affection, peace, compassion and mercy, with hello and good-bye being added to the usage by Westerners.
For others, aloha has a much deeper meaning. This Deeper Meaning of Aloha, the Aloha Spirit, is considered a way of life, perhaps even a religion. Without going into the lengthy description of the the Aloha Spirit, I think it can be summed up as finding a personal respect for, and a synergy with, life and the people and things around you.
This feeling of Aloha is so pervasive throughout Hawaii that it is officially recognized by the government and actively pursued by local law enforcement (pun intended).
So once again, I find myself wondering if you can judge a people by their language…