What We Can Learn from Living on an Island

There’s just something about an Island.

Looking out from here, from this tiny speck of sand in the middle of the ocean – and from where I live, in Hawaii, the largest ocean on the planet - it’s easy to feel isolated.

Way …… out …… here … In the middle of nowhere. Separated from everything else on the globe.

I personally like that sensation! I also like how Island life can teach us about living life. For example …

SLOW DOWN. We’ve all experienced how, when visiting Hawaii or any other island, we start to slow down from the frenetic pace we lead on the Mainland and in other parts of the world. But, it affects those of us living here in the same way. “Hawaii Time” or the “manana” attitude is a real thing.

One of the reasons life moves slower on an island is because there is more immediate and intimate contact with Nature’s rhythms. Viewing the ocean through your office window or seeing a waterfall as you drive to an appointment, has an effect.

What slowing down really means is not racing for the future. Not rushing to what will be, what might be. It’s about BE-ing where we are, in the present moment. So, when we’re sitting in traffic on the freeway and gripping the steering wheel in frustration, instead of changing lanes to get there faster, we can relax and BE HERE and be witness to the clouds slowly gathering over the mountains, setting the stage for rainbows to appear.

Another lesson from Island life is that SMALL IS GOOD. When I moved back to Hawaii last summer after living on the Mainland for 20 years, I packed and shipped all my stuff. When I tried squeezing all … that … stuff into the smaller space of my new island home, I thought, “How much stuff do I really need? How much stuff is enough?” I’m still thinking about it.

An island’s geography can teach us about more than just small spaces and short distances. It can also give us perspective on other parameters in our lives. Like, where is the line between what we want and what we really need? When do we cross over into excess? When is less, more? Eventually, such questions help us to re-calibrate our lives and learn to choose quality over quantity. Keeping it small keeps it real.

Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from Island life is that WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT – or on the same speck of sand, as it were. With an island’s entire population living in close proximity to each other, it’s much easier to notice how our individual actions have an effect on everyone else.

Things are more personal on an Island. There’s no them here; it’s just us. As a result, people tend to be more courteous to one other. I’ve never seen more courteous drivers than in Hawaii. Before you even think of making a left turn, someone is waving you on.

Businesses seem to give better service, too. You’re not just a customer on an island, you’re a member of the same community. On an Island, reputations count.

Being in the same boat also leads to a sense of tolerance. This is especially true in Hawaii. With 99% of us having come here from somewhere else, we learn to not only tolerate our differences, but to appreciate our diversity. This creates a sense of trust, even good will. You might even call it “aloha.”

Ultimately, all these lessons – slowing down, small is good and we’re all in the same boat – are universal. Because the fact is that whether we live in Honolulu or in L.A., Tokyo, Paris or Buenos Aires, we all live on an Island. The island of our own self, afloat in the vast sea of humanity. The island of our own life, within the greater, global community.

And, though it may seem like we’re isolated, way… out … here on an Island, it’s an illusion. The waves that separate us from everyone else are the same waves that connect us to each other. Island to island. Shore to shore. Door to door.