LAHAINA ON THE LINE

I came across a book by H.G. Creel in a little shop in Lahaina, “Chinese Thought”, and looked over the contents, then read the last chapter of the book written in 1953. The author stated that the culture had always sought contentment, rather than a rat race, as a preferable life experience.

For some odd reason this man’s name led me to come up with the name Harley Creel. I put him in a note in my notes, Harley Creel, during that vacation, sitting in the Pioneer Inn, in the harbor, being content in the atmosphere of a pleasant moment in life.

Lahaina today faces that East/West conundrum, a search for contentment makes sense for a human life that is treasured, while the rat race mentality produces a reach for endless progress, a life of struggle for advantage that has its rewards.

What Harley and I liked about Lahaina, and Maui, was the welcoming nature of the community, it didn’t have a commercial, almighty dollar feel to it, which made it a memorable experience for both of us.

Contentment, and the value of community, that is the sense of loss Lahaina lives with today, real estate speculators filling the scene with their concepts of commerce first, people second.

8/31/23