In the afternoon of Saturday September 2, 2017, I moved my work from my home to Starbucks in Waipio, Hawaii. I gave it a shot to try and finish an analysis on another redline of the contract for our land deal. I spent 4.25 hours, but it looks like I have to continue later. My energy level has been boosted though. I love my Apple MacBook Pro, which allows me to work anywhere and anytime!!! Let’s go some more!!!
Is peace forever elusive? It seems, so long as there are humans, there will always be those who hurt others emotionally and physically. Yet, it is the energy of negative people that fires up the power of those who are positive. With bad people, as much as their acts feels terrible, they make the world more challenging and gives the good people a greater purpose. If the world was perfect, we may take things for granted because there would be less bad experiences to compare to, and there would be no need for heroes. So long as there are people who harm others with words or might, it is the hero in all of us who will keep the world tipped towards compassion, empathy, and love.
On August 30, 2017, I had a meeting at the State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation, Airports Division. In some ways, I’m continuing where my grandfather Maurice Karamatsu left off in his career at Hawaiian Airlines, Duty Free Shoppers, and the world of politics and business. Like him, I’m building projects around the sector of air transportation. It’s like he’s with me, guiding me through the ups and downs. Also, I’m lucky to have great business partners who strive for a win-win and the greater good.
Starbucks is the company I go to, to develop my mind. 24 Hour Fitness is the company I go to, to develop my body. Jon Riki Karamatsu is the company I go to, to develop my soul. Sending you positive energy in all that you pursue!!! (This is how I cruise at my house, Hawaiian style. 😁🤙).
My friend Brandon Mitsuda gave me a good luck piggy bank to attract capital, cookbook with recipes from the top chefs in Hawaii, and a beverage to be drank for wins along the journey. I’m motivated to keep working hard every day, enjoy life, and have gratitude for the opportunities and little wins along the way.
As my 5-year old niece Elyse says since she was 2 years old, “I’m so happy!” I’m so happy to finish drafting a 75-page business plan that was overhauled to include 48 more pages of data, strategy, and content; and 6 financial spreadsheets for a project my business partners and I are moving closer to launching after 1 year and 10 months of sweat equity work. Gratitude for the small wins.
Jodo Mission of Hawaii’s Bon Dance on Saturday August 18 and 19, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii was a success. It feels so good to support culture and tradition that make Hawaii and our country so unique for all to enjoy! I’m honored to serve as President of Jodo Mission of Hawaii for the past 7 years and board member for the past 12 years.
The food was great with barbecue sticks, saimin, gyoza, chili and rice, andagi (Okinawan donuts), shave ice, and more. The dancers and taiko did performed well. I’m sure our ancestors are happy.
Mahalo to everyone who volunteered, and to all who came to enjoy the festivities! See you next year and may peace be with you and all those you touch.
Last day for Jodo Mission of Hawaii’s Bon Dance is today, Saturday August 19, 2017 from 6:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. at 1429 Maliki Street, Honolulu, Hawaii; food booths open from 4:30 P.M. The office number is 808-949-3995.
The Jodo Mission of Hawaii Bon Dance will be today August 18 and tomorrow 19, 2017 from 6:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. at 1429 Maliki Street, Honolulu, Hawaii; food booths open 4:30 P.M. for both nights, with Jizo bon prayer service at 5:45 P.M. on August 18, 2017. The office number is 808-949-3995.
(Besides practicing business law and entrepreneurship, I am working hard to expand myself and get out of my comfort zone by being vulnerable with my creative writing, fiction writing, nonfiction writing, poems, quotes, and photography, which has given me comfort and joy, and I hope it does for you too.)
We put up the yagura for the Bon Dance at Jodo Mission of Hawaii on Sunday August 13, 2017 from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M., followed by a lunch. The Jodo Mission of Hawaii Bon Dance will be on August 18 and 19, 2017 from 6:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. at 1429 Maliki Street, Honolulu, Hawaii; food booths open 4:30 P.M. for both nights, with Jizo bon prayer service at 5:45 P.M. on August 18, 2017. The office number is 808-949-3995.
Waiting for members of the 💔💖 club to share what I’ve learned in my journey of self-reflection. I’m trying to attain a higher level of inner peace. Transcend past all that we desire and all that pains us, and have gratitude for what currently exists around us.
Yesterday, August 3, 2017, I treated myself to Dunkin Donuts as a reward after I finished drafting a 28-page legal and business analysis for a land deal my business partners and I are trying to execute for a start-up company we are building. I worked 3 days in a row at Starbucks in Waipio typing this document for 7 to 8 hours straight a day. Dunkin Donuts recently opened a store near Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, making its return back to the State of Hawaii. I gave my mom 2.5 donuts today when she came by to drop off food she made.
Sleep is key to our physical and mental health. It provides us the energy to exercise, work, and enjoy the day. Sleep also gives us the energy to overcome challenges. When I bought my place in 2003, I purchased a Simmons plush bed, which has foam and isolated pocket springs that has great back support and isolates movement, allowing me to continue to sleep even with movement on the other side. My bed is so comfortable.
I attended Jodo Mission of Hawaii’s Obon Services for all of our ancestors on July 23, 2017 with my parents and younger sister Lara. We also prayed to the souls suffering.
The wooden plank with my family name is our Karamatsu family otoba for my grandpa Maurice Karamatsu and grandma Bessie Karamatsu, great grandpa Yutaro Karamatsu and great grandma Shima Karamatsu (immigrated to Hawaii, United States from Yamaguchi, Japan sometime in the 1890s), and ancestors for obon services at Jodo Mission of Hawaii on July 23, 2017.
After the service, there was a nice taiko performance by Dragon Beat, a tenant at Jodo Mission of Hawaii.
Pictured just before getting picked up by my good friend Allen Yadao who I met while we served as Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys, to eat at Doraku in Kaka’ako, Honolulu, Hawaii, followed by the Mike Epps comedy show across the street at Blaisdell Concert Hall on July 22, 2017.
My good friend Allen Yadao and I at the Mike Epps comedy show at Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 22, 2017. Earlier, we ate at Doraku in Kaka’ako, Honolulu, Hawaii. Allen and I quickly became friends while we served as Honolulu Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park on July 20, 2017 at the age of 41. He was also the lead singer for Dead By Sunrise and fronted Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015. His voice had a great range for melodic top 40 tracks to the hard screaming sounds of rock and roll that sometimes blended with rap by Mike Shinoda, the other frontman of Linkin Park.
Chester was authentic and open about his life, the struggles of his childhood when his parents became divorced, being sexually abused by an individual older than him, and getting bullied in school. He let out his frustration and suffering in his art and music. Much of his struggle resonates in the lyrics of the songs he helped write and through the sound of his voice. However, Chester also turned to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain. Even with his rise into a rockstar with amazing bands, he faced depression until he took his life.
As a politician in Hawaii, I worked on the issues of bullying, sex abuse, drugs, and mental health. I continued with some of this work while a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Legislative Liaison at the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu. I left public service after being charged by the police for driving under the influence when I was stopped at a roadblock. Half the time I served in public service, I felt like I was dealing with power trips of politicians and judges, many with temper tantrums who were unable to put the issues above themselves. Now, I direct my efforts in helping the community through start-up business ventures, business law, and nonprofit organizations. If I succeed in building the businesses that I’m passionate about, I want to dedicate my money on causes that I’ve failed to achieve as a politician and government attorney such as building a peace curriculum in our schools to teach our children positive daily practices to reduce bullying, sex assault, verbal abuse and physical violence; and helping orphans of war receive water, food, medicine, clothes, toys, and an education.
The death of Chester by suicide hit me emotionally. I’ve been listening to Linkin Park since their beginning. I’m listening to Linkin Park songs as I write this post. I know the power of the darkness can haunt us, especially when we’re alone. At night and early morning is when they attack me. When they win, nothing matters – nothing. I know this. I live because I’ve created so many goals to work on. I work hard – so hard that it pushes away my pain – that is until I’m alone, then I have to start all over again. But I can’t just live by working. I want to love and be loved. I want to have fun. For these reasons, I created a system of practices I created that helps me to keep moving forward through gratitude, peace, and happiness. If you are facing anxiety and depression, these are the things I do to counter the darkness:
(1) Sleep – For maximum output, 7+ hours of sleep works for me.
(2) Exercise – Run, lifting weights, and swimming are some of the exercise I do that gives me a high and a feeling of confidence that I can achieve anything.
(3) Healthy Diet – Foods that have Vitamin B-complex and Vitamin C helps us against depression and anxiety. L-Theanine in green tea has a calming affect.
(4) Gratitude – I have gratitude for not just the big things, but also the many little things.
(5) Mindfulness – I live in the moment to be aware of the beauty and wonderful things around me. Mindfulness is what energizes our gratitude. The more mindful I am, the higher the level of my gratitude.
(6) Win-Win/Positive Thinking. There are wins in everything we do, even failure and bad incidents.
(7) Goals – I plan and execute my goals by a system that rewards small wins and big wins. It’s the process of the daily practice that gives us a rush of dopamine every time we achieve small wins, and in time, we get that satisfaction from attaining our big wins.
(8) Writing – Blog, journal, social media, fiction, and nonfiction. Writing is so therapeutic, and it feels good to send positive messages to my friends and network.
(9) Positive Relationships – Stay near positive people who will fire you up with good energy, and avoid negative people who drain your energy.
(10) Music – Soothing music is great while working, and when you need a lift, play a lively song and dance.
(11) Read and listen about amazing people – Exposure to people who overcame huge challenges keeps me motivated and thinking extraordinary with a mindset that anything is possible when you consistently work hard, build relationships, and learn.
(12) Go to your happy places – My happy places are beaches in Hawaii for relaxation and coffee shops for work.
(13) Ocean Therapy and Nature –For me, swimming in the ocean does wonders by heightening all my senses and revitalizing my vision for my life.
(14) Sunlight – Vitamin D3 from the sun helps us against anxiety and depression.
(15) Sensory Therapy – I enjoy lemon scented cologne, vanilla and lavender scented candles, hot and cold showers, and massages.
(16) Learn – Right now, I enjoy learning about subjects such as self-development, health, writing, Japanese language and culture, aviation, fuel, Iraq war, and orphans of war.
(17) Meditation – This practice calms my mind, body, and soul.
(18) Travel – Experiences at other locations creates wonderful memories and recharges our mind, body, and soul.
(19) Read Fiction – Experience other lifestyles and locations, feel the beauty of love, and do extraordinary things.
(20) Inspirational Movies and Television Shows
The following song, “Shadow of the Day” by Linkin Park expresses how I feel about the loss of Chester Bennington and the darkness that haunts us all.
Here is “Heavy” by Linkin Park, another song that moves me emotionally.
“Numb” by Linkin Park is a song that resonates with the frustration we feel after working so hard to be who we are, only to be attacked by others who want something, and punished harder by others because of who we’ve become, despite us still being human.
“Nobody Can Save Me” by Linkin Park. On a positive note, near the ending of the song, the lyrics goes:
I wanna fall wide awake now
So tell me it’s alright
Tell me I’m forgiven, tonight
And only I can save me now
I’m holding up a light
Chasing up the darkness inside
And I don’t wanna let you down
But only I can save me!
Been searching somewhere out there
For what’s been missing right here
I want to end this entry with a positive and motivational song by Linkin Park, “Battle Symphony.” Chester will live on through his music, loved ones, and fans. My heart goes out to him and his loved ones.
In life, we will have happy times, but there will be periods of challenges whether it be deaths of loved ones, illness, financial hardship, difficult relationships, bad work environments, spiteful law suits, violence, and/or prison time or penalties because of false or inaccurate statements. Gratitude is a powerful practice that helps us to always be mindful of all the good that we have in our lives. Through gratitude we can proceed through even our darkest days with the things we can control such as time with positive loved ones, exercise, meditation, writing, learning, passionate projects, helping others, and other positive things that keep us high above the things we can’t control, like negative events and people. Gratitude keeps our energy positive with love, compassion, and empathy that helps us rise over anxiety, sadness, and anger. Positivity spreads when we share it with others. Some of the most beautiful pictures of light occur when it pierces through darkness. Likewise, gratitude makes us appreciate the light or good even among darkness. I took this peaceful picture of sunlight glowing around the dark clouds at Haleiwa beach on July 6, 2017. If you have challenging times, I hope this post helps you to still appreciate and enjoy life. May peace be with you. With Warmest Aloha, Jon
I did some volunteer work to put up the otoba for obon for Jodo Mission of Hawaii on July 9, 2018 from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. We always pray to our ancestors, but obon is a time when we have special services and bon dance to celebrate our ancestors. The long white cloth is connecting the temple with our otoba or wooden plank with ancestor family names. I will chair the Board of Directors meeting at 11:45 A.M., which is part of my duties as President.
A sculpture of Achala or the immovable one that I got from our Jodo Shu Hawaii bazaar some years ago that’s on the wall facing my home’s entrance. Achala bears a straight sword in his right hand, and a lariat or noose in his left hand. He uses his sword to cut through ignorance and his noose to reign in those who block the path to enlightenment. I read somewhere that he sacrifices himself from attaining Buddhahood in order to clear the path of enlightenment from evil so we can pursue enlightenment and become Bodhisattvas and ultimately, Buddhas.
Last night, June 28, 2017, I cooked chicken with Tuscan garlic seasoning blend, Hawaiian salt, a little pepper, and a little olive oil on my grilled cast iron pan. I also cooked onions and bell pepper, and made a side of brown rice.
Like many of you, I strive for things that have a great amount of uncertainty that create anxiety and stress. I wish I was a superhuman, immune to such feelings but I’m not. So I make an effort on overcoming anxiety and stress with many practices like gratitude, mindfulness, win-win thinking, exercise, balanced diet, writing, music, nature, time with positive people, sensory therapy, meditation, and such. Whenever I work on any of my goals that has a high risk of losing time and money such as elected politics, business projects, and fiction and nonfiction books, I try to mitigate my risk with research, strategy, and hard work, but no matter what, a degree of uncertainty will always exist.
To alleviate my anxiety on the uncertainty, I practice win-win thinking or positive thinking by telling myself, “When I invest time and money into a project I’m passionate about, at worse, I get a higher education like attaining another college degree. At best, I get a return on my investment on top of my education!” By looking at my goals in this manner, I see the outcome as a win no matter what the outcome because my time and money are used towards bettering myself in gaining more knowledge, skills, and relationships, but if I succeed, I can get a higher education and make a living out of what I love! Stay positive everyone!
To reduce our anxiety and stress, it’s good to be in nature and with positive people. I’m with my good friend and life coach Brandon Mitsuda at Ko’olina Lagoon 4, Oahu, Hawaii on June 25, 2017.
Linked below is one of the most inspiring interviews I’ve listened to. Entrepreneur, author, and podcast show host James Altucher interviews Jon Morrow who has been paralyzed from the neck down since birth, but despite his challenges he has done amazing things in his life including creating multi-million dollar businesses.
I cried several times as I listened to this podcast interview late one evening earlier this week while I was laying in my bed in the dark, in my attempt to sleep. Jon Morrow is such an inspiration.
When he was a very little boy, he almost died a number of times because his disease caused him to get pneumonia, and because his lungs were so weak, his mother would push down hard on his chest to get the mucous out of his lungs so he could breathe and survive. However, by doing this, young Jon was in great pain because his ribs got fractured by his mothers’ pressure.
At [26:25] of the interview, Jon stated: “When I got into kindergarten, another kid called me disabled, and I said, ‘What does that mean?’ And, he started laughing.” Jon’s teacher came over and said, “You don’t know what that means?” He didn’t. So he asked his mom. She thought about it and said, “It means you can’t do something as well as someone else. But it also goes the other way.” She said, “Everyone in the world can’t do something as well as someone else…” So everyone in a sense is disabled. Jon took inventory of his skills. Then he mastered them.
Later, Jon almost died from a multi-vehicle accident. He went through a lot of pain and surgeries. In another bad turn of events, Jon had been successfully raising multi-millions of dollars for his father’s development company but the company went down after the 2008 market crash and at that time, to make it worse, his mother lost her job. Despite these challenges, he went to Mexico where he could get better healthcare than the United States and spent long hours day after day in developing his online training and education companies in regards to finance, writing techniques, blogging, online web development, online marketing, etc. With great effort and perseverance, in combination with his prior years of work and blogging, Jon mixed his various skills and experiences to successfully launch his companies.
Celebrate the small wins and the big wins. I’ve been analyzing government policies consisting of 679 pages and other related documents for an agreement I’m working on. I’m almost done typing my analysis document. For motivation, I had a chocolate dipped ice cream at McDonald’s in Pearl City, Hawaii with my friend Brandon Mitsuda on June 13, 2017.
I received a loaf of Hana Farms Macadamia Nut Banana Bread from Hana, Maui as an omiyage. I ate it with hot green tea while I worked on my aviation business project last night, June 7, 2017. Very delicious!
One of my influencers, Shakyamuni Buddha, a human who chose the path of love and compassion, and one of the greatest teachers of self-development who wanted all of us to be happy and peaceful as we face our difficult feelings of sadness, fear, and anger. Gratitude, mindfulness, empathy, and compassion can quell the dark side in all of us and bring out the light. We too must strive to become a Buddha. #buddha #siddarthagautama #siddartha #siddarthabuddha #shakyamuni #shakyamunibuddha #peace #innerpeace #love #compassion #gratitude #mindfulness #empathy
Swam at Ko’olina on the evening of May 4, 2017. Peaceful. #beach #hawaii #oahu #koolina #koolinabeach #disneyaulani #fourseasonsresortoahuatkoolina #swim #peaceful
I like to do a gratitude prayer to the universe in the morning, followed by a meditation. I start off by lighting a pair of candles on a display with stones and an oil diffuser. Then I start an app on my smartphone that plays soothing sounds of water and calming instrumental music.
In my gratitude prayer, I express my thanks for my loved ones, the ability to experience life, useful things I have, the beauty of nature, and much more. Throughout the day, I would continue to be thankful for many things.
I meditate by clearing my thoughts and breathing slowly. After some minutes in emptiness, I envision what I will accomplish for the day.
To practice this, all you need is ten minutes, but you can always go longer. It’s a good way to start your day with positivity and clarity. Sometimes I do a gratitude prayer and meditation at night or whenever I need to stabilize my soul after facing some challenges. There are studies that show how gratitude and meditation practices reduces stress and benefits your overall health. Have fun with your gratitude and meditation practice! Aloha!
I jumped into my old gun metal truck and drove to my late night hang-out, a coffee shop on the top of the hill above my house, after one of those weeks that furiously flew by. I pulled into the parking lot, and right in front of the coffee shop was a prime parking space that was positioned almost directly in front of the main entrance. I pulled the brake and shut off the engine. While patting the dash of my truck, I sent my thoughts of gratitude to it, “Thank you for taking care of me.” I counted this moment as my tenth win for the day.
I pulled my brief case from behind my seat and exited my truck, locking it with my key. My remote control had long been discarded in a drawer within my personal office. It’s just something I didn’t care to fix after all these years.
I entered the coffee shop and paused by the display glass filled with sandwiches and pastries so I could pull out my smart phone from my front pocket of my jeans and open the app for the coffee shop, which I used for my transactions since you could get rewarded a free drink after a certain amount of purchases.
“Hey Riki, how are you?” asked Kelly, a cute barista with a mixture of Asian and Caucasian ethnicity who I’ve gotten to know over my many visits. She was always so welcoming.
I walked up to her cash register. “Good to be back at the office.”
“What will you get tonight?” Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Kelly blurted, “Wait, let me guess.”
I chuckled. “Alright.”
She closed her eyes and then opened them with a wide smile. “Hot, medium, Green tea latte?”
“Yes. I swear you have a gift.”
“Well, it’s either that or your hot, medium, plain old green tea. So my odds are pretty good in guessing your drink. Tonight you look a bit stressed and that’s when you go for the sweet stuff.”
“You’re really observant. I have to finish drafting a couple contracts for a friend.”
“Got to get paid right?”
“I don’t know. I only get paid if my friend gets paid.”
A frown formed on Kelly’s perplexed facial expression.
“If the deal doesn’t go through, I get nothing for all the work I do.”
“Damn.”
“It’s the nature of what I do.” If only she knew that I didn’t get paid even when I closed some deals with a couple of former business partners I had. I didn’t fight for anything that was owed to me, I just cut my losses and simply moved on.
I flashed my app on the screen of my smartphone in front of the scanner fronting the cash register. After a “beep” sound, I tapped a button and returned my phone back into my front pocket of my jeans.
“Well, I wish you the best on that deal. Have a productive session.”
“Will do. Thank you.”
I proceeded over to the counter where other customers waited to receive their orders. After a few minutes, my order was called by the barista who made my beverage, a young man named Todd with surfer blonde hair.
I strolled over to my favorite corner of the coffee shop where the counters rode along the windows, and lined up beside it were a number of high stools. I placed my briefcase on an unused stool next to me to my right. I pulled out my laptop from my briefcase and fired it up. I opened up a partial draft of one of the agreements I was working on for my friend. I stared at the words on the screen, which began to blur as I dozed off into another world. When my vision cleared up, I was no longer sitting on a stool in front of the window in my regular coffee shop. Instead, I was leaning back on a black leather couch in the more trendy coffee shop with dimmer lights that I’ve become so familiar with over my eight years of writing and reading this scene over and over.
Across the shop I saw Ken sitting at a small square table in front of Kaylee. He had already given her a chocolate cupcake in his attempt to liven up her spirits. He looked just as nervous as I had envisioned. I smiled and giggled quietly because I knew that he was changing the course of the future between the two of them. If only Ken and Kaylee could know how much a part of me has always been with them. Every bit of their pain has been mine, and every time they’ve experienced joy, I’ve felt it just the same. For it’s through their journey that I’m finding my way. If they can make others feel what I’ve felt, then I’m certain many others will find their way as well.
“Excuse me. Excuse me.”
I snapped back to reality and saw a young college-aged Asian girl standing next to me. “Is it okay if I plug my laptop into the outlet?” she asked and glanced under the counter. I followed her eyes and noticed the outlet just to the left of my leg.
“Oh yeah, sure. Go ahead.” I moved off my stool and stood to the side as she plugged in her laptop and returned to sit at a table behind me.
I got back onto my stool and returned to staring at my draft of the agreement on my computer. The minutes kept changing to higher numbers on my clock located near the upper right corner of my laptop, and still, I didn’t write anything new. “Screw this,” I murmured under my breath. I closed the document and opened up my query letter that was addressed to a boutique literary agency based in New York City. I took out my headset from my briefcase and played the songs from my playlist. I bobbed my head to a catchy song “Something Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay as I proceeded to re-write my query letter.
– Super Short Fictional Story by Jon Riki Karamatsu on March 26, 2016 (This super short fictional story is connected to my first novel that I started in October 2006 and completed in January 2014) –
The light is so much brighter when we’re in the dark. For it is darkness that makes us appreciate the light. The challenges of life and the evils of humankind should make us even more grateful for what positive things we have in our lives, and the many good people there are among us. Let the force of darkness motivate us to maximize our daily practice of love and compassion.
Yesterday President Barack Obama made his farewell address. I’m very proud to see history being made in that President Obama is the first African American U.S. President, and also the first U.S. President from Hawaii.
My favorite moment from President Obama’s farewell speech was when he thanked Michelle for being his best friend and wiped away a tear from his eye. I admire the love between the two of them. Having a loving, smart, and compassionate partner like Michelle is what many men yearn for, including me. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Barack and Michelle, clearly showing how much they love each other.
March 7, 2015 “I was moving around trying to capture different scenes away from the stage during the event to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches. When I glanced back towards the stage, I noticed the President and First Lady holding hands as they listened to the remarks of Rep. John Lewis. I managed to squeeze off a couple of frames before they began to applaud, and the moment was gone.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
I woke up this morning of Thursday January 5, 2017 from a wonderful dream in which I had a great talk with Congressman K. Mark Takai who I became friends with while I was a student government leader at the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (ASUH) and Mark was a young newly elected politician in the Hawaii State House of Representatives. In my dream, Mark and I were talking in his old townhouse in Waiau, Pearl City on Oahu, Hawaii. We were smiling and laughing like the times when we first met.
At one point we were lying down and staring at the ceiling as we chatted. It was like before I got elected into the Hawaii State House of Representatives, which distanced our relationship because I was part of the faction aligned with Hawaii House Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say, a family friend and friend of my late grandfather Maurice Karamatsu. Speaker Say married the daughter of grandpa Karamatsu’s really close friend Stephen Kotake, founder of Kotake Shokai, an import company, and a leader at Jodo Shu Hawaii with my grandfather. I became good friends with Speaker Say, and I know that was hard on Mark because his faction was trying to take over the House from him.
Well in my dream, Mark and I were friends like before the whole political faction issue. Prior to Mark passing away on July 20, 2016, I had called his cell phone and left a heartfelt message for him. I’m not sure if he listened to it. I’m hoping that he did. It’s for this reason that I never felt closure with Mark because I wanted him to know that I really enjoyed our times together and that I cared deeply for him as my friend even though we ended up in opposite political factions. In my dream, it felt so good because I knew that the politics didn’t matter anymore to him – all that mattered was our friendship. That was the talk I wanted to have before Mark passed away. I miss him.
My dream is to take you by the hand and dance with you on stage in front of tens of thousands of people as my friend DJ G-Spot and I play a set. This fun song “Recess” by Golden Coast would be one of the songs in my set. I’m not sure who you’ll be but I got a target date of 2017 or 2018!
Picture of the high technology and special effects stage at the 16th Annual Love Festival Hawaii on 9/27/2014.
2017 New Year’s Jodo Mission of Hawaii President’s Message
Dear Members,
Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu! Wishing you a Happy New Year! For 2017, my wish is for you to be filled with happiness a great majority of the time.
In a perfect world, we could wish for happiness all of the time, but when we think about it, without some suffering and challenges, life would become boring and we would not have the experiences that make us appreciate life even more. When we fail, we appreciate our efforts and all the ups and downs, so when we do succeed, it’s oh so sweet and wonderful. Even the impermanence of life, the fact that our time is limited in this living realm, encourages us to appreciate the present moment, so we cherish our time with our loved ones, work passionately on projects that excite us, and absorb the beauty of nature such as the sun setting into our beautiful blue ocean. We develop a deeper gratitude through our understanding of impermanence so even when we lose a person we love; we are able to generate positive energy by all those wonderful moments we shared with that person, and it’s this energy that encourages us to live life the best that we can with the precious time we have before us. Thus, suffering and challenges can be a fuel for our happiness through our practice of gratitude. When you combine gratitude with all your positive practices of the Eightfold Path – Right Understanding, Right Purpose, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Thought, and Right Meditation, you will be filled with joy.
Spending time with my mom, dad, sister Mia and brother-in-law Mike, niece Elyse and Sophie, sister Lara and her fiancee Ross, family dog Stretch, and all my relatives.
The time I spent with my late grandparents Tadao and Ellen Sakai and Maurice Toshio and Bessie Karamatsu.
Loving love.
Hanging out with my friends.
Writing down my goals.
Networking with positive and ambitious people.
Drafting my plans and strategies for my goals.
Writing fiction. I still need to get a novel published.
Watching movies. I wish I could produce movies. Maybe someday.
Building new companies by sharing ideas and skills with other entrepreneurs.
Playing law and politics for creative business ventures.
Listening to music and producing music events.
Traveling to different places around the world.
Tasting great food.
Exercising, especially running outdoors while listening to EDM as I strategize on my goals.
I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Here’s a song that reflects how I feel in my heart: “Thankful” by Feki.
Stretch is such a kind and loyal member of our family. My dad got him as a little puppy in 2001. He was recently diagnosed with cancer, but fortunately, his walk and appetite has gotten better, and my mom said he even barked recently. When I dog-sat him just about month and a half ago, he ran out of the gate and down the street, which forced me to take him for a walk. I think he knew that that moment was the last time he would be able to run like that. I love him so much.
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JON RIKI KARAMATSU 