JON RIKI KARAMATSU

Today, I had a nice lunch at Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant in Ala Moana Center with Speaker Emeritus of the Hawaii State House of Representatives Calvin K.Y. Say and three friends of his who have done amazing work in various sectors of business in Hawaii and abroad. My good friend Brandon Mitsuda had a nice talk with Speaker last week, which prompted him to reach out because he was thinking of me. His caring heart is always refreshing, and today he sparked light for me for my on and off feelings of emptiness that have become my norm for the past three years as I distanced myself from political, business, charity, and social events, unless it was a cause I connected with or relevant to a business project I was working on. There are many moments when I feel joy and a zest for life, but it’s scary how quickly these great feelings can leave me alone and in nothingness. It’s like a numbness that fogs up my vision of the many good things around me such as my loving family and friends, good momentum for a project that my business partners and I have been working on, and new opportunities presented before me. I love the excitement of business and politics, but at the same time I’m pained by the dark energy it attracts. All people have positive and negative energy, some more of one than the other. It’s impossible to completely avoid negative people. They’re everywhere. You see how they behave badly as drivers on the road. They make tantrums at work and yell at their family at home. When you succeed, they punish you harder on your failures or simply enjoy it as a spectator. When I’m vibrant and happy, I take the negative energies and use it towards my momentum for positive actions like an Aikido martial artist does in taking down an attacker. However, when I’m feeling down, I have to do all I can to not let the shadows pull me into a blank space. I have many daily practices, which I’ve mentioned in my peace page and previous posts that has helped me to fight off this shadowy assassin that has destroyed so many other souls. In my first novel, I wrote about how our suffering follows us even after we die, therefore, there’s no escape from darkness without us confronting it with all the light illuminated from within us through love, compassion, empathy, and gratitude. Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say is an example of how to live with such qualities. I’m extremely lucky to have his friendship. In revealing my vulnerable side, I hope it helps you to push forward with all your practices that lift your spirit whether it be spending time with loved ones, exercise, listening to music, creative writing, going to the ocean, or other such enjoyable experiences. May positive energy be with you always!

With Warmest Aloha,

Jon