If

by Joni Kamiya, Hawaii Farmers Daughter, May 16, 2016

If you took away biotechnology from the Hawaii papaya farmers, we’d have no papayas anymore.

If we stopped vaccinating children, we face the heartbreak our great grandmothers witnessed as their infants died in their arms from diseases we can now prevent.

If we block a telescope that can expand our knowledge of the origins of our universe, we will lose the ability for our local kids to witness in groundbreaking discoveries.

If we take away water and deny fair access to the resources, our beloved  agricultural lands will turn into developments that will take more precious water.

If we allow social sciences majors to impede science discoveries at the University of Hawaii, the mission of the land grant college will never be fulfilled to its potential.

If we do not embrace education in science to play a role in elementary schools, our children cannot be prepared for future careers that can help innovate and adapt.

If we continue to romanticize the old days, we neglect to learn from history the hardships our ancestors faced to get us where we are now.

If our leaders give up access to the oceans, our youth cannot learn skills on how to feed themselves and learn a sense of appreciation for the food we have.

If we fence off hunting lands from the hunters, a father cannot teach his son how to provide for his family using the resources available and how to conserve the environment.

If we allow ideology of the kalo plant to dictate policy, when disease and pests decimate it, we won’t be ready to have knowledge on how to save it.

If we don’t speak up now and take action, Hawaii’s future will be in jeopardy.

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