In the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Indiana was cautioned to choose wisely when searching for the Holy Grail. Even today, we are in roles that require us to act as wisely. Otherwise — perhaps driven by narrow self-interest and short-sighted- ness, ethnic divisions, our economic status, being local born or mainland bred, retired, educated or high school dropout, recently immigrated with limited English or keiki o ka aina — this special place we call home will slip further into mediocrity.

We no longer live in the Hawaii I grew up in and cherished. That place instilled in me core values of pono and aloha, of belonging and family. Back then, growing up local fostered a special bond between the islands and its people.

Thinking about what our beloved Hawaii will become can be shuddering.

What kind of Hawaii will we leave our children and their children? Do we care? What mix of a strong economy, clean environment, cultural enhancement, improved education and other factors should we pursue?

And the critical question is whether our elected and appointed officials are leading us there. If you are part of a large and growing group plagued with discontent and hopelessness, your response is a resounding no. Voter apathy and an anti-everything sentiment are on the rise. What will our Hawaii become? Auwe!

Pius "Mau" Piailug from Satawal island in Micronesia was the Hokulea’s first navigator, and he guided the canoe thousands of miles along the ancestral Polynesian sea route without instruments. He also mentored the young seafarer Nainoa Thompson. He asked Nainoa if he knew the direction to Tahiti and if he could see the island. After struggling with the question, Nainoa finally responded that he could not see the island but he could see an image of the island in his mind. The master navigator then said, "Good. Don’t ever lose that image or you will be lost."

Today, the important question is whether we have an image of our preferred future or we are lost.

Mindful that what we do now determines the future, we should heed Mau’s words of wisdom. How else can we know that today’s actions will lead us to the preferred future? If we lack that vision, we are lost.

We can avoid that plight by assuring that our elected and appointed officials have the vision of our preferred future to guide their thinking and action. Vision gives context to goals and objectives, purpose for action, direction, framework for coordination and judging good and bad, and foundation or purpose for partnerships. And if we hold the officials accountable to it, we can overcome the crippling issues of power, control and ignorance that so frequently surface.

Even trendy strategic planning is neither relevant nor effective without vision. What substantive or directional value could there be if the goal or purpose is unclear or undefined?

We also strive for transparency in government, but contrary to its popular use in procedural terms, transparency is substantive and based on vision. Clearly, we would be better served with consistent and directional thought and action than with procedural adherence. We need vision.

You can help set a foundation in the upcoming election. Vote and choose wisely. Forget about voting for candidates because of their exuberant and magnetic personalities. Take the time to know what the candidates stand for and assess their leadership capabilities so that their plans, actions and laws will lead us to a more blissful Hawaii.

Douglas Tom, a recent state government retiree, served as the state’s Coastal Zone Management program manager for more than 30 years, spearheaded the state’s Ocean Resources Management Plan, and has been a longtime advocate for visioning in government-public policy.