The Aloha Spirit Law (Hawaii Revised Statutes 5-7.5), written in part by the late kupuna Pilahi Paki, has been officially on the state record as the law of the land in Hawaii since 1986, transforming an unspoken, sacred social understanding into a piece of legislation.

It states, “Aloha … was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians, given as a gift to the people of Hawai‘i … the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence … in exercising their power on behalf of the people and in fulfillment of their responsibilities, obligations, and service to the people, legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, executive officers of state government, the chief justice, associate justices, and judges of the appellate, circuit, and district courts may contemplate with the life force and give consideration to the ‘Aloha Spirit.’”

The law is extensive, covering everyone who lives, works and visits Hawaii. My question is: Where is the ‘aloha’ nowadays?

In many interactions I have witnessed with tour companies, locals get pushed on the side, with large buses and trolleys parking and stopping wherever they choose, blocking traffic and causing hazards.

Businesses often ignore local culture by increasing development without considering the impacts on the local human and wildlife population. With state and county government, particularly in the courts and with the police, I have not experienced much of the Aloha Spirit, sadly.

There are those few gems who indeed show it, but they are not the norm. Court and police interactions are intimidating already, and I ask those in seats of power to remember that we are not all criminals and have the right to be treated fairly, with integrity and aloha.

I also ask those who run our public schools to show more Aloha to students, parents, faculty and staff; for those in the Department of Human Services to show aloha to all the families they serve; hospitals and care homes to treat their patients with kindness and aloha; and developers to show more respect to the local people and our fragile environment when planning new projects.

Visitors are asked to show aloha by respecting their hosts and this sacred land, and locals are asked to view tourists as our world neighbors who are in need of experiencing our sincerest aloha, not just what is plastered on signs and buses.

Aloha is not just a bumper sticker, or a marketing gimmick, it’s the sacred law of this land that is centuries old.

The only consequence is a quite tragic one for residents and visitors alike, and is very bad for business: the ripple effect of bad behavior and a lack of aloha causes a community of distrust and disrespect, increasing crime, violence, homelessness, poverty, broken families, pollution and drug addiction. We are seeing this today.

Aloha is not just a suggestion, it is a mandate: We are all to show kindness, harmony, pleasantness, humility and patience within our homes, communities and government.

Aloha is the answer, for everyone in all walks of life here in the islands, a model for the world — but only if we follow it in truth, sincerity and pono, balance.

Aloha is a two-way street, not a freeway to paradise. May we all learn to live with the kindness and mutual respect that the law of aloha commands.

Shana W. Logan, of Hilo, is a kumu (Hawaiian educator) at Aloha Consultants.