Honking in Hawaii is not always rude; it can and should be used to communicate to other drivers.

You should absolutely alert another driver if he or she is about to change lanes directly into your car, for example. There also is the friendly tap on the horn to alert the inattentive driver who is holding up traffic.

Using the horn can be used with aloha — what matters is the intent behind its use and its delivery matching the situation.

Now to apply this smaller matter to a larger one: We all should be mindful of not only our intent of what we say or do, but also how it is delivered, and the ramifications of our words and actions.

Let’s hope our Congress can do the same.

Maggie Lee

Mililani

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