Lineale/Linearity vs. Siakale/Circularity ^Featured

“Prelude”
‘Eiki, fai Ho Finangalo
Oh God! Shed Your Light on us
Ki he me’a’ofa kuo mau foaki
For we have sinned dearfully
Ko ‘ena ‘Eiki Ho ‘Inasi
Dear Lord, we admit our sinfulness
‘I he me’a Na’a ke Foaki
Though You have Given to the Fullest

‘Eiki, hangaifofonga mu’a
Oh Everlasting God! Have mercy on us
Ki he me’a feilaulau
For we have been utterly selfish
Hamusi au keu taau
Wash us with Thy Holiness
Hoko Ko ho Faletapu Malu
Fitting as Your Holy Dwelling

Composed by Sir Sofele Kakala but translation is mine

“Citation”
This article is framed in strict “Tavaism” sense and is dedicated to Hufanga Professor ‘Okusitino Mahina, the “Guru” and “Originator” of Tavaism

I attended Mass last Sunday (25/07/2015) at the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua, Nuku’alofa and during Offertory, the choir sang the above Hymn and indeed it rang a lot of marvels in both my poor ears and mind.  Offertory is the part of the Mass where followers offer the sacrificial Lamb, that is, the bread and wine that are about to be sanctified.  Lo! & Behold! the sentiment conveyed did marvelously, as complete repentance went beserk in my mind.  The Good Lord had been most gracious (space-timing) but my gratification (time-spacing) has not fitted-in well.  I admitted, like any other sinner, that it was a poor-fit but I was reminded that, although poor-a-fit! it would remain a fit no matter what, with the benefit of being saved to become a better-fit.

Thus, I was most thankful and most determined, like any other sinner, that when I time-space my Saviour (Va/Space) the next round, it will become a better-fit.

The Main Course

This short article is part of my series which is normally put out by Nepituno Tonga Online News as an attempt to share with the society some of the realities which should assist us in our struggle in life.  The theme that I will be struggling with is this: siokita lit. linearity, is shunned by everyone except God but sioatu lit. circularity, is desired most advertently by God.  In my last article, I made reference to the mutually-beneficial relationship between the mango tree and the bat/flying fox and although this may be suffice to highlight my point, I’ve intentionally decided to use another example purely to show that nature is circularity at its best and therefore has a very rich repository of reality-based lessons to help us in our struggle.  In fact, the Darwinian dictum of “survival of the fittest” is at best an urging to human beings to practice circularity in life.

Just recently, we (staff of the Tonga International Academy – TIA)) got involved in a very interesting debate as part of our normal discussion that is made from time to time on any academic theme.  Anyway, what we were dealing with was the topic of molipeli lit. orange, because we had the rare chance of enjoying molipeli and I say rare to highlight the fact that molipeli is now an endangered species, thus slowly disappearing from us.  For our advantage, as we concluded in our session, that we have to plant more molipeli because it is bitter/sour and no species of bird/avifauna or animal/fauna can do it for us much to our collective liking.

In our session, Sione Mokofisi, who was hailed at the Kolotau ko Hule lit. Nukunuku, recalled the happy occasions in his teenage time when molipeli was abundant around the village.  Sione was providing the catering for our session and he raised the point because the price of molipeli was high but that is the reality because Adam Smith, Ricardo and the gurus of economics have told us from time to time that when supply is shrinking, please dig deeper into your pocket because circularity will teach you a lesson.  And of course that was the case and although it was a negative experience for Mokofisi, he was happy to put his experience on the altar lest it offers good advice for us and this is exactly my motive of sharing it with you my dear folks.

Orange is always bitter and as such, it is a natural adaptation that it stays that way until it gets ripe before human beings, birds and animals could have a taste of it.  But I’m sure that birds and animals do enjoy molipeli because molipeli can be found throughout the islands but not broadly distributed like mango probably because of its bitterness.  Hence, it is still available but not to our collective liking.  This is circularity and linearity at their best.  Circularity is aptly displayed by the birds and animals through enjoying freely the goodness of molipeli despite the bitterness but also took the trouble of distributing the seeds to close the circle.  Human beings, in fact, Sione’s mates in Hule and the rest of us, being “lineale” as we are, always fail to close the circle hence, the depleted supply of molipeli and higher price.

There is on-going debate now on the space/meaning of the word “sustainability” and I always marveled with abhorrence the linear views always expressed by protagonists partaking in the debate.  In most cases, it is not helpful because most, if not all, of the views shared is lineale in nature.  Sustainability, I must stress rather poignantly, is siakale/circularity with a happy face.  It is circular because, like the boomerang, an act delivers goodness to something/someone and that happy recipient takes the trouble of returning favor, hence closing the circle.  It is also a happy occasion because enjoying a good reality is always a happy occasion.  I have from time to time heard the slang expression: fakafiefia ki ai! fakafiefia ki ai! and wondered why the fuss about it.  Anyway, after hard recollection of my realities, “clicking” materialized in my mind and I therefore concluded that when someone wishfully expect a momentous and happy occasion, the expression fakafiefia ki ai! is often uttered with all the might that is available in this particular mortal being.  Of course, it has to be this way because we are linear/self-fish/unsustainable mortal beings.  But the question is: Is there a way out?  Definitely affirmative, and I want to deal with this as a penultimate attempt as far as highlighting my point is concerned.

If we consider lineale mo siakale from a religious perspective, the expression then becomes sekulale lit. secular, mo sipilituale lit. spiritual,  Sekulale is the ugly opposite of sipilituale because like most of us, lineale is our modus operandi and hence, we often involve ourselves lineally and this is why religion is thriving here in Tonga.  It thrives because it is teaching sipilituale/siakale and when human beings are tainted by lineale and sekulale to the extreme, they always seek resort with the faifekau lit. church minister.  I speak from reality/experience because whenever I’m tainted by sekulale to the extreme, I always wake up early in order to attend the 6:00 am Mass at the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, in the Nuku’alofa Parish, just for the sake of seeking an example of siakale/sipilituale tendency to be shared by my parish priest.

Dessert

Lest we forget, let me summarize my critical analysis with this exhortation: A siakale building is malohiange lit. stronger/fitter, than a lineale/lekitengikulale lit. linear/rectangular building in much the same manner as a sipilituale/siakale mind is stronger/fitter than a sekulale/lineale mind.  We may ask why and the appropriate sinifesisi lit. synthesis is this: a circular building deflects wind energy while a linear/rectangular building opposes/holds wind energy, thus, its propensity to being crushed/collapsed.  As a corollary, a sipilituale mind tukuange lit. deflects, fakatauele lit. sin because it is siakale in its make-up while a sekulale mind kuku lit. accepts, sin because it is lineale in its make-up.  I’m hypothesizing here of course, as far as the make-up of the mind is concerned, and a psychologist or psychiatrist can put some light into this, however I’m inclined to believe that this is the fact until proved to the contrary.

I now put my motion to inertia and look forward to another momentous occasion when we all shout with all the might in our mortal beings exhorting the expression: Fakafiefia ki ai!