Honolulu’s Endangered Species
July 30th, 2008 categories: Rants & Riffs
This past weekend I visited a friend on Molokai and the entire experience reminded me of days gone by in Hawaii. There was no traffic, friendly people and a simplicity and freedom that were very refreshing. There was one thing that really struck a chord in my heart and that was the existence of coconuts! Yes, coconuts!
As a child, I remember eating them, carving them, playing catch with the small ones and an abundance of coconuts at the base of coconut trees. Flash-forward to 2008, I challenge you to drive around Honolulu and find a coconut tree…with nuts! To find one is a very rare occurrence. In fact if you do find one, take a picture and e-mail it to me, I would love to see it. So the question is, why have coconuts become endangered?
In my opinion, over the last 40-50 years, our society has tried to remove all possible risk from our lives. Not because we are afraid of getting hurt, but from the fear of being financially ruined by a liability lawsuit. We would go to the beach at Waikiki and as we walked under coconut trees, my aunt would say, “Watch out for falling coconuts!” We were careful and I don’t remember anyone ever being hit by one. But landowners started assessing liability issues and coconuts were targeted for trimming. So coconut’s have gone the way the of swing sets, diving boards, teeter totters and the myriad of other “dangerous” things with which we used to play. Most people are quick to blame the attorneys, however, we are the problem. Without our willingness to higher an attorney, the legal profession would have no market for these law suits.
The next time you see a neutered coconut tree be sad, because our litigious society has over time given away our freedom to do as we please, nuts and all!
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That was a pretty sad story!!! I guess I say so many full ones in Kipahulu recently I can’t think of any trees with none on it!
Auwe!
You bring up a great point and it is a bit saddening. I remember each summer as a child I would stay at my grandparents ranch on the Big Island, we would mail back home (mainland) painted coconuts to my younger siblings. After 35 years, those same coconuts are proudly displayed in their homes.
Coconuts are fun and diverse. They can serve as food and drink. They make great planters, footballs, floating devices, dogs love them too!
Thanks for a great story. It makes me want to go plant a few in my backyard and maybe, just maybe I would be lucky enough to have one fall on my head for a good laugh! :o)
Good fun article!
That’s a very sad story about the shortage of “real” coconuts on the trees. There must be a good lawyer joke in there somewhere:-). So then are there farms for raising coconuts. We used to buy the fresh ones that my parents sawed in half just for fun. Butterflies really like the coconut milk I seem to recall.