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The travel destination where kindness is the law

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It’s known to tourists as a way to say hello and goodbye, but Aloha in Hawaii means so much more.

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While living in Hawaii, writer Breena Kerr began experiencing more random acts of kindness than she expected. 

“There may be many words to explain these kinds of encounters,” Breena explained in an article for the BBC. “But at least one of them is ‘Aloha’. And as it turns out, ‘Aloha’ is actually the law here.”

In 1970, a Maui leader named Pilahi Paki gave a speech at the conference, Hawaii 2000, about the Aloha spirit. Later, as the article explains, the speech became the basis for the Aloha Spirit Law. 

“Akahai, meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness;
Lōkahi, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;
ʻOluʻolu, meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
Haʻahaʻa, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;
Ahonui, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.”
 

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Although technically the law can’t be enforced, it’s still highly regarded.

“This law is virtually impossible to enforce because it is a philosophy that directs a code of conduct and way of life,” Dana Viola, first deputy attorney general of Hawaii told Breena. “Nonetheless… all citizens and government officials of Hawaii are obligated to conduct themselves in accordance with this law.”

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