Reflection, Responsibility, and the Path Ahead

By Seth Tuzon

I have had some time to reflect – to huliʻia – on my recent journey to Papahānaumokuākea. What I experienced there has left me with both awe and unease. With the recent and proposed changes to the protections of this sanctuary and the waters surrounding it, I cannot help but ask: how can this be seen as anything but harmful?

No matter where one stands politically, I struggle to understand how these decisions can be justified. They feel rooted not in stewardship, but in greed.

For too long, we have taken from the ocean – overfishing and depleting the very resources that sustain our communities and our way of life. And now that those resources no longer yield the profits once expected, the eyes of industry turn outward, toward new, fertile grounds.

But Papahānaumokuākea is not simply “another resource.” It is one of the last places where life thrives in balance, a sanctuary that can help replenish the devastation so much of the world has already suffered.

And yet, I find myself left with more questions than answers. How do I explain to my friends, to my ʻohana, what makes this place so extraordinary? How do I describe the feeling of stepping onto ancient ʻāina or submerging into waters so vibrant, so alive, that every sense is overwhelmed? In that moment, it feels as if Akua Himself has touched your soul, lifting the curtain just enough to reveal His vision of paradise. How do you translate that into words strong enough to move people to not just care, but to act?

Because that is what is needed now. Action. We must find ways to instill in our keiki not only knowledge of these places, but reverence for them. We must create opportunities for them to see, feel, and understand the sacredness of these spaces, so that protecting them becomes second nature. So that when they reach my age, they are better equipped than I am to carry this kuleana forward.

Papahānaumokuākea is more than a sanctuary. It is our kumu (source), our healer, a glimpse of what the world was meant to be. And it is our duty – not just as individuals, but as a collective – to ensure that it remains whole so that future generations can continue to learn from its abundance and draw strength from its spirit.

Seth Tuzon has served in the Federal Fire Department for 22 years. Protecting lives and caring for community has been at the heart of his career. Recently, he had the privilege of joining Nā Maka Onaona on a trip to Papahānaumokuākea, where he participated in intertidal research. That experience deepened his appreciation for the ocean, our ancestral places, and the kuleana we all share to protect them for future generations.