Aloha!
My name is John Kalani Zak. I see myself as a citizen of this big universe, but my beloved earth- home is Hawaii. I am, as I have stated elsewhere, a cosmic tourist, stopping in to learn what I can about this world and my little place in it during the short time I am here. Recently, I recommitted to writing and sharing thoughts and observations in order to deepen my own understanding of people, feelings, and events, and to connect with others who may be asking some of the same questions and seeking answers, as I am. Life can be lonely. Understanding can be starkly unavailable, sometimes. But, wherever we hail from, Vienna or Venus, we live and breathe through our shared stories, whether we’re sitting by a campfire and gazing at the arm of the Milky Way, or connecting globally by video conference.
One thing I have come to learn during my sojourn on Planet Earth, so far, is how much I love and respect artists of every stripe. Being a creator in any form is a sacred act of extreme, naked bravery. I stand in awe as musicians take the stage, while composers sit in the dim, reflected glow of the second balcony, waiting, uneasily, to discover whether their soul’s toil will be lauded or loathed. The sheer audacity of any artist who manages to extract inspiration from the ether, later weaving it, deftly, into something that touches hearts and minds, is, for me, the essence of life’s journey.
I celebrate the fact that, each and all of us, artists or not, are brave little soldiers, “marching as to war” everyday. Who will smite us? Who will love us? And, at the end of the day, weary and worn, as we begin to drift into yet another realm where we must vanquish our demons, we ask ourselves, “How well did we love?” add another page.
John Zak Writes 