6. Fa'alogo | To Listen. To Pay Attention.

Living in a sunburnt country, I sometimes forget to continually learn more about my Samoan culture. Convenience and complacency have plagued my lifestyle and taught me that it wasn't essential to know about my culture. When it is, Samoan culture is essential.

"O lenei, o'u uso pele e, ia taitasi le tagata ma faataalise ona faalogologo, ia faagesegese ona tautala atu, ia faagesegese ona ita... O lea foi ia lafoai ai mea eleelea uma ma leaga e silisili, ia talia ma le faamaulalo le upu ua totoina, o lea e mafai ai ona faaolaina o outou agaga." James 1:19-21.

Now when I see my grandpa, instantaneously I remember that I need to make this goal to learn more a priority. Through him I am reminded of the great value and privilege that being Polynesian is. I am also reminded that I am deficient. My cultural hunger has not been fed, and this lack grows more prominent when I see him. After my grandma passed away, one of the things my grandpa always said was that he missed "talking" to her. When I emphasise "talking", it is for a reason; My grandma was one of the only people in my immediate family who was fluent in Samoan. My grandpa and I can't talk like they could. My grandma was always the translator between us. It hurts me that I can't communicate with him succinctly.

On my journey to fill my cultural knowledge and understanding (Do not mistake this as cultural plasticity), I sought out my Uncle Salia (James) Nikolao who is the Matai (Chief) of the Village Solosolo (Anoa Ma'a District). I consoled in him about wanting to know more about our culture and the language. He replied with something very simple: If you want to learn, you need to listen. He told me about how he could teach me a million and one lessons or words- though if I didn't know the lifestyle or the values of the culture, it would all mean nothing.

"If you want to learn, you need to listen."

Fa'alogo. In Samoan, this means not only to listen, but to pay attention. Be attentive. Take notice of the world around you. This requires humbling yourself. You cannot profess to know everything, based on where you are now. There are an infinite things you do not know, and that will never change if you are constantly listening to your own voice. Pay attention. Know every "why" behind every decision, because these things make a difference. Understanding the purpose of everything, teaches you the importance of the action and the significance and can help to reflect about the relatability in you life.

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry... and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." James 1:19-21

By nature we are instinctively self-centred, we listen only to our own inner dialogue and perception. Though by practically abiding by this verse, it compels us to become others-centred. Therefore focusing and honing our attention onto others.

"But hath not Nature taught us the same that the apostle here doth, by giving us two ears, and those open; and but one tongue, and that hedged in with teeth and lips? It is also tied and bound fast by the root, and hath for guides and counsellors the brain above and the heart beneath it." (John Trapp).

Listen before you speak. The very nature of our anatomy calls to the recommendation that silence is a friend to all. This is how I'm teaching myself to learn. You simply cannot learn from others without these principles. For the great wonders you may encounter in the silence and the values you will learn from your own quiet- are countless. Let that sink in.