Does Obama have MANA??? By all appearances, he has it...the ability to

[opihimoimoi]

bridge adversity with solutions

Hawaiian blood is not required to have Mana.....it is in the Heart, the source of Healing....

What can he do in a World of Non Mana?? We saw what happened last Summer when visiting Europe/Mid East...he showed them his Mana...

We saw the same thing during the election process.....people cried...people smiled, ..People really began to have Positive vibes...

This is MANA

Instead of sniping..we should be looking for ways to help the Man with the Special Force accomplish what very few said could be done...fix America in 3 years....

We are looking a a Special Guy...he is not God per se....but ...he is Special....

No one in the GOP comes remotely close

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana

[NJmaverick]

1. Obama was born with a considerable number of gifts and abilities

What marks him as special is his willingness to use his talents and abilities to better the plight of his fellow man.

[opihimoimoi]

2. A Special Strain of Mana known as Altruism...the man is benevolent and altruistic

on a scale rarely seen....

[John Q. Citizen]

3. I'm thinking second coming...

or maybe not.

[opihimoimoi]

4. Not quite...he still smokes...LOL

[firedupdem]

5. PE Obama is a good guy....I detect no hate in his system. We

need that right now. This world is jacked up..division, division, division.

[opihimoimoi]

6. For All of Humanities Sake...for the Planet we depend on...we need to HEAL HEAL HEAL

[Occam Bandage]

7. You are silly. nt

[opihimoimoi]

8. Perhaps....but then...I come from where Mana is understood

[Occam Bandage]

9. That's cool. I come from where empiricism is understood. nt

[opihimoimoi]

11. Obama is also an ENFP guy...I like that....

[Lisa0825]

52. No wonder I like him!

I'm ENFP too!

I also lived in Hawaii as a pre-teen... I know about the Mana.

[KittyWampus]

19. Empiricism and Idealism are not mutually exclusive. See Pythagorus. The Golden Ratio etc

[opihimoimoi]

25. The Myers/Briggs thing.....the N is for Intuition...meaning Obama has intuition built up

from years of experience/observation/etc...

Its a good sign....

[Lex]

10. I know I bow down and pray to his image every night.

I hope every one here is doing the same.

[opihimoimoi]

12. OK LOL...lets not get carried away here....

[firedupdem]

13. wow...can't say something positive about the PE without the

sarcastic worship crap. I guess saying something nice is better for the soul than having negative feelings for somebody not even in the white house yet. I'll go this route...thank you.

[Lex]

14. LOL.

Too funny.

[opihimoimoi]

15. Some peeps did not get the message yet...still stuck on sniping...its a condition

[firedupdem]

16. A sad one at that!

[Lex]

17. What's the message?

Please enlighten me with it.

[KittyWampus]

18. the Message? Opi linked to a page that explains Mana. The fact is, Obama is from the culture

where that concept is understood and likely colors his world view and his way of life.

Maybe the Message is, look up the word and appreciate that it's ideal might influence Obama and his leadership.

[Lex]

23. Oh.

Well thanks. That clears it up.

[Marrah_G]

29. I know........

especially when the something nice is all about him being almost a deity.....









PS: I know you mean well but some of these posts border on creepy to me. I like Obama, I think he will end up being a fine President. Do I think he has the "force"? .....ask me again if he starts speaking like Yoda.

[Hekate]

53. Mana is a Polynesian concept well-known in Hawai'i. Humans can have mana...

If I had to assign a meaning of mana and Obama I'd think it would be in his temperament, his judgment, his authority.

"The word’s meaning is complex because mana is a basic foundation of the Polynesian worldview." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana

It's not some New Age concept. Wikipedia's essay is not the be-all and end-all of information about it, but it's a place to start understanding what Opi is trying to say.

Hekate

[Marrah_G]

61. I guess my thoughts are this:

I get creeped out when I see almost a deification of Obama by some folks. There are a few terms that I would like to use explaining my thoughts, but they were so misused to hurt people during the primary fights that I just won't go there.

I know the intent of the post was positive, and my thoughts on Obama are mostly positive. It just disturbs me when I see him described as "the One" or as some magical savior. It doesn't make me angry on anything, just sort of creepy, like watching the kids on "Jesus camp" talk about Bush sort of creepy.

Ugh... it's a hard topic to discuss without sounding like a jerk or causing hurt feelings. I probably shouldn't have commented at all.

[opihimoimoi]

64. I guess I shoulda used the term PRESENCE...the closest equivilent I can think of

George Washington had "Presence" as did many others of History...

It is when a person reaches a point the Respect is so great....when he/she walks in a room....you feel it...others do too...a hush comes over the room for a brief time...

In my mind...Obama has reached this point....he is the MAN....a Hero who is not a Zero....

[Hekate]

71. It's okay, Marrah. I think I understand your intent. From the get-go I have watched the projections

... (that is, the psychological projections of people's needs/wants/desires/fears) onto Barack Obama play themselves out at DU. I have tried both to understand him and to understand them.

Opi keeps saying Obama is an ENFP --well, I am an INTJ, which means I'm always hanging back and trying to figure things out, including (and especially) someone I want to fall in love with, because I don't fall in love easily.

There were a few DUers right from the start who vehemently asserted that Obama is "not really black," and that was my first moment. It made me start trying to figure out for myself who Obama "really" is, and that led me eventually to our common home, Hawai'i. As for the "not really black" assertion, I realized that meant that he did not share slave-history in his DNA, but had married into that line. Which led me back to Hawai'i and its abundant history of intermarriage. I read his first book, and while I saw a young man trying to find his identity as a black American in a place with few black role-models, as well as a young man with ambitions too large for such a small place, I also (reading between the lines) saw that his mother's family's wholehearted embrace of Hawai'i was the bedrock of his world-view.

My other moment came when his more fervent DU supporters started talking about him as though he were the Second Coming.

Like you I keep resisting the expression of hero-worship and idealization because of the many pitfalls along that road. It is indeed creepy, when carried too far. The concomitant hazard is that when he fails to be the Answer to Everything, a bunch of DUers are going to turn on him like a pack of dogs.

At this moment in time, post-election and pre-swearing-in, all I want to do is enjoy a bit of a honeymoon, because against all odds we actually got this guy elected. He is the first black president. Also the first Hawaiian president. Also the first Pacific-Asian president... All of that is actually true.

It's really upsetting my plan for enjoying these weeks that some DUers are virulently attacking Obama for not being the Immediate Answer to Everything This Very Minute. It seems kind of unfair and makes me want to defend him, a balancing act on my part because I also want to keep holding in mind the fact that he's human and inevitably will disappoint. No need for Jesus Camp, just some rational thinking. Ah well.

Rambling on,

Hekate

PS: If you want to talk about this some more without fear of flaming, just PM me.

[Marrah_G]

77. Thanks for the response

You totally got what I was trying to say.

I think Obama has made some great choices so far and one really bad choice. In the long run I hope he continues to make far more good choices then bad choices for THAT will make him a great President. I just want people to realize that he is a man, one man. His success will rely greatly on those he has around him. He is like the coach of a sports team not an infallible hero that will bring about world peace with a flash of his pearly whites. Like all coaches he will win some and lose some and we here at DU had better try and get used to the idea.

Thanks for "getting me", but then you are the Goddess of the Witches!

[Runcible Spoon]

20. oh ffs

this is worse than the pic threads

[opihimoimoi]

21. Whats wrong with them Pictures??? some believe and others don't

[Runcible Spoon]

22. umm....nothing....enjoy!

[Lex]

24. Agreed.

nt

[Marrah_G]

30. err believe what?

seriously....... just wow.

[opihimoimoi]

34. Some believe in Obama...they want him to succeed, to help heal the Nation

Others do not believe...some even want him to fail

Pity...

[Marrah_G]

36. Can one think he has a good shot at being a very fine president.....

without being a .....believer......?

Yikes...

[opihimoimoi]

37. Yes...you are right...the term shoulda been A SUPPORTER

A Believer has a connotation of the metaphysical...

[Marrah_G]

39. Whew thank you

Yes- I am a supporter. I want him to succeed. However I don't consider him to have any special powers.

[noamnety]

26. Is this what DU has come to?

Obama is not God "per se"?

I don't think ascribing supernatural powers to people who are elected to office helps democracy in any way, shape or form.

[opihimoimoi]

27. Who said He was God??? Only that he has an ability to solve in a positive way

Having Mana is akin to being the ENFP of Myers/Briggs...

Nothing supernatural about that.....

[noamnety]

33. Um ... I was quoting YOU.

I think "Obama is not God" can stand on it's own ... without the "per se" qualifier. I think it's weird that you felt the need to add a qualifier to that statement.

From the link you provided, it's not akin to personality types. "In anthropological discourse, mana as a generalized concept has attained a significant amount of interest, often understood as a precursor to formal religion. It has commonly been interpreted as "the stuff of which magic is formed","

A Myers/Briggs personality test is not akin to magicky precursors to religions, or Special forces within a person with a Capital S.

[opihimoimoi]

35. Point well taken,,,The MB thing was to inform Obama is an N type

Intuition brought to a sharp focus from many experiences...some us have it...others lack...I see it among friends and family...

I guess the Intuition thing is best described as the GUT FEELINGs we get when trying to decide one way or another...

[Marrah_G]

28. ...............

Don't even know how to respond to this........

[Elidor]

31. I hear his frost bolt crits for 7K

But then, I'm a geek that way.

[Runcible Spoon]

32. hahahahahaha!

i had the same thought. Obama needs to grind more faction rep IMO.

[Marrah_G]

38. Obama is friendly....it's going to take a while for him to become Exalted....

[BelgianMadCow]

59. Me three. and my backstab crits for 1200 only :-/

and my MAIN is a nooby level 58 night elf rogue...

[Marrah_G]

62. Ummm ... Cows cannot be rogues !!!!!

I knew I liked you!

One of these days I'll get a new computer at home again so I can restart my wow addiction.

[BelgianMadCow]

73. Cow rogues blunder about a bit

and easily unless stealthed


bmc

[AntiFascist]

40. Yes Obama has mana...

but Warren may be bad mojo, and he's giving a blessing?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojo

Even the Obama needs protectin'

"Whenevah ah'm afraid of someone doin' me harm ah read the 37 Psalms an' co'se ah leaves the Bible open with the head of it turned to the east as many as three days."

[bananas]

41. Does Obama have MANANA?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_manana_mean_relax

[opihimoimoi]

43. The Gop Rats scurry about trying to give him Lumps and Bumps...but cannot...he is Relaxed

and they are not...such is victory....The Art of War.. Sun Tzu

[Swamp Rat]

44. We rats HATE the GOP!!!

leave us out of it!

[opihimoimoi]

45. Sorry bout that Swampie...shoulda used Slitherns...they always slithering on the floor...

[Swamp Rat]

46. Yeah, just stay out of our phylum and you''l be ok.

[opihimoimoi]

47. Damn...phylum??? haven't heard the term in 50 years....maybe 40....LOL

[Clio the Leo]

42. Yeah .... all that. He is filled to the brim. NT

[Jim Sagle]

48. Seek help.

[boppers]

49. Manah Manah?

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=M7XOFfjiL-U

[opihimoimoi]

57. LOL...Mynah mana

[PurityOfEssence]

50. May the farce be with you

Glad you choked out the "per se" to keep yourself grounded...

There's going to be SO much disillusionment; we're seeing it already.

[Hekate]

51. Birthright from being born in a place with a lot of mana; some soak it up...

Did you see this NYT article from Christmas day?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/us/politics/25obama.h...
Obama’s Zen State, Well, It’s Hawaiian

To me it looks as if, slowly but surely, *some* in the MSM are starting to pay attention to how Hawai'i shaped our new president.

Aloha no, Opi.

Hekate

[Lisa0825]

54. I think some folks don't get it because it's a Hawaii culture thing....

Even my very Catholic mother got into the whole spiritual vibe of Hawaii when we lived there. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't been there. It's not fundie worship stuff. It's more like being connected to other people and nature.... more similar to Native American cultures on the mainland... seeing the spiritual side of everything. I don't see him as a god in any way, but I do think that he has a spiritual sense that is comparable to what comes from various indigenous cultures including polynesian.

[Hekate]

55. You get it. I've been trying to explain it here for two years...

There was another article I read here (can't find it right now, but Deep Modem Mom seems to be the source for a lot of good ones that I file away) from an Asian-Pacific publication that said that Obama is truly the first Asian-Pacific POTUS, and detailed his upbringing and family ties.

It's more than simple projection (although I've seen an awful lot of it here), it's a recognition of the unusual forces that shaped him, and a sense of affinity that spans the globe. Americans -- most of them-- just aren't used to thinking in those terms.

It's such a huge stretch for most Americans to see him as biracial (not simply "black") that seeing him as Asian-Pacific as well is beyond their imagination. But he is.

There are bound to be disappointments, with expectations so high. But it is kind of sad to see the amount of carping before he can even get sworn in. But I digress.

Hekate

[opihimoimoi]

60. He is an ENFP guy according to the MBTI

The N is for Intuition...experiences that shape the inner mind with knowledge....

this helps him be stronger/wiser/solver....

[opihimoimoi]

58. Wahine O Ka Aina Mahalo e Kokua .....Hauoli Hauoli Makahiki

Aloha no

Come, we go eat, drink, sing, smile, laugh, listen.....

Some slack key guitar for the Lady

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eNBdS-V0M

[Hekate]

72. Aloha back atcha, Opi. I am definitely taking you up on that some day. T'anks fo da slack key link

Lovely stuffs. I love how You Tube gives you one after another. I'll be listening to Ledward Kaapana for awhile today thanks to you.

This New Year is bound to be better.



Hekate

[Beacool]

56. Please, enough with the blind adoration.

It's a little too much. He's an intelligent man and a gifted politician, but he's not the "Secular Messiah", as Limbaugh dubbed him.

Thanks for clarifying that he is not God per se..........

Geez!!!!!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

63. creepy. nt

[Peacetrain]

65. You were ringing someones chimes weren't you

. Sometimes I am a day late, picking up on stuff, but that was pretty good.

[opihimoimoi]

66. Mana is a concept described by James Michner in his HAWAII if I remember correctly

I was trying to share but some took it differently....

Obama is just like many others who have this Mana....when they arrive...everyone pays attention...when they walk in a room...the room becomes quiet...so on....

High Respect and Credibility I guess....who knows...

If anyone...its those Pubs chimes I want to ring...LOL...they are bankrupt...no one with Mana in their Camp...not even Sarah or Condi.

[Peacetrain]

67. Can't say that I understand it..but by George I can drink to it!

"Good wishes for better times ahead. skoal"

[opihimoimoi]

68. Yup... :o) Co,e, we go drink, eat, laugh, smile enjoy.....life is too short. Be Happy

[deaniac21]

69. Wonder if he's noticed what is going on in Gaza.

[opihimoimoi]

70. ummmm I think Condi has been calling him with updates...If I recollect...

[firedupdem]

76. sure he has...he's really smart, and he's also smart enough to

realize that saying anything other than what Bush is saying wouldn't be a good move and could possibly send mixed messages to the world.

[Naturyl]

74. If you tap your lands, you'll have mana too.

Magic: The Gathering was a fun game.

[opihimoimoi]

75. Are you refering to the Best Use of Land Contest and its use in Land Zoning??

As opposed to the Fantasy/False Value Reckoning we just witnessed start Last Year and is continuing/worsening....

Holy Crap....Its True...and its happening....and all I see is bandaids.....OMG...no answers in sight.....

[polichick]

78. I don't know - he could just have a whole lot of political bullshit going on...

We'll see what he does in office ~ so far I'm impressed by the green team and plans for a green economy, not impressed with some of his cabinet choices, and disgusted with his decision to elevate a guy like Warren.

Maybe he has mana, maybe he's just another political con man ~ we'll see...

What I know for sure is that I'm glad he's in office and not McCain.

[Waiting For Everyman]

79. I agree with you. But cynical posing is so much more "PC".

Nope on second thought, I'm on board with mana. The cynics will be wearing the egg-on-the-face, just like in the primaries. Lots of people who recognized the mana then will be silly enough to keep supporting him as you suggest, and I intend to be one of them.

Thanks for your post.