I am a free soul at heart. I grew up in Makaha, a fierce land where one is scorched by sun and life alike, and, at the same time, we take it easy and live by the phrase, “No worry brah.” I remember the bassline of Marley songs reverberating throughout the valley. His music and rebel spirit were the first stirrings of freedom for me, a presence that I’ve carried with me from then to this day.  

While this easy going vibe was true, I didn’t always know it at the time.

Growing up, there was a haunting sense of dread that seemed to follow me wherever I’d go – most days, I’d wake up with a simple feeling that cast a shadow of fear over the day ahead.

Fast forwarding to years later, my first teaching job was at Anuenue, on a beautiful campus, in a beautiful valley, with teachers & students that felt like family. One morning, I remember parking my car and looking up at the eastern mountain and the rising sun. Deep down, my heart knew the beauty that lay before me, but that haunting dread spoiled what should have been a quiet moment of enjoying a sunrise.

After that day, the persistent dissonance between heart and mind gave way in becoming the rebel spirit of questioning that is the backbone of what I do. I had begun the journey into the caverns of suffering where there lay deep wells of fear, doubt, warlike anger, conniving arrogance, disassociation, nihilism, restlessness, addiction, shame, and lamentation. Fed up with the constant hum of suffering that plagued me for years, I began to question: “Why do I wake up in fear of what’s to come? What’s the point of it all if I can’t be happy?” And what came as a result of these questions is my deep-dive into the world's wisdom & philosophies and a way of living-out questions in the embodiment of freedom.

Thus, I am not beholden to any particular philosophy. I am only beholden to freedom itself. In the work we do, we stress questions more than answers. A good question cannot be owned or locked down as a good question asks us to engage with it, constantly humble our assumptions and ourselves, and ultimately live the question through the moment-to-moment, direct experience of our lives.

I’ve fine tuned this questioning mindset during my time in the classroom. For 10 years, I taught in Hawaiʻi’s schools. My class was titled English, but the kids knew that life was the real curriculum. In class, it often felt like we were talking-story, while the deliberate use of questions made our conversations real and deep. I saw, time and time again, how these questions had a power to them. My students would write or talk about how the class began to shift the way they lived and saw life. They became kinder, more empathetic, thoughtful, wiser, happier, and freer. By year’s end, they felt empowered to live life and embody the freedom they are. 

I am forever grateful for my students and my time with them. I am forever grateful for being put on this path. I am forever grateful for the privilege to share this work if it means allowing happiness and freedom to shine forth in the hearts of my fellow brothers and sisters. 

Positive vibration and one love,

Braddah Craig Craig Dias Hawaii