Not the palm trees, white-sand beaches, sky-blue water or volcanoes, but the real Hawai'i.

What makes us tick? What makes this hodgepodge of cultures come together and click as one diverse society?

How do we get from laid-back Kailua to Chinatown, 'Ewa Beach, Waikiki, Honolulu or the North Shore without skipping a beat?

It’s definitely not one race or culture that makes this state work, that’s for sure.

Take a look around when you get to work or school this morning. Chances are you can identify at least five different ethnic groups within five minutes without changing your daily routine.

Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Hawaiian, white, black, Vietnamese — no other state, no other country — relies on such a melting pot of cultures for its workforce.

We’re eclectic, and proud of it.

In Hawai‘i, we respect ‘ohana traditions and talk story of Hawai‘i legends and lore.

Our snapshot isn’t all encompassing, but it gives you a good idea of the type of person rising four hours before sunrise to bake the malassadas and get the Kona coffee ready for the drive to work.

It gives you a chance to step back and know that your local banker may have planned to come here for a year but has settled in since 1976; and that the fruit on your counter is meticulously harvested every day by immigrants who take pride in their work.

Mostly, our snapshot hopefully shows that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter where you’re from or the color of your skin. It’s who you are as a person that counts when your head hits the pillow.
Millionaires living next door to mechanics. Lawyers talk story with fishermen over lunch.

We’re a society uninhibited by social class.

And when you think about it, that’s not a bad snapshot to hang your hat on.

Aloha.