Contemplating emptiness

The Big Save Supermarket in Lihu‘e closed down recently after the Kawakami family sold the business to Times. The store’s parking lot Tuesday morning was quite busy, but inside the store emptiness prevailed. Sixth century B.C. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, speaking of emptiness, once said, ‘We pierce doors and windows to make a house; and it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the usefulness of the house depends; therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not.’