Aro-Mind

The words ‘critical thinker’ and ‘conspiracy theorist’ have been appearing a lot in public and social media of late. Everyday we see a succession of assertions made by one ‘theorist’ or another, one thinker or another - some well founded and cogently argued, others poorly articulated and defended. The experience of Covid-19 in 2020 has brought the question of authoritative and reliable knowledge firmly into the spotlight. In the face of the maelstrom of ideas, rhetoric, assertion and hyperbole that arrive everyday, how does one know what to accept and what to reject? One of the unfortunate (and occasionally dangerous) aspects of the COVID-19 experience in 2020 is the alarming rise in the number of conspiracy theories and theorists that have made their way into the ‘public square’. It is remarkable to note the visibility of these ‘theories’ now and the alarming scale of interest in them. Conspiracy theories are dangerous for they come from a mind that is unwilling to subject its conclus...

From time to time I receive requests for whakapapa, usually from whanaunga. I am pleased to be able to help with whakapapa queries if I am able to. It is important to me to reciprocate the aroha and generosity I received from my elders and teachers when they shared whakapapa with me. In stating that I am pleased to help people with their requests, however, I also wish to say that it is important that the manner by which requests are communicated to me are important. Let me explain. Whakapapa is sacred. I do not mean sacred in that only the very few have a right to it and that it is some deep, heavy thing. Rather, I mean that it needs to be taken seriously. It needs to be cared for properly. It needs to be cherished and honoured. And it needs to be passed on in due course to the right people, in the right circumstances and with aroha. Unfortunately, with the rise of social media, the internet and email, requests for whakapapa have come to me through these channels and the custom of ...