enstein and maori

I'm reading a great book at the moment: Einstein – His life and universe by Walter Isaacson.

I am filled with awe when I think about Einstein. He created a paradigm shift in the way we think about the universe, and he did it through 'thought experiments'. Thought experiments allow the experimenter to create realms that are impossible, so that they can consider the companents of that realm, to learn fundamental truths which help them understand the world. In Enstein's case his first thought experiment was to imagine an observer moving beside a beam of light, at the same speed as the light. What would they observe?

We conduct mini thought experiements every day as we daydream, and contemplate, and imagine the future. They are a worthwhile activity and they help us create the world we want to live in.

For maori it is even more worthwhile – it brings hope. Many of my day dreams are around imagining this country with maori receiving their rightful mana and status and governing for the benefit of all. Working with the greens to create a land where kaitiakitanga is foremost.

In the book about Enstein, Banesh Hoffman says about Enstein that, “His early suspicion of authority, which never left him, was to prove of decisive importance. Without it he would not have been able to develop the powerful independence of mind that gave him the courage to challenge established scientific beliefs and thereby revolutionize physics.”

We also need a powerful independence of mind and courage to challenge the established disrespect given to role of maori and thereby revolutionize this country. Some people are frightened by this but it is inclusive not exclusive. By righting the wrong of colonisation and giving maori their country back will create an actual country that we can be proud of. Filled with all peoples. Build on the right principles with a foundation that goes back forever.

And I too, have a suspicion of authority. I don't like to be told what to do or think. I resist that. When people try to get me to think a certain way, I always wonder why they are trying to get me to think that way. This attribute is especially active while reading the newspaper and surfing the net.

I'm only about 100 pages in to the Enstein book but I am really enjoying it. My final thought is another quote from Enstein, “It is a glorious feeling to discover the unity of a set of phenomena that seem at first to be completely separate.”

A lot of our minds work like that. For me this blog is an expression of that concept. All of the posts are interconnected, as are we all, but we are also, all seperate. I try to find connection between apparent seperate phenomena and unify them.

Underneath it all, that connection is there.