REFLECTIVE INSIGHT #001 - THE VALUE OF ENTANGLEMENT - MOVING BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE
Stop chasing a "bottom line" that doesn't exist; your bank account is literally breathing the same air as the mangroves in the Hokianga, and science finally has the receipts to prove it.
Tēnā koutou, e te iwi. Pull up a chair here on the porch. I’ve been sitting with two books lately—one is David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity, and the other is a 19th-century Te Reo Māori translation of the Gospels. At first glance, you’d think they’re worlds apart. One talks about quantum multiverses and the reach of explanations, while the other talks about the Logos—Te Kupu—the Word that brought life. But when you look closer, especially through a Ngāpuhi lens, they are telling the exact same story: nothing exists in isolation.
In the world of quantum physics, there’s a phenomenon called Entanglement. It sounds space-age, but it’s actually quite simple. When two particles become "entangled," they share a single existence. You can take one particle and put it on the moon, and keep the other here in Taitokerau. If you tickle the one here, the one on the moon reacts instantaneously. No delay. No signal sent through the air. They are, for all intents and purposes, the same thing.
Our tūpuna called this Whanaungatanga. It wasn't just about who your cousins are at the next poukai; it was a sophisticated understanding of the fabric of reality. We come from Te Kore, the realm of potential, where everything was one. When we talk about whakapapa, we aren't just reciting a list of names; we are tracing the threads of entanglement that link us to the birds, the stones, the stars, and each other.
The problem is, our modern "bottom line" economics is built on a lie. It pretends that a business can be "profitable" while the awa it sits next to is dying. It suggests that a Treaty settlement is just a pile of pūtea to be hoarded or spent on flashy buildings that don't serve the people. Physics—and Christ’s teachings—tell us otherwise. In the original Greek of the New Testament, the word often translated as "stewardship" or "administration" is oikonomia. If we translate that directly into the spirit of Te Reo, it’s closer to Kaitiakitanga o te Whare—the deep responsibility of caring for the entire household. And the "household" isn't just four walls; it’s the whole ecosystem.
When we hoard resources, we are trying to stop the flow of a river. In quantum terms, we are trying to isolate a particle that is naturally entangled. It creates resistance, heat, and eventually, the system breaks down. This is why our people are struggling despite millions sitting in trust accounts. We’ve adopted a Western "silo" mentality where money is separate from mauri.
The fix? We need to pivot to Regenerative Economics. This means seeing every dollar as a seed for whanaungatanga. If Ngāpuhi invests in a project, the "return" shouldn't just be a percentage in a ledger. The return should be: Is the water cleaner? Are our rangatahi feeling more connected? Is the soil in our back gardens becoming fertile again?
True wealth is the strength of the links between us. If we use our collective resources to restore the whenua, the whenua restores the people. That’s not just "being kind"—it’s aligning our economy with the actual laws of the universe. We are stewards, not owners. When we treat our resources as a flow rather than a hoard, we tap into the infinite potential of Te Kore.
My challenge to you today is to look at your own "system." Whether it’s your household budget or the way you run your business, ask yourself: Am I trying to be an island, or am I embracing my entanglement? Spend your time and your money in a way that nourishes the roots. When the roots are strong, the whole forest thrives.
Straight up: Whanaungatanga is the universe’s original business model—what you do to the web, you do to yourself. 💫
