Editor's Letter Issue 8

Welcome to Issue 8!

As you can probably tell, this issue is based around the theme ‘Ignorance is Never Bliss’. And to be honest, I used to think ignorance was the ultimate form of happiness. Before I knew about climate change, genocides, hatred and every other yucky thing humans do, I must have been happier. Right? Well, maybe. But the people who my ignorance affected weren’t. That’s what made me realise: ignorance is never bliss. Ignorance led us to a polluted planet. Ignorance led us to extreme poverty all over the world. And ignorance led my relatives to concentration camps in Nazi Germany.

Heavy, I know, but I wholeheartedly believe that education, empowerment and action are the only things that can make us all truly blissful – not ignorance.

That’s why in this issue we’ll be covering all sorts of stuff you need to know to be blissful. We’ll be looking at sustainability and more excitingly AUTSA’s week-long event ‘Earth Week’, where you can get inspired by TED-esque talks, cafés and activities, and learn a thing or two in the process.

We’re also talking about a few things we should all know about, such as Mya Cole’s piece on the history of contentious words; the problems with Auckland Uni (something I could talk all day about); an in-depth investigation about how AUT is dealing with China's new policy on recycling; a brutally honest open letter to a particular iwi; and even some crazy stuff, like whether humans can be uploaded to computers and live forever.

But don’t worry, not everything in this mag is going to make you feel like you’ve just watched an episode of Black Mirror. We’ve also got a ruthless and amazing blind date review, a delicious recipe, puzzles and heaps more.

Grab a copy or seven and enjoy the ride.

See you in two weeks,

Julie