WHO I AM:  Christopher Sofolo. Human Being. Father (of three). Late blooming student (Sociology major). Writer/Blogger. Somewhat sarcastic. Ridiculously sentimental. Truth seeker. Lover of Love. Always looking to absorb knowledge, from all things/all people.

WHAT THIS IS:  An organic, ever-changing list of stuffs.

WHO INSPIRES ME:  People. Martin Luther King, Jr. Gandhi. Mother Teresa. Chris Hedges.The Buddha. Jesus (or at least the idea of him). Thich Nhat Hanh. Any individual who loves recklessly.

THINGS THAT INTRIGUE ME:  Nonviolence. Spiritual Progressivism. Political Progressivism.  Civil disobedience. Activism. Gay Rights. Marriage Equality. Socialism. Community/Interdependence. Asking tough questions. Radically listening. Radically loving. Feminism. Marxism. Religious Pluralism. Interfaith Dialog.

INTERESTS:  Sociology. Writing (dabbling in babbling). Photography (I photograph most everything--amateurly). Music (some listen to it . . . I absorb it . . . obsessively). Film (another medium that I absorb) Agriculture (small scale, organic, ecologically sustainable). Human rights.  Social Justice. Philosophy. Psychology. Alternative, Holistic Medicine (as in: Homeopathy, Herbology, Aromatherapy, Naturopathy, Massage, Acupuncture, Reiki, The Emotion Code, Muscle Testing, etc.). Yoga. Meditation. The great outdoors (as in: hiking, kayaking, camping, aimlessly wandering, watching the sunset/rise).

THINGS THAT CONCERN ME:  Human rights. Abuse of power. Poverty. Affluence. The oppressed. The marginalized. The rejected. The unloved. Intolerance. Elitism. Apathy. Inequality. Exclusivism. Closed-mindedness. Bullying. Our mental and spiritual disconnect from the sources of our food. The raping of the earth.

CONCEPTS THAT I TRY TO EMBRACE DAILY:  Ubuntu (see below). Unconditional love. Nonviolence. Peacemaking. Positive thinking. Environmental awareness.

WORDS OF SIGNIFICANT MEANING:

NAMASTE:
Direct translation: In Sanskrit the word is namah + te = namaste which means “I bow to you” - my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. The word ‘namaha’ can also be literally interpreted as "na ma" (not mine). It has a spiritual significance of negating or reducing one's ego in the presence of another.

Spiritually it is recognized to mean: "The light in me sees the light in you." or "The spirit in me honors the spirit in you." or "The teacher in me acknowledges the teacher in you".

"Namaste could be just a casual or formal greeting, a cultural convention or an act of worship. However, there is much more to it than meets the eye. The real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet one another with namaste, it means, ‘may our minds meet’, indicated by the folded palms placed before the chest. The bowing down of the head is a gracious form of extending friendship in love, respect and humility."

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UBUNTU:
Direct translation: "I am what I am because of who we all are."

An African ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.

Summarized by Desmond Tutu:
"A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."

"One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity."