Greetings, I’m Ali…

I am on a mission to inspire the world through music, culture and the power of the book. I hope to set an example for others to learn from and realize the limitless spirit that lives within them. I strive to make a difference every day of my life by using my gifts and abilities to overcome the obstacles in front of me. In the end, I want to be the best father, brother and son, leader, drummer and librarian possible.

Join me on this journey – it will be a path of diverse experiences, internal and external growth, challenges and triumphs. I love to travel, drum, read, and see others reach their potential.

I live by a set of rules…

I learned a long time ago that life is all about setting a standard and sticking to it. Religions take their best stab at searching for those princliples and standards and that may work for some. For me, I have simply embraced seven principles to begin my journey and set me on the right path.

  1. UNITY
  2. SELF-DETERMINATION
  3. COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY
  4. COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS
  5. PURPOSE
  6. CREATIVITY
  7. FAITH

Yes, those are the principles of Kwanzaa and they are simple, concise, comprehensible, holistic, grounding, etc. I don’t to make things any more complicated than that. The other way of organizing my path is through the Maat philosophy:

  1. Truth
  2. Justice
  3. Harmony
  4. Balance
  5. Reciprocity
  6. Righteousness
  7. Order

These 14 ways cross one another and make up a whole person – and that is who I strive to be.