A word from Kimani:
"In honor of intended legacy, I'm a Griot. A "griot" is an oral historian - a keeper of tradition and culture, responsible for contributing to the growth and preservation of authentic storytelling. I strive to represent an appreciation for the world of Linguistics through art and writing.
"I'm a visual storyteller. I'm specialized and experienced in digital media production on small and large scales. I'm a photojournalist (specialized on capturing bodies in motion), a film producer, a video editor, a graphic designer, a web developer, and a writer.
"Above all else, I am a Linguist. I research human communication theory, and my media endeavors contribute to my purpose in that field of thought.
My official position is that pattern recognition is the fulcrum of the concept of human "sentience." It is not a uniquely human trait, which is the argument behind our established a self-view of divinity. That's a harmful perspective. It isolates ourselves from possible truths that exist outside of our individually observable paradigms. Elements of pattern recognition sponsor our communication strategies. Language is one of those primary strategies.
Language is a unique strategy in that it's reliance on pattern recognition to exist is subsidized by another concept - empathy. You are not “reading” what I’m writing. You’re interacting with me, what I’m intending to communicate, and whatever glimpses of my internal paradigm that I’m able to paint.
By ‘reading” this, you are extracting clarity from a series of tiny symbols that I am placing in a deliberate sequence. You do that from a desire to understand me. Your interest in my offerings, your choice to read this, your action in processing these words... You make this collaborative! I’m using intention. You’re using empathy. It’s a structure that relies on these patterns of symbols to work. This counters the widely accepted theory that language is innate to the human animal, This theory (posited by Darwin, codified by Chomsky, expanded on by Pinker) is flawed. Empathy is innate. Pattern recognition is so innate, it produces the chaotic notion of limited perspective. Language is the result.
We are a hive mind because of this constant agreement! If we share in the wonder of this marvelous symbiosis, we're going to work well together.
Let this inspire a conversation! Let's work together to expand this messaging. If you're reading this, I'm glad you exist!"
~ Kimani Okearah