I do not believe the purpose of life is to earn money or pursue power. I believe the purpose of life is to achieve a form of enlightenment where we are able to see God in our selves and in others, and to serve one another with the understanding that we are all connected. And by we I also mean the natural systems around us both alive and non-alive.

I grew up in a tight knit Indian community in Portland Oregon. Our immigrant community embraced the American dream, and us kids were taught to work hard in school and pursue excellence in life so that we could live financially secure and stable lives here in America. So, even though I am anti-capitalist, I am not anti-work. I believe there’s great dignity in work. I see my own work as a product designer as a practice and a craft I am constantly developing. Human beings have been craftsman long before capitalism, and we will be craftsman long after it.

My dad has been a rock climber since his youthful days in India. There is not a mountain in south India he has not summited and in fact he’s currently hiking to the base camp of Everest. I grew up spending weekends in the mountains of Oregon, and today I enjoy going to various national parks in and near California. From childhood I have found peace and great meaning in nature. It has taught me humility and grit, patience and courage. Part of my anti-capitalist ideology is rooted in a love of nature. I want to see earths ecosystems thriving and cared for by us. America‘s earliest businessman still thought themselves, to a degree, as stewards of the land. Somewhere in the last couple decades we lost even that basic value. I want to see us return to that consciousness and care.

I am currently 28. I want every person of my generation to feel collective responsibility for the earth. I want the values with which we organize our lives and society to be those of responsibility, balance, and simplicity. Not greed, overindulgence, and materialism. I hope what I am expressing makes sense and is even a little bit inspiring. The only reason I write and share is so that someone else might also reach a moment of clarity in their own thinking. I’m not interested in moral superiority or correctness. I am interested in learning and maturation.

I am an artist (I majored in art at Stanford) and someone who builds technology within the free and open source movement. Everything I do is organized around creating a society without hierarchies and where individual humans are free to live dignified, fulfilled, healthy, and whole lives.

There is much we need to do to create such a society but the first step is believing that such a society can exist and espousing the values you wish to see manifested. So while I try not to take myself too seriously I am seriously aware that I must embody these values. In conclusion, it is an honor to have lived such a rich life thus far. I am able to weave so many cultures and views together to create my own. This is what it means, for me, to have an intersectional identity.

As I move forward I will keep my eyes on the prize and not be distracted by the allure of materialism. What say you?