About Tzaadi

General

Tzaadi aka David Lash is an African-American male blogger, teacher, mentor and web consultant living in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. My deep interests are visual communication, history, culture, travel and I try to combine them as often as possible.

Born at the middle of the last century, I am old enough to remember Sputnik, segregation in the U.S., Muhammad Ali in his prime, when Beirut was called the ‘Paris of the Middle East’ and the first warning calls for global warming. I am young enough to watch the maturation of Web 2.0, fear the politicization of science and still believe that I can make a difference.

I have emotional ties to places on the Earth: Ghana, Israel, India, Tibet, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, the North Carolina Piedmont, the Bay Area, the Pacific Northwest and big mountains. My fondness for the works of medieval, Middle Eastern poets Shalom Shabazi and Rumi is surpassed only by my love of good pesto and Thai food.

Tzaadi (the name)

Tzaadi (pronounced zah’-dee) is a derivative of the Hebrew letter, tzadi. In Hebrew, each of the 22 letters is more than just a sign for its pronunciation. Jewish culture believes that they are holy symbols that carry within them inspiration directly from the Creator who formed them.

The letter tzadi begins the Hebrew word, tzadik, referring to one who lives a righteous life. The righteous are encouraged to live honestly and openly, help the less fortunate around them and unassumingly do vital deeds of justice. Like many, I held the barely conscious belief that kindness is weakness. But what is inherently weak about ‘doing the right thing’, living honestly or a random act of goodness? They require courage. They build integrity. They engender trust. They open the doors to humility and awe.

As such, I’ve set out to consciously amplify good in my daily life. Tzaadi and its potential embodiment of good has become my personal brand.

Tzaadi (the blog)

All of us have stories to tell. Here are a few of my own.

The Web has evolved from a purely marketing and e-commerce medium into a powerful platform for getting things done. Solutions exist to help you communicate, find your way, collaborate, manage your time and money…and have fun doing it. I wish to share these discoveries with you and especially with those who stand to gain the most from them: Internet neophytes, old-schoolers like myself and people on the wrong side of the ‘digital divide’.

Statistically, the life expectancy of an African-American male born in 1950 is 59 years. G-d willing, I have more years than that remaining. As a hedge, I will do as much as I can to live vibrantly. Perhaps what I learn will be of value to others. My motivation is summed best by Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption, “Get busy living or get busy dying”.

I also seek to strengthen a tenuous connection to Africa. I deserve to know more about where I come from and ultimately, who I am. My birthright may have been ripped from memory but still flows in my blood. Additionally, I choose to combat the typical media portrayals of African helplessness, corruption and war with stories of innovation and the promise of good emerging from the continent.

Lastly, I have heroes. American culture seems determined to limit African and diaspora achievement to a few stereotypes, however expanded they may now be. We are much more than this. I want to share these stories and be inspired.

Hopeful Regards,

Tzaadi
July 15, 2008
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.