Highland Institute for the Advancement of Humanity strives to understand the way humanity has evolved, hoping to help expedite this process. 

Throughout history, Master Teachers such as Moses, Jesus, and Buddha have guided us in the understanding and appreciation of law, love, and the mind. In addition, humanity has advanced and evolved through various cultural avatars in the areas of science, medicine, politics, and technology. My favorite examples are Leonardo da Vinci, George Washington, Mozart, Sir Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin.

The Persian culture has also featured its own avatars, such as King Cyrus the Great, the poet Rumi, and Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā, otherwise known as Avicenna in Arabic, or simply Ibn Sīnā, whom I was named after. Since most folks can’t pronounce my name, let alone know its origins, I’ll share what I know.

I am a big fan of the Johnny Cash song called “A Boy Named Sue,” and believe one way we can understand ourselves better is by questioning after whom we were named and the reason why?

Born 980, died 1037 at the age of 57,  the namesake Sina was a famous Muslim physician and an influential philosopher-scientist, having made great contributions to the field of medicine with such works as his Book of the Cure, along with a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia called The Canon of Medicine, ranking amongst the most influential books in the history of medicine.

I was also named after Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Hebrew god. Now that I look back, having been born a Jewish kid in a Muslim country, I was given a name that allowed me to be Iranian or Jewish depending on the circumstances, both in the streets and at home.

The best advice of Socrates, considered by many to be the greatest philosopher who ever lived, was a simple “Know Thyself.” Such insight begins with a better understanding of our first and last names, and a better understanding of our ancestry.

— Sina.