Charles Chapa

Charles Chapa was born in Zambia on December 29, 1969, has lived in Israel, Lesotho, Malawi, Norway, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, and now lives in Northern California. He was raised at an agricultural research station where most of his neighbors, and childhood friends, were expatriates from all over the world. This childhood experience helped him develop a unique understanding of different beliefs, cultures and how they mold people. An environment where leading figures of their fields were engaged in addressing global challenges had a profound intellectual influence on his worldly views.

Pet sitting for his neighbors who went back to their respective countries for a month every year gave him the idea that perhaps humans are trying to evolve to be more like dogs. But when we mature we will be more like cats. An observation that came about from his love for animals, observing and being sensitized to other sentient beings around him, and their multi-sensory nature. For instance the ability to sense what is happening accurately, before it is audible, visible or can be smelled.

But the biggest influence came from being raised by a father who had the wisdom to give him the frames of reference to walking a life of faith and courage; frames of reference that helped a six-year-old understand that we are all unique; the frame of reference to be raised Baha'i, in a Christian family; or an understanding that to walk in God's will for our lives, we must pursue excellence within our uniqueness. But it was a childhood experience at six years of age that replaced fear with courage that changed everything.