The Story Behind 1AYN

I grew up reading Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. Their story fascinated me — two people from completely different worlds who, upon meeting, recognized something eternal in each other. They saw through the same eye.

Years later, I found myself scrolling through social media, surrounded by connections but feeling profoundly alone. We have 5 billion people online, yet loneliness is declared an epidemic. How did we get here?

The answer hit me: we have optimized for engagement, not connection. Algorithms show us what confirms our biases. We are trapped in echo chambers, convinced that the other side is the enemy.

But I remembered Rumi's words: Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.

That field exists. It is the space where two strangers, stripped of labels and preconceptions, can simply be human together. 1AYN is my attempt to build that field.

The name 1AYN comes from the Arabic word عين (ayn), meaning eye, source, and essence. Combined with 1 — unity, oneness — it represents our core belief: beneath all our differences, we share the same essence. We see through the same eye.

This is not naive optimism. I know the world is complicated. I know there is real conflict, real injustice, real pain. But I also know that when two humans actuallysee each other — not as stereotypes, not as enemies, but as fellow travelers on this strange journey — something shifts.

1AYN will not solve world peace. But if it helps even one person realize that the stranger across the world shares their fears, their hopes, their humanity — then it is worth building.

Welcome to 1AYN. I hope you find what you are looking for.