Read Me

This website is a private yet public site that servers as a journal, information hub, and general reference on life, love, connection and tech. This site is not about anything in particular, but serves as a space for the Banana Pack to share thoughts, links and their own personal random knowledge and wisdom as they perceive life.

With respect to content here, the only thing I will say is this: Hate is a virus, it will not be allowed to perpetuate here. Extremists are not welcome regardless of purpose. There is no "rage bait", if you are looking for that then just open up a social media site or turn on cable news. The lies, the anger, the divide & conquer mentality, that isn't here, this is your sanctuary from that. In reality, I would prefer you put down your phone or whatever you are reading this on, and grab a book to read. But in lieu of that, this is a safe place. I will share my vulnerabilities with you, and I encourage you to do the same. That doesn't make you weak, it is strength, so lean into it, understand it, embrace it and build upon and reform it.

Before you keep going, understand that:

• We do not use cookies, we do not track you, there are no sponsors, no sales pitches. Any information or tech that is referenced by name is because free speech still exists, I have absolutely zero interest in tracking you or selling anything to you, I simply don't have the time nor the desire. If you want to open your wallet, then go make a donation at a local charity. The instant you start pushing ads, you become beholden to someone. In fact, on this site you will learn some basic steps to block those ads, and I promise you, you will not need a tin foil hat.
• This is not an “influencer” site, or depending on your perspective and the person, a snake oil salesman, or gas lighting site. To be fair, there are some good people out there, unfortunately, most algorithms will de-prioritize them in your “feeds”, especially if they are un-sponsored and not pushing up the advertising revenue. A long time ago, a very dear friend of mine had gone to D.C. to be an intern at the white house and congress, when she came back she told me she was switching career paths, why? Because the constant theme her mentors told her was that we all come here with the best intentions and to make a difference, but if you want to get re-elected, be prepared to sell your soul to a few lobbyists. People like the shiny new thing, getting elected is different than getting re-elected, let alone, making a difference. And keep in mind, this was before what I would call “the Great Divide”.
• My suggestion to you is this: If you want to find an influencer, start by asking that person in the mirror what they really want. I don't mean what you have been “told” to want from your parents, teachers, or god forbid, some curated videos, of curated lives, that don't really exist, but in your soul. What do you really want, to feel, and what values do you hold? While you are reflecting on this, have a little thought experiment with that person in the mirror, and ask them, yourself, what is going to matter to you when one day, that reflection looking back is nearing its end? As my wife had said to me, life doesn't really start until you “truly” realize you are on a clock, the earlier in life you figure that out, the better, and I can say that from experience.
• If you still hold hope for us meatbags, but are exhausted, or feel like your watching a crash in real-time, maybe lost trust in humanity or just want to understand the echo chamber for what it is, then welcome, but understand, this is about shattering the hall of mirrors you didn't ask to be in, then rebuilding yourself without their mask. You may not like this, that is fine, their is a lot of truth in the statement that ignorance is bliss. Just know, you matter, your opinions, your thoughts, they matter, the problem is the noise is almost drowning them out. Just keep in mind, this site is not here to coddle you, just to inform you and give you some resources. I will not reinforce your bias', or any negative, ungrounded beliefs. I will not give you information I don't believe to be true and fact, and rest assured, just because you don't like something, doesn't mean it is not true, or because it doesn't fit your narrative. But...
• You shouldn't trust me anymore than a stranger on the street, or the clowns on TV masking opinion as news, or likely what is a single device and search engine you use. That is just there to spoon feed you information that you “want” to hear, and to reinforce whatever narrative your chamber “echos”.
• I encourage you to always verify everything. We are all fed information that has been curated for us, the individual. This was not some big conspiracy, it was the natural evolution of technology mixing with our desire for convenience, and our focus on next quarters profits, it was a perfect storm that was born from good ideas to connect people, to perhaps recommend a song or video we might like, not evil. Think of it like the frog in the pot on the stove and the slow boil, it's just that the water is boiling now but there is still time to “hop” out so-to-speak, step one is to just realize what the pot and water is, and we will explore that together.

If you are still reading this, then welcome, I see you.

The only thing I can promise you is this, my only motive is to share my thoughts, to provide you, (and the algorithms that scrape the web), with information that hopefully someone will turn into knowledge and ultimately, wisdom. Nobody can give you those last two, that is up to you.

What I do know is that anybody who says they have all the answerers, is just trying to convince themselves they do. I can assure you, nobody does, nor does any book, religion or school. What we have forgotten, or perhaps didn't know, is that the real reality is, we are all alone, yet we are still in this together, floating in a universe on a beautiful "blue ball", we are naive to think we are special in the way most people think, because in my opinion, the truth is we are so much more incredible than that, we are a rare and beautiful species and our importance is almost incomprehensible. The probability and series of events that led you to be reading this at this moment in time, is astronomical, seriously, I mean mathematically, this moment shouldn't even be possible. Yet it is.

So welcome and join us on this journey, and never forget, the destination is rarely as fun as the journey, you just have to let yourself enjoy the moment. Go own that moment and write your own narrative, don't accept someone elses.

Sincerely,

Your lone-wolf, empath, INFJ/ENFJ, somewhat broken but extremely hopeful custodian of the Banana Pack - K