Rubber Meets Pavement
it's go time
Context: This article is 1 of 4 parts that is essential for understanding me & Koinonoros. Please also read Of Reptiles and Men, this publication’s About page, & our website’s homepage for a fully-rounded grasp. 🙂
I've learned many things throughout my 33 years & counting in this here existence. I've learned to strive to act right while having the appropriate caution & diligence. I've learned that Sonic fans can be a tad “overwhelming” from time to time (the hedgehog, that is, not the drive-in). I've even learned that there's millions of people who voluntarily choose to live in Phoenix & be unable to hang out outside during the day during the season meant for hanging out outside (while still having cold winters!)... for... some mysterious reason.
The lesson I wanna bring up right now, however, is this one: the best view is from the bottom. That is to say, when you're looking at a “thing” from below, it gives you the best view of what's up with it—its structure, its intricacies, its foundation... & indeed, its failings & ugly sides. In my case, the “thing” is today's society—one that goes all-in on proving that Bowling for Soup's mid-2000s song “High School Never Ends” was 100% accurate. A mess of arbitrary, shallow cliques (& rabid defense of such); folks who latch on to “trends” without prior rational thought behind such; & (what's super-relevant to me in particular) many innocent folks who, for whatever “reason” or another, end up as “untouchables” relegated to a target for hostility & ostracism. One sitting “below” “society” itself, hence the lesson wording.
Humans, when individuals & collectives have weak wills & weak values, are very susceptible to evil, including assigning arbitrary “less-than” status to a given “other” (yet innocent) group/demographic. They develop such, & internalize it to a point it becomes a core part of their identity... even though it's a quantifiable fact that such disdain only hurts oneself & one's own society (one example being that it was the practice of slavery itself that largely caused the American South to be underdeveloped relative to the North). And when such ugliness is challenged, especially when it's someone from the “less-than” “other” refusing to accept said “assignment”, the salt starts flying worse'n a tornado touching down at the Bonneville Flats. This is a core part of the “high-school mentality”; one of many flawed aspects of human psychology that acting civilized means discarding.
The insidious thing about what I call “general outcast” exclusion/discrimination is that it's a “fallback hatred” for other, more easily “targetable” hatreds that fall under the “othering" category of evil: mess like racism, antisemitism, Hinduphobia, Christophobia, & misogyny/misandry. What I mean here is that “general ostracism” is colorblind, doesn't see religion or borders between subcultures, doesn't care about money, & doesn't even mind disabilities, so long as a disability can be used for fake “inspirational”/“token” garbage (or, to use an old-school internet term, “glurge”) meant to keep the “designated outcasts” running on treadmills. Instead, it just (high-school-style) randomly picks certain folks to be treated as “less-than" on a mass scale. Through said randomness, it makes it hard to combat. Where can one even start combating a hatred that even people “supposed to be privileged” like a white guy born into wealth & literal royalty can sometimes end up included in alongside someone with a story like mine?
Well, I'm gonna try anyway. Because the simple fact of the matter is that regardless of all the hate, all the ugliness, & all the salt that's flown over me daring to “go for life”... I am a human being with value & a right to life. My differences are valid & acting right about/around them is easy as pie. I've done nothing to “deserve” the bullying, the abuse, the coldness, the denial of community. I got a ton to offer to those who actually listened to values taught to us by Mister Rogers and/or Jesus & open their lives to a loyal friend in yours truly.
No matter how much so many folks cling to the idea there's “supposed” to be a permanent designated underclass... I refuse to simply accept that. I refuse to accept always being “on the outside". I refuse to accept being such a hard worker & dedicated citizen, but still lacking fully-fleshed community, “squad”, opportunity, family, & value. I refuse to accept “not living, but merely existing in pain". And here the thing: you—yes, YOU here reading this—also deserve better than a life & society hindered by the burden of toleration of high school evil & mess, including the perpetuation of an arbitrary underclass. Even if your life is great, you're still missing out on so much because evil, negativity, is a drag on civilizational prosperity. People run around thinking their lives are improved because an underclass exists, & folks often choose to get their self-esteem from knowing there's outcasts rather'n from an actual Positive place, but it indeed harms us all. It's not a zero-sum game out there.
And the key to that refusal to accept mess turning into living reality is true & real folks willing to rise above & epitomize “better”. To see the darkness of today & choose to illuminate this gloom rather'n just accept (or even celebrate) the lack of light.
This is where this humble Project comes in, y'all.
I'm ready to not only finally live, myself, but illuminate the gloom in general while I'm at it. I see that (as I mentioned on the SGC homepage) we all need depth, principles, & “regal rebellion” against the negative & the darkness; darkness so pervasive that even folks with “good” lives, in a time where even much of “the ‘hood” is living better than royalty did a couple centuries ago, are feeling some kind of “emptiness” present; something “missing”. That's depth & light you're looking for.
Whether you're a straight-laced business suit or a street artist channeling Robin Hood, or something in between... it's time to bring together folks who believe in nurturing the positive & tearing down the negative. To be lights & hold a “neverending potluck" where we all bring our cultures—from music to video games to food & beyond—while being aware that evil exists & rejecting any that shows up at the threshold tryna *pass* for “culture”. To bring together all shades & forms of human/sapient awesomeness to ride here in the light together.
To stand up against bigotry no matter its form or direction; to maintain no tolerance for racism, ableism, antisemitism, Christophobia, acting like one is a horrible person for preferring sausage over roast beef (or vice versa), or whatever other form it shows up as. To believe in community in the true old-fashioned sense like Mister Rogers taught us; celebrate civilization whether Western, Eastern, or Southern; to not be lily-livers about the necessities of protecting either from those who wish to destroy it for regimes of slavery & oppression. To not be fooled by so-called “outcasts” & “rebels” who are dystopian, themselves, and treat genuine underclass as less-than.
It's really about oases of light. & I believe in bringing that “Oasis presence" to diverse interests, pursuits, subcultures in life. We as sapient brings run on interests, on lifestyles... & if there can be a places of light to ride BMX, to play this or that video game, to play party games like GeoGuessr & Jackbox, to knit & crochet, to skate, to enjoy beautiful cars, chase storms, practice faith, play basketball, play football, play tabletop games, or whatever else (within reason)... we can thrive. If we all bring our individual strengths, we can be strong as a group as we let said strengths make up for each others' respective areas of weakness. If we all bring our areas of knowledge & skill “to the table”, everyone's lives are enhanced & we all eat well.
I'm under no delusion that this'll become the standard. The world is dark, the world is screwed up, the world as a whole is perhaps too far down the commode pipes. But, we can still be points of light, & this here project to foment said points of light is one I call Koinonoros ("koinonia" + “oros”; fellowship/brotherhood + gold) or the Stormy Grove Crew (celebrating growth, harmony, & class). The media part is hepTRAX. Let's come together, do society things... indeed...
Let's Roll
If illuminating the gloom & riding above the never-ending high school of today sounds great to you... well, first of all: thank you. You truly are amongst the best of humanity. And now you've found somewhere dedicated to this real talk & action to go with it.
The idea here is that folks down with this here project live & epitomize in their already-existing daily lives, across the civilized range of cultures, politics, & lifestyles, the basic values that bring light to darkness. It's not about running away from our lives as they are, but simply being lights in said lives. Lights that encourage even more folks to “flip the switch", themselves. Lights that form clusters, clusters that connect & unite. Many little fish that make up big fish. And prompted by my own life's struggle & a desire to build something positive, I'm determined to foment such.
Much ado has been made about what makes one strong, truly “grown”, a “real man” or “real woman”... but the answer's been sitting right there the whole time: the values epitomized by Mister Rogers, Jesus, & so many others “on the real”, backed up by science (indeed, non-belief is not an excuse)... & the strength to persist despite people who lack them values tryna destroy you. It's not shallow mess like material wealth or being a hostile hoodrat, but having scars aplenty, yet fighting on anyway. Rest assured: all y'all who have tried, & continue to try, to bully me into silence & acceptance of submission & crumbs just gotta suck it up. I ain't just gonna go down, & I have God to thank for having my back on that one. It's time for class, character, & resilience.
We've got social hubs ready to go for the connections & hangouts, & socials + multimedia to spread the Positivity, inform, entertain, edify. Expect a potpourri of interests, cultures, & lifestyles; turkey talk from the battlefield here at the bottom; civic & weather updates; gaming content from news to playthroughs to plenty of party games on & off streams; arts & science news & such; & so much more. There's shows & podcasts, live & otherwise—like our talk show + showcase of video game music (plus!), Three Lives to Live.
I bring to the table my skills & passions to share. I love meteorology, gaming (PC/mobile/tabletop), BMX cruising, horticulture/botany, astronomy, I.T., civics, birdwatching, broadcasting/entertaining... I'm about Christian & interfaith ministry... & y'all, I'm frankly just tryna finally live & hang out, so it's all about “just chillin'" as well. 💚 In my areas of knowledge & passion, expect detailed articles & quick updates alike, depending on the medium, alongside the shows I do. 🤙🏿 For example, if there's a chance of severe weather somewhere I cover on a given day, I'll probably do a detailed/semi-detailed article on such on the media I post such to. Then, when the storms start to fire up, I'll do rapid-fire quick updates on the media I post that kinda content on. (Assuming I'm free & up & such, of course. I'm only human.) And yet some other media is just for more general, casual posting about life.
Our main, "official" website is https://sgc.fyi. Most everything can/will be found here: info on what we're about, links to our outlets & socials, knowledgebases for a potpourri of interests & topics, a database catalouging/calling out hateful/negative folks, & an aggregator of/portal to our content & edifying, classy, regally rebellious content from all around... plus more. Bookmark it, put it on your home screen, & let it be a portal, in the old-fashioned web sense.
Media platforms for podcasts, videos, & live broadcasts/streams ~ follow, subscribe, et cetera:
General socials for updates (detailed ones & quick ones) & other articles/content about topics from weather to gaming to civics & beyond, turkey talk, hanging out/brotherhood/fellowship, & so much more.
Many of these platforms will also have podcasts & broadcasts/streams just like the above-mentioned.
On Discord: our server, a premier hangout for us: https://discord.gg/nfKkTNVUst. There is a screening/vetting process for security reasons; just read & follow the instructions. A must for full social participation & all forms of updates & content. If you do join, consider rocking our Guild Tag - 2ROK (Regal Riders of Koinonoros)!
On Substack: it's The Koinonoros Keep at https://heptrax.substack.com. Detailed updates & articles. Included is a group chat for those who subscribe, free & paid alike. My personal profile with limited quick updates & info.
On X: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My profile: MesynSupreme. Group chat/hangout for Riders by invite. Updates & content of all kinds here.
On Steam: our group, with associated group chat/hangout to complement Discord & the others: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Koinonoros.
On Telegram: the hepTRAX info channel & discussion group: https://t.me/heptrax; & the Koinonoros group: https://t.me/koinonoros. Updates & content of all kinds in addition to complementing Discord & others.
On Facebook: the Pages for hepTRAX & Koinonoros; & (for Riders) the Koinonoros group. My personal profile (follows welcome; add me as a friend if we're familiar). Detailed updates & much of our content.
On Instagram & Threads: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My profile, MesynSupreme. Some content & a group chat here.
On BlueSky: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My personal profile. Updates & content of all kinds here.
On Blogger: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My personal. Detailed updates & much of our content.
On Tumblr: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My personal. Detailed updates & much of our content.
On Neocities: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My personal site. Like our official website, an aggregator/portal of/to our content & edifying, classy, regally rebellious content from all around.
On SpaceHey: hepTRAX; Koinonoros. My personal profile. More of a casual hangout/presence.
On Reddit: r/heptrax; r/koinonoros. Some content goes here.
If you're able & down to, I've set up a Ko-Fi & a Patreon. I'll soon be adding ways to with crypto once I can figure out how to safely do so.
Soon to come will also be decentralized socials like RetroShare, Briar, & Jami.
Now, we ride.