Because verification is a team sport in the age of information warfare

What Is a Reality Board?

A Reality Board is your personal advisory council for navigating the information hellscape. It's 3-7 people who've agreed to help you distinguish real patterns from phantom connections, genuine insights from extraction schemes, and wisdom from madness.

Think of it as your cognitive immune system—a small group that helps you maintain sanity while still seeing the patterns others miss.

Why You Need One (Yesterday)

If you're reading this, you probably:

• See connections others don't
• Sometimes wonder if you're losing it
• Have been called "schizo" (ironically or not)
• Feel isolated in your pattern recognition
• Occasionally fall for hype cycles
• Want to channel your insights productively

Your brain evolved for small-tribe reality verification. Modern platforms destroyed that. Your Reality Board rebuilds it.

The Core Principles

1. Diversity Over Agreement

You don't want an echo chamber. You want:

• One skeptic (questions everything)
• One mystic (open to weird connections)
• One pragmatist (grounds in practical reality)
• One researcher (verifies claims)
• One empath (checks emotional reality)

2. Trust Over Expertise

Better to have someone who:

• Cares about your wellbeing
• Will tell you hard truths
• Has known you over time
• Respects your pattern-seeking

Than someone who:

• Has credentials but no investment in you
• Agrees with everything you say
• Dismisses your insights wholesale
• Has their own extraction agenda

3. Private Over Public

Your Reality Board operates in:

• Encrypted channels (Signal, private Discord)
• Small groups (never more than 7)
• Confidential discussions (what's said stays there)
• Non-performative space (no audience to play to)

Building Your Board: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Identify Candidates (Week 1)

List people who have:

• Called you out when you were wrong (lovingly)
• Supported your weird insights when they panned out
• Different thinking styles than you
• Demonstrated care for your wellbeing
• Their own Reality Board (or would benefit from one)

Red flags to avoid:

• Yes-men who never challenge you
• Cynics who dismiss everything
• People who screenshot private conversations
• Anyone who profits from your confusion
• Energy vampires who only take

Step 2: The Invitation (Week 2)

Send this (customize as needed):

"I'm building a Reality Board—a small group for sense-making in our insane information environment. I need people I trust to help verify patterns, check my thinking, and keep me grounded while still exploring edge ideas.

Would you be willing to be part of this? It would involve:Being available for occasional 'is this real?' checksHonest feedback when I'm spiralingSharing your own patterns for verificationMaintaining strict confidentiality

I chose you because [specific reason—be genuine].

Interested? Let's talk."

Step 3: Establish the Container (Week 3)

First meeting agenda:

1. Why we're here (5 min)
2. What we each bring (everyone shares their superpower and blindspot)
3. Container agreements (see below)
4. Communication setup (choose platform)
5. First reality check (practice with low-stakes pattern)

Container Agreements:

• Confidentiality is absolute
• Care comes before being right
• "I don't know" is always acceptable
• No screenshots or subtweets
• Challenge ideas, not people
• Everyone gets reality checks, everyone gives them

Step 4: Create Your Protocols (Week 4)

Develop specific processes for:

Quick Checks (for urgent verification):

@reality-board "Quick check: I'm seeing [pattern]. Real or projection?"
- Wait for 2+ responses before acting
- Green light = 2+ confirm
- Yellow light = mixed signals
- Red light = 2+ say stop

Deep Dives (for complex patterns):

1. Present your pattern with:
   - What you're seeing
   - Why it matters
   - What would disprove it
   - Your confidence level (0-100%)

2. Board responds with:
   - What resonates
   - What seems off
   - Additional data needed
   - Suggested next steps

3. Synthesis discussion
4. Decision on action/inaction

Spiral Interrupts (when you're activated):

"Code Red: I'm spiraling about [topic]"
- Board drops everything
- One person takes lead
- Focus on grounding first, analysis later
- No shame, only support

Operating Your Reality Board

Daily Practices

Morning Check-in (optional):

• "Here's what I'm tracking today"
• "Watch out for my tendency to..."
• "I need support with..."

Pattern Drops:

• Share interesting patterns without need for validation
• Let them marinate
• Return to promising ones later

Gratitude Practice:

• Thank people who caught your blind spots
• Celebrate successful pattern recognition
• Acknowledge growth

Weekly Rhythms

Monday: Pattern review

• What did we track last week?
• What panned out?
• What did we miss?

Wednesday: Edge exploration

• Share the weirdest thing you're noticing
• No judgment zone
• Pure curiosity

Friday: Integration

• What are we learning about our collective blind spots?
• How can we improve our process?
• What support does anyone need?

Monthly Evolution

Retrospective Questions:

• Are we maintaining healthy skepticism?
• Are we staying open to weird possibilities?
• Is anyone dominating? Anyone too quiet?
• Do we need to adjust our agreements?
• Should we invite someone new/release someone?

Common Pitfalls and Solutions

Pitfall 1: Becoming an Echo Chamber

Solution: Regularly invite guest skeptics. Assign devil's advocate roles. Celebrate when someone changes their mind.

Pitfall 2: One Person Dominates

Solution: Rotate leadership. Use timer for shares. Create "step up/step back" norm.

Pitfall 3: Drifting into Casual Chat

Solution: Separate social time from Reality Board time. Keep focused container. Meet social needs elsewhere.

Pitfall 4: Extraction Creep

Solution: Watch for anyone monetizing insights without group consent. Address immediately. Maintain gift economy within board.

Pitfall 5: Verification Paralysis

Solution: Set time limits on verification. "Good enough" threshold. Bias toward action with safeguards.

Advanced Practices

Cross-Board Verification

Connect with other Reality Boards for:

• Meta-pattern recognition
• Larger sample sizes
• Specialized expertise
• Pandemic/crisis response

Pattern Libraries

Build collective documentation:

• Patterns that proved true
• Patterns that proved false
• Edge patterns being tracked
• Verification methodologies

Skill Development

Rotate teaching responsibilities:

• Statistical thinking
• System dynamics
• Meditation/grounding
• Research methods
• Emotional regulation

The Economics of Reality Boards

Gift Economy Internal

• Knowledge shared freely within board
• Support given without keeping score
• Insights belong to collective
• Success shared equally

Value Creation External

• Verified patterns can be monetized collectively
• Board acts as due diligence team
• Shared equity in ventures
• Protection from extraction

Time Investment

• 2-5 hours/week average
• More during crisis periods
• Less during stable times
• Always worth it

Sample Reality Board Charter

[Name] Reality Board Charter

Purpose: To help each other navigate information complexity with wisdom, verify patterns with care, and maintain sanity while seeing what others miss.

Members: [Names]

Commitments:Respond to Code Red within 2 hoursParticipate in weekly pattern reviewMaintain absolute confidentialityBring both skepticism and opennessPrioritize collective wellbeing

Communication: Signal group + weekly video call

Review Date: [3 months from start]

Signed: [All members]

Start Today

You don't need perfect people or perfect protocols. You need:

• 2-3 people who give a shit about your wellbeing
• A private channel
• Basic agreements
• Willingness to be vulnerable

Your information environment is trying to drive you crazy and extract value from your confusion. Your Reality Board is how you fight back.

Start with one person. Start with one question: "Will you help me stay sane while I try to see what's really happening?"

The patterns are real. The connections exist. But finding them alone is dangerous, and finding them for capital's benefit is tragic.

Find them together. Verify them collectively. Use them wisely.

Your Reality Board is waiting.

First exercise: Share this guide with someone you're considering for your Reality Board. Their response will tell you everything about whether they're right for it.

Remember: In an environment designed to make you question reality, collective sense-making isn't optional—it's survival.