WHY RIST
RIST did not start as a plan.
It started as a conversation between Raymond Andersen and Ken Ayres — ideas, frustrations, questions. Almost a joke.
Then people started reading.
And staying.
That's when we understood this wasn't casual anymore.
We were watching something unfold.
Young people — especially young boys — losing their
identity.
Confusing distraction with purpose.
Confusing comfort
with progress.
Confusing noise with meaning.
They are fed quick-fix entertainment for hours every day.
Endless
scrolling.
Endless stimulation.
Endless advertising selling
image instead of building character.
No one calls it brainwashing.
But constant distraction shapes people.
And it is shaping a generation.
Some need therapy.
Some don't.
Some are lazy.
Some are
lost.
Some are drowning quietly.
Many are crying out for direction — even if it shows up as anger, apathy, or arrogance.
Our aim is simple:
To build something between reading and therapy.
Not clinical.
Not motivational hype.
Not soft comfort.
But clarity.
A place where responsibility is not toxic.
Where strength is
not aggression.
Where vulnerability is not weakness.
Where
self-pity is challenged.
Where growth is expected.
The suicide rate continues to rise every year.
We know people who have lost loved ones.
That removes theory from the conversation.
Silence kills.
Hopelessness spreads.
Distraction numbs.
We refused to ignore it.
That is why we started writing.
We don't claim expertise.
We write what we see.
We challenge what feels destructive.
We
refuse to call dysfunction normal.
And we keep searching.
The real reason RIST exists is this:
If one person reads something here and decides to change direction
—
to stop drifting,
to stop numbing,
to reach out,
to
take responsibility —
then this matters.
If we reach one lonely, vulnerable person,
it is worth it.
RIST is small.
But small, honest work grows.
And clarity will always outlast noise.
This is not about popularity.
It's about impact.
Kind
regards,
Raymond Andersen
Ken Ayres