People Break Down The Extremely Dangerous Things Most People Think Are Harmless
The world is a big place, and as such it's filled with many terrors. Some, very obvious, like disease, famine, bears, bears with jetpacks, and so on.
However, it's the fears we don't see coming, the dangers hidden in the shadows of the wider range of the world where we think everything is okay.
We're safe. This thing we're doing can't possibly hurt us.
Until it's too late.
Reddit user, devitod, wanted to know what to keep any eye out for when they asked:
"What’s something most people don’t consider dangerous, but is actually extremely dangerous?"
You know what the most interesting thing after giving birth is for you and your partner?
They just let you take the baby home. Like, it's yours.
Your taking them home to a world of potential dangers and death and they just let you do it.
Put The Nets Up. Don't Be A Hero.
"Trampoline. I know 2 people that broke their necks, one is now paralyzed waist down."
Educational-Delay211
"Insurance companies consider trampolines like one of the biggest risks when quoting property. The numbers must prove it, risk is quantified when it comes to insurance."
OmarBarksdale
Give Them A Long Time To Get Acquainted
"Allowing their babies to get up in dogs' faces and vice versa."
Leoluki25
"I hate this! I can’t believe people do this! I got my first dog when I was 4, and I’m now 55. I absolutely love dogs. I rescue them, I train them, I adore them. Never let a dog near your baby, people! I don’t care how precious your little Fido is. Don’t do it!"
MusicalLifeForever
Always Read The Labels
"People not following dosage instruction on paracetamol. Either taking the next dose too soon or thinking the 8 in 24 hours, is 8 during daylight hours. No. You start taking them 5pm, you have until 5pm the following day to take the 8 (if needed)."
laaaaaaaana_
"For anyone who doesn't know, paracetamol is also called acetaminophen, aka tylenol. It's particularly bad with alcohol. And a nasty way to die."
ravinghumanist
The scariest things about these seemingly innocuous activities is how often they happen to us. Some happen to us every day and we don't give them a second thought, until one day it's a little harder to poop than normal.
Get Some Rest If You Can
"Driving while tired"
FierceSTEAK
"Cars in general. People are so cavalier about these two ton metal boxes speeding around within inches of each other, just inches from pedestrians and buildings. It’s insane when you stop and think about it."
Taxitaxitaxi33
The Brilliance Of Life, The Fear Of Death
"Pregnancy."
Done-By-Hand
"As a labor and delivery nurse I can confirm this 10000%. It’s true that yes, modern medicine has made labor and delivery safer and easier with less death rates, thank god. But trust me, those deaths still happen. Those terrifying situations that can easily cause death if not treated very quickly and appropriately can still happen in an instant, and I see them happen on a daily basis on my unit alone. Being pregnant and giving birth is flat out dangerous and nothing to f-ck around with!"
kitkatquick
Try To Go Every Day
"Chronic constipation. Can permanently damage your intestines, can injure your pelvic floor, lead to cancer, malnutrition, and other severe complications (like bowel obstructions and perforations)."
"You should be having soft, just-holds-together, ropey poops that don't hurt to pass. You shouldn't have little nuggets, giant masses, or liquid poop, and it shouldn't be difficult or uncomfortable to go. There should be no blood, and the diameter of the ropey poops should be pretty consistent from day to day. You should also be going every day to maybe as long as every three days if your poops are still soft, but if your poops become firm or chunky, you're entering non-ideal terratory."
"Constipation hits pretty much everyone at least a few times in their lives, but it shouldn't be like that even half of the time. Chronic constipation goes largely unnoticed and untreated, and it leads to injury ranging from "just" painful (like fissures or hemorrhoids) to very severe (like colon cancer)."
"We don't talk about pooping enough. Talk to your doctor if you don't have good poops! For most people, it can be as simple as adding fiber supplements and extra water. For me, it meant I needed a dose of mirilax every day for the rest of my life (starting when I was 23)."
Ms_Eryn
Nature is all around us.
Never forger that. It's been here long before us, and will be here long after us.
Ay, The Internet...
"Enclosed and non-ventilated spaces. Edit: Known as "confined spaces"."
"There was a post a year or two ago on Reddit where a guy dug a hole in his backyard, put one of those intermodal containers down it, then buried it. He cut a hole in the roof and set up a ladder. The plan was to have the whole thing be a "secret" underground party spot."
"Zero visible ventilation of any kind other than the hole."
"People were going bonkers over how cool this setup was, and were downvoting people that were trying to point out how this could easily get everyone down there killed, stating that the hole was clearly good enough."
"Further note, if you see someone enter an enclosed a confined space and they collapse, DO NOT GO AFTER THEM WITHOUT BREATHING GEAR. You'll just provide a second body for the funeral."
Mazon_Del
Guess Who Else Likes The Ol' Swimmin' Hole?
"Swimming holes. We see this a lot in the South. It's blazing hot, it's summertime, let's swim in whatever body of water we see around in the woods."
"Snakes, other animals, you don't know what the water conditions are beneath the surface, or how deep it is or isn't. You don't know if it is heavily polluted or even a sewage runoff. It's just a big fat no-go for me."
"Edit: WOW as if I wasn't scared enough, the replies to this comment absolutely terrified me. Amoebas, throw away junk, underwater cave systems, drop offs, crocodiles! I think we have all learned a lesson here."
MooseSpringsteeen
Keep Your Wits About Yourself
"Sand bars at the beach."
"It's low tide, suddenly there's a strip of sand that goes out half a mile, you think "let's go for a walk and find some sea shells," you get out there and the view of the beachfront is incredible, then within minutes there's a foot of water rushing across, pushing you around, knocking you off your feet, the sand is turning soft so if you do manage to stay up your feet are sinking past your ankles with every step, you're trying to get back but it's basically sweeping you away, and you've got half a mile to go like this, and the water is getting deeper. Eventually you just get carried out away from the beach."
"People drown every year doing exactly this."
CaBBaGe_isLaND
No Joke.
"A concussion really messes up your brain. We had an accident where we were sitting at a red light, and some dumb bitch wasn’t paying attention and rear ended us. I got a concussion. I had a headache for six months, couldn’t focus my eyes, couldn’t come up with words, couldn’t convey the emotions I was actually feeling.
"Went to a concussion specialist. So, it turns out I had a TBI, and hadn’t ever recovered from it. I had to have therapy to learn to focus my eyes again, and regain my balance, and it was awful. I spent weeks in physical therapy, and would throw up after the session."
"God bless those PTAs, they would just have a cold rag waiting to put on the back of my neck. It’s been three years. I still have issues, headaches, focusing my eyes, and random aphasia. Concussions are no joke."
Madame_Kitsune98
Prairie Safety
"Farming w/ heavy machinery."
jdward01
"Can confirm. Friend of my wife lost her brother when he fell into a corn silo and drowned. Yes, sunk like quick sand so more like suffocated."
tomgbombt
Road Enemies
"Driving next to 18 wheelers... "
"A: They can't see you."
"B: That's just a lot of heavy metal that will unapologetically rearrange your corpse several times before your heart even stops pumping ."
"C: All the truck tires you see on the side of the road."'
"Those things go off like bombs when they go... but people drive right tf next to them like it's cool."
Front_Penalty_4952
Feet Down
"Putting your legs on the car dash. As an ER nurse I see this way tpo often. People put their legs on the car dash, they get into an accident and suddenly you have a legs sticking out the side like a barbie doll. Also driving with a full bladder not fun as well."
soggytoilet_paper
Idiots Teaching
"How the hell am I allowed to operate a motor vehicle? It's a 1.5 ton block of metal and glass that moves at 100 mph, and I'm allowed to operate it while eating McNuggets because I cheated on a test sophomore year."
HonorInDefeat
"Bruh my entire road test was taking 4 right turns back to the DMV. I thought I failed because I was done so quick but the tester was just lazy af."
Prudent_Hawk_7476
Too Much Tylenol
"Acetaminophen, the difference between max daily and you are going to the hospital as an OD is smaller than almost any other drug."
Triple30
"Indeed... acetaminophen for healthy individuals have a max daily dose of around 4g. The problem is the Tylenol brand that many persons take like one extra for the headache, one sinus for the nose and 30ml of sleeping aid Tylenol. All of this three times a day. Well maybe you will not OD and need a hospital but probably you will need a new liver."
MauricioCMC
Hardcore Problems
"Alcohol."
Fizzabl
"The first person from my high school graduating class to die was a few months after graduation, went to a party and his friends kept pouring liquor down his throat after he had already passed out. Plus if you're a hardcore alcoholic, going cold turkey is a bad idea since the withdrawals can literally kill you."
Mataraiki
On the Sea
"Commercial fishing. It’s actually one of the most dangerous professions. Heard of a case recently where the crew woke up and the captain (who had been awake alone) just… wasn’t there. People get caught in the gear or a storm and they’re gone. May not even have a body to bury."'
Jayn_Newell
Kickback...
"Using table saws without knowledge about kickback. Even professionals are having horrendous accidents with table saws when they are getting too comfortable to care about safety. You can easy cut off your fingers and hands, but many do not know that the saw can throw a piece of wood through a wall or... your stomach. Search up kickback on table saw and your will have respect if you find the right videos."
Bjoer9
Be safe out there.
Last thing you need is a watering hole to come and get you.
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People Who Grew Up In The 1990s Describe What It Was Really Like
With certain trends coming back into fashion from the 1990s, as well as reboots from '90s kids' favorite TV shows and movies, some who were born since then might be wondering what all the fuss is about.
And the '90s kids were ready for a walk down memory lane.
Redditor Anitoko_chan182 asked:
"To all those who grew up in the 1990s, what was life like?"
What Homework?
"Get home from school, lie and say I had no homework, and go ride bikes or hang out in the tree house with neighborhood kids until it got dark."
"Go home, eat dinner, watch cartoons or play video games, and lay in bed with anxiety because I didn't do my homework."
"Rinse and repeat."
- Slawth_x
"Car!"
"'Car!'"
"What amazes me is the universality of this. Because there was no other phrase. And I think people think it's a reference to 'Wayne's World,' but let's be real, that was art imitating life, not the other way around."
- whatever_befall
The Sweetest of Afternoons
"Don't forget riding bikes with a group of like eight kids to 7-11, all of you leaving your bikes out in front unlocked while you went in and loaded up on candy and Slurpees, and then going back to someone's house to play cards and listen to music while we ate the junk food."
- brasslamp
Unlimited Nights and Weekends
"I remember my parents got cell phones when I was pretty young. Like early-early versions."
"My mom turned hers off unless she needed to make a call. And then one day my dad had road trouble or something and then couldn't get ahold of her because she just didn't turn her phone on."
"It was a whole thing. But it was like this light bulb moment of, 'if I have a mobile phone so I can be reached wherever I am, I need to keep it turned on.'"
- Catsdrinkingbeer
Ghost in the Graveyard
Staying out playing in the front yard until dark (yes, the cliche was true). We played 'Jurassic Park' a lot and made up dances to the Spice Girls."
"My personal favorite was Ghost in the Graveyard (Hide and Seek in the dark), but it sounds like that may be a regional thing."
- midnightlightbright
That Dial-Up Sound
"No social media, which means all my f**kups are only captured on Polaroids and the mind of people slowly approaching dementia, thank merciful Christ."
"The internet was slow as s**t, like it took 20 minutes to get online with dialup. China's economy was still dominated by Hong Kong, and Russia looked like they were going to modernize into a real democracy. The president of the US played jazz on live TV, and hair gel sold faster than crack."
"We were definitely more optimistic than we are now, but maybe that was just delusion rather than fact. It's hard to tell sometimes if things were actually better, or if I was just a kid who could enjoy the simple moments in life."
- Cyanora
The Little Things
"No social media, or cell phones, was the absolute best. If we wanted a picture, we had to remember that the person, who in my case was a real gossip at high school, was going to see it."
"I was in high school in the mid-90s, my elementary days were spent playing hide and go seek with the neighborhood kids, and every front yard on the block was fair game; not one neighbor ever complained."
"Everyone seemed kinder, the music was awesome, and we were all so much more connected it seemed. Lots of basketball, rollerblading, and 'jacka**' type shenanigans that we would come up with."
"And Dunkaroos, Surge, and Flinstone push-ups were the ultimate treats."
- expecto_your-mom
Just Relax
"Colorful, unashamedly campy, and everything basically had that 'your lame parents trying to impress your friends' vibe... and it worked."
"I was born in 87, but I grew up in the 90s. I miss that decade immensely. It was so laid back and carefree (as a child)."
"Everything now takes itself so f**king seriously. It's depressing."
- MateriaMuncher
Before the Crash
"I was reading something about this not too long ago. Compared with much of the previous century, the 90s would have come off as amazing."
"No world wars, the cold war had just ended. The economy was doing very well. The modern tech industry was up and coming and the downsides that we're aware of today hadn't become apparent yet. 9/11 and its aftermath hadn't happened yet."
"Someone growing up in the 90s would have definitely felt pretty optimistic."
- Always_Statsing
What Health Issues?
"We all had health issues and ate the terrible 1990s all-carb diet."
"We just didn't discuss mental health, etc. Those topics were incredibly taboo. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, nobody wanted that diagnosis, nobody wanted to have to be in special needs classes, etc."
"Tony Soprano being public (on tv) about taking Prozac was a HUGE deal."
- imnothereurnotthere
Entertainment on the Rise
"Pretty cool. The Internet was fresh and exciting. Video games were this really creative interactive medium that was seeing rapid development."
"3D animation became a thing and had some really creative TV shows like 'Reboot.' 'Chumbawumba' made us all feel like nothing could keep us down. 'The Simpsons' were a comedy powerhouse."
"Pokemon became an international craze and kids were obsessive about it."
- ILikeToThinkOutLoud
Living Slower
I am super grateful for my coming of age in the 90s! I’ve written about it before, but looking back, it was a great time for a childhood. It was hard to beat Friday night at the local video rental place, perusing the horror VHS movies from the 80s."
"I was born in the early 80s and remember the late 80s well and had my formative years in the 90s. It was actually really amazing, gaming on the early consoles, but having a full life outside that the digital world just didn’t really intrude upon. Playing outdoors on summer days and retiring to the Super Nintendo at night was a really great balance."
"We watched and participated in the growth of the internet, with a pretty solid delineation between a time before the net and the time after. To a middle schooler, getting the internet for the first time was damn near a magical experience."
"Things were slower. We didn’t have instantaneous gratification or access to so much information/goods/services so quickly. Even though I enjoy getting my stuff within a day or two as much as the next yak, I would be lying if I said that we didn’t sacrifice something important for the wonders of same-day shipping."
"In short, I wouldn’t trade my childhood in the ’90s for anything. While I love my awesome gaming PC, my home theater, and above all else, my iPad that I’m typing this out on, I miss the slower-paced world of the 90s and wish we could get a little of that patience back."
- The_Best_Yak_Ever
The Information Age
"Hank Green recently did a video talking about how, in an earlier video he'd joked about the internet being as big a change for society as the printing press. And while he'd originally intended that as joking hyperbole, it's become apparent that it might be an understatement."
"Us born in the 80s kids are more or less the last generation to remember life before the internet. My family had a computer early on, and I'm really nostalgic for the early days of chatrooms and message boards before everyone was online and in these walled gardens."
"It's a little helpful to realize we're still in the early days of the Information Age. It takes time for society to adjust and figure out healthy ways to live with big things like this in our lives."
"It doesn't help, though, that big things like this seem like they're happening at an increasing rate."
- Krail
Knowledge in Your Pocket
"I am still impressed with the idea of literally having a repository of essentially all human knowledge in my pocket."
"Back then you couldn't remember something or wanted to know what was the primary language of a different country? Hope you know someone reliable who knows that or you own an encyclopedia or can get to the library. Good luck with the dewy decimal system in the card catalog."
"The amount of effort to obtain knowledge has become so minute that we should all be smarter than we are but when it's so accessible the value is diminished to some degree."
"I remember seeing on inspector gadget penny his niece have a book that was effectively a mobile computer and videophone and thinking it was pure insanity if that were to ever exist. I am literally typing on such a device now."
"When I saw the internet become accessible on a phone for the first time it was 2006 and my friend's sidekick and I about lost my mind. We are living in the future."
- DanielFyre
I.R.L.
"Everything felt a lot more real, and a lot more wholesome, for the most part. Mind you, I was a child back then so I'm sure I'm biased. Things felt slower. Kids used to play outside whenever they could, and no one was EVER using electronics outside, except for the occasional Walkman."
"I preferred the houses back then a lot since they still had some semblance of beauty and color. Unless you were in a big city, almost everyone had yards. There were a lot more trees everywhere. People weren't just constantly cutting down every single tree in every town for no reason."
"And the average person's language skills were MILES better than they are today."
- RebeccaETripp
Watching a Movie
"When the commercial came on, you RAN to the bathroom. Then your sibling yelled, 'it's back on!' And you RAN back to the couch!"
- chompytown
Snuggled in-between wars and economy crashes, the 1990s felt like a uniquely safe time that we may never fully see again. But it sure is fun to reminisce.
Everyone in life has a bully or six to face.
Even the bullies have bullies.
And sometimes the bully is in the mirror.
Now I know we're supposed to only use our words when standing up to our bullies.
But that is not always the most ideal form of defense.
Words can work.
Sometimes words can cut like knives leading us to victory.
And sometimes words aren't sufficient as we've learned from Reddit.
Redditor KiLLz_Smanrx7 was hoping people would open up about dealing with bullies, so they asked:
"People who fought back against bullies, what caused it and how badly did the bully get hurt?"
I can't remember my bullies.
I think that's the best recourse.
For my Sister
A Christmas Story GIF by filmeditorGiphy"I think I was about 10. He'd been bullying me and my sisters for a couple of years. He tried to sneak up on my sister on the bus. He stretched out his hand like he was going to pull her hair or something. I made a fist, swung it backwards and him in the eye. He cried."
Fun_in_Space
Shattered Pride
"Little bit of backstory first. We were playing tackle the carrier. I was a fourth grader, and I tackled a sixth grader, and he got pissed off and started to kick me."
"I let it happen a few times a teacher was literally looking right at me. After about the fourth time I grabbed his leg and lifted. He fell backwards then I punched him in the face twice. He only got a bloody nose and shattered pride. We each got suspended for three days. My mom was pissed at the school after they told the story to her. Then when she watched the footage, she asked me in front of the principal if there was a new game I wanted."
"Principal was mad but my mom said 'I never teach my boys to start anything. But when the teacher refused to end it he did by defending himself.' Best three day weekend ever. P.S. we were related threw marriage and he got in huge trouble with his convict dad for getting beat up by a little kid."
Titalator
Keep Walking
"For some reason this kid had it in his head that he could beat me up. I’ve no idea why, or where his assumption came from but he wanted a fight with me to prove he could. I couldn’t care less if he could or couldn’t. It simply didn’t interest me."
"For a week or more he would goad me on the school bus with things like 'who do you think would win in a fight?' Etc. I was having none of it, I wasn’t interested in fighting anyone and I didn’t care what he or anyone else thought on the matter."
"He squared up to me several times off the bus trying to get me to fight with him and I just kept telling him to leave me alone and kept walking away."
"After several days of this and him getting nowhere, as I was walking away chatting with my friend, he ran up behind me and punched me on the back of my head."
"I very calmly asked my friend to hold my bag for me. I walked up to the kid, grabbed hold of him, tripped/threw him to the ground, punched him once in the face/eye, stood up and I walked away. I said nothing. Walked back to my friend, collected my bag and continued walking."
"I didn’t see this kid for a few days, and he unsurprisingly he left me alone after that."
Arisutea
RUN!
"Little league football - I was in 6th - brother in 4th grade - his bully in 5th. He intentionally tried to hurt my brother during practice - so I took off running - jumped in the air, went horizontal and landed my cleats in his chest. He lost his breath for a minute or so. I ran laps for many minutes. Bully no longer bothered little brother."
Sheehanigens
One Punch
I Win Take That GIF by Film RiotGiphy"Early high school, was going between classes getting something out of my locker. He shoved my head into my locker and without hesitation I turned around and punched him square in the chest as hard as I could. That was enough to get him to stop."
Qangulous-Yahrnam
What is the stuffing the locker obsession?
It's ASSAULT!
Say Sorry
Laugh At Ha Ha GIF by filmeditorGiphy"I saw a guy my age bullying a younger kid, so I got the entire bus to point at him at say 'bully, bully' over and over. He ended up crying."
"Problem was, my mom and his mom were friends, so my mom took me over to his house and made me apologize to him, so it wouldn't be awkward between her and his mom."
Veritas3333
The Last Day
"In high school i was bullied for a few years (mainly calling names, making 'jokes' and messing with my stuff). I used to never do anything back."
"Then at some point I got angry, turned around (he was standing behind me) and punched him in the face, giving him a bloody nose."
"That was also the last day I got bullied."
"In hindsight i think i mostly got picked on by him because i never did anything back and he did not want to risk any pushback. (Who says violence never solves anything?)"
The_Upperant
The Dude
"The one that comes to mind is the one kept trying to trip me. I finally called him on his sh*t and he slapped me which set me off. I body-slammed him and jumped on him. I got called to the office with my parents, and they wanted to suspend me but every other student that witnessed it stuck up for me and said it was self-defense and I got off with in-school suspension. The dude avoided me for the rest of our time in school."
Diesel-KC
A Strong Kick
"Two guys in high school tried to do the 'tabletop' move (one gets on all fours and the other pushes you). I stepped on the hand of the guy on the ground when I stepped back. Realized what was happening. Kicked him with kind of a horse kick while still stepping on his hand, and then fastballed the 20 oz bottle of Coke I was holding at the other guy’s head as hard as I could and ran away. They were both on the ground reeling."
CheeseIsQuestionable
Let's Wrestle
Wrestle The Elite GIF by All Elite Wrestling on TNTGiphy"Dude knocked my pizza out of my hand at lunch, so I took a running start and kicked him the gut. He got up and started to try to wrestle with me, while my friend tried break us up. All in all it lasted maybe 10 seconds, nobody hurt."
Jon__Snuh
Never touch the pizza.
Do you have any similar experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
Whether it's being part of a congregation or an academic sports team, communities are important because they allow people to have a sense of purpose and belonging.
While some may prefer having their own space, eventually, they'll want to have some sort of interaction with others.
But when there isn't a group representing like-minded people, those feeling dejected and isolated find each other to form their own communities.
However, there are some groups that are comprised of bitter individuals and engage in activities with nefarious intentions under the guise of fellowship.
Curious to hear what these groups might be that are hidden in the shadows or out in plain sight, Redditor playerhamdan asked:
"What are the most horrible cults that existed or exist?"
These are some of the most violent cults known in history.
"The Ant Hill Kids was pretty brutal."
– 123throwawaybanana
Ignorance Is Bliss
"I came here to say just that and I'm not surprised by the amount of people who haven't heard of them. When it comes to cults and serial killers, the worst of the worst fly under the radar because people don't like talking about them."
– Banananabees
Civilian Attackers
"The Rajneeshi cult from Oregon. Responsible for the biggest bio-terrorism attack by a cult (infected 751 with Food Poisoning/Salmonella in the Dalles). I worked with a guy who did wildland firefighting and he remembers working next to them and they had armed patrols on the perimeters. Only good thing is that their central building is now the YoungLife building in Antelope."
– AryLeventhal
Religion gets a bad name.
Too Close To Home
"From personal experience, the church Universal and triumphant that my grandmother was a member of and tried to kidnap me and my brother and take us to their bomb shelters in Montana because the world was about to end."
– LordBaranof
The Mormon Church
"Recovering mormon here. Our FLDS cousins are just what the church looked like under Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. While it might look like cult-lite today, 19th century mormonism definitely belongs on the list."
– couldhietoGallifrey
Jehovah's Witness
"Jonestown was definitely horrific, but the Jehovah's Witnesses' death count is far higher. It is estimated that over 30,000 Jehovah's witnesses have died due to the enforcement of their odd dogmatic interpretation of Mosaic Law on Blood."
"EDIT: They have something called the Hospital Liason Committee; that's Job is literally to show up at hospitals and bully sick dying people into not taking Blood as a treatment. Jehovah's witnesses are not just instilled with fear of being destroyed at armageddon if they take blood but also they are disfellowshipped (shunned) from all their friends and family"
– Pseudodumb
Unholy
"Children of God is pretty brutal. Joaquin Phoenix was born into it."
– impotentpote
Scientology
"The Louis Theroux documentary on them was chilling. He focused on interviewing ex-members and it showed the extreme lengths that the church will go to in order to harass former members. They had people turn up at their houses at all hours, sent them mass amounts of junk mail and threatening letters, had people just standing around staring at them all day, trying to get them in trouble at work, trying to get them in trouble with the law, calling their relatives etc. Just relentless bullying of anyone who decided to leave."
"It's like an entire religion made up of insane jealous ex girlfriends."
– Wind_Yer_Neck_In
It's truly terrifying how an organization can easily influence you without being cognizant of it happening.
"Elan One is one of these."
"Back in the 80's, during the time of the Troubled Teen industries height, Elan opened up to the public as a private institution under the goal of helping young adults and teenagers with education and also maturing them."
"This was not the case at all."
"The college benefitted off of the money to help fund their luxuries while they also regularly put each student through mental abuse. If I remember correctly, there were these group circles they'd have them do and they would force one random kid to fight the one in the center, or sometimes just have the biggest and the smallest against each other."
"If a student had not done well, or had not been 'up to standard', they would be tormented in different ways. I remember seeing footage of some kids wearing 'D U N C E' cones on their heads, and one where they put a kid in a bunny suit and left him out to sit in the cold."
"Conditions were horrible according to those who survived the place and escaped. I believe one source stated that there was even a basement where some kids would be strung up and lashed for hours on end."
"If you to know a more detailed explanation, look up 'The Cult in a Boarding School' by Nexpo on YouTube."
– JustFrenchBryan
Conspiracy Theorists
"QAnon, if you take a look on r/QAnoncasualties you’ll see how many lives it’s torn apart. One day you’re married to someone you love deeply and have a couple kids with them, and the next they’ve gone down this rabbit hole and you’re getting a divorce and trying to protect your kids from your former spouse who won’t stop talking about the end of the world, bloody uprisings, and other nasty things."
"Sometimes they even go so far as to try to poison themselves or their family with quack cures pushed by QAnon influencers"
– Straight_Ace
Grade school clicks can sometimes feel cultish.
I remember I was invited to a birthday party for one of the popular third graders in school, and I remember being thrilled at receiving an invitation after thinking they never liked me.
But my mom was wise to their ways after I was given a list of items to bring as presents to the birthday party and confirm ahead of time in order to secure my invite.
Mom didn't let me go to the ball, and for that, I'm grateful.
People Break Down How A Split-Second Decision Changed Their Entire Life
We've all been faced with tough decisions at least once in our life.
In some cases, we've had time to think very carefully as to what we decide to do, a few days, weeks, or even months or years, and thus felt confident and happy with the decision we made.
In other cases, however, we might not have had the luxury of time, and had to make a decision in the blink of an eye.
More often than not, it's these split-second, sometimes impulsive decisions, which might end up drastically changing our lives.
Sometimes for the better, and sometimes not.
"What is a split-second decision you made that change your life?"
Going With Your Conscience
"Had a boss who asked me to help him commit fraud."
"At the time I was very heavily in debt and badly needed the income, nonetheless I resigned immediately."
"Luck shined on me and I got another job a month later, just in time to pay bills."
"A few years after that I looked up my old boss, he got caught and served time."- GreedyNovel
Why It's Worth Pulling Your Eyes From The Screen
"Quitting a game of Call of Duty Zombies (whatever the one was in 2010/2011)."
"My friends in the dorm would play this constantly and were addicted."
"One day, my friend comes in and says he's going up to his gf's dorm to meet her new roommate, did anyone want to join."
"Normally, nothing could pry me from that game, but something compelled me to say yeah, sure."
"My buddies I was playing with were pissed."
"Went up there and had the closest thing to love at first sight I can describe."
"I still remember looking at this girl vividly."
"She's now my wife, and we have a 5 month old son together."- IslandsOnTheCoast
Love At First Sight Nicole GIF by Hallmark ChannelGiphyThink Twice Before Taking Off Your Pants
"My friend ('B') had just gotten off of work and would drive past my house on the way to hers every night."
"One night (December 27, 2007, to be exact) B decided to call me while leaving work and invite me to the bar for a drink."
"I had already started drinking and was about to decline the offer when she told me, 'I’m pulling into your driveway'."
"'You might as well put on some pants and come have a beer with me'.”
"No more than 30 seconds after we walked in, she was approached by another friend of hers ('N') and introduced us to each other."
"One year and three four days later - December 31, 2008 - N and I were married and have been ever since."
"If I hadn’t made the decision to put on pants, I likely wouldn’t have met my wife."- A_Prickly_Cactus
Making The Right Decisions For Your Health
"Making myself an appointment for in-patient rehab consultation."
"I couldn’t decide if I was being dramatic or necessary."
"5+ years sober now!"- jn7nh0
Some Feelings Just Can't Be Hidden
"I asked my best friend 'Do you want to talk about the unspoken thing'."
'It was a very impulsive decision, but something I had wanted to say for a long time. she responded 'What, the fact that we love each other, like romantically?''- Winter-Algae8569·
Season 5 Episode 121 GIF by FriendsGiphyThe More The Merrier
"January 2020, a coworker asked if I knew anyone that wanted to adopt a puppy."
"We had three dogs, were not considering another, and even discussed that three was definitely more than enough."
"For whatever reason, I asked him for pics and sent them to my wife."
"That evening we had a 4 month old pup that got along amazing with the family and the other dogs."
"Two months later I was laid off unexpectedly, not even related to covid."
"I was unemployed for over a year and this dog was by my side non-stop."
"Now, everyone in the family loves Rosy, but me and her have a special bond I've never had with a dog before."
"I'm literally tearing up as I write this, a 40yo bearded trucker, ffs."
"I just can't explain how special she is and how important she was to helping me get through the last couple of years."
"Not to dismiss my amazing wife, to be clear."
"When I'm home, I can't go to a different room without her coming along."
"When I'm gone for the night, she whines at my wife while going between her and the door, so I'm told."
"I guess that's not as 'life-changing' as some of these stories, but my life is definitely changed by the presence of her."- curlyfat
Dogs Wave Hi GIF by MOODMANGiphyJust When She'd Given Up All Hope...
"A person who was a stranger to me at the time logged in to delete her online dating profile."
"There was a message in her inbox."
"It was from me."
"15 years later, we are 12 years happily married."- mekdot83
You Can Never Be Too Sure...
"Going for a third opinion after being misdiagnosed by two doctors in a day for unnatural tiredness."
"The third doctor rushed me off to get urgent blood tests, and it turns out I had severe blood poisoning and was on the verge of organ failure."
'If I'd not gone for a third opinion, I'd be dead now."- Wickywahwah
Safety First!
"Not sure if this counts, but when I was 13 we had this little 50cc dirt bike that I would ride around the block every now and again."
"I was out riding one day and I start doing jumps off the curb."
"I remember landing sketchily and thinking 'a helmet would nice' so I went and out one on, did another curb jump and sure enough wipe and snake the side of my head on the pavement and concussed myself."
"I am sure I would’ve died without the helmet."- buttermansix
cycling fend GIF by GrouphuntGiphyAlways Follow Your Heart
"To quit my tenured job."
"I'm now living in a different city, completing a degree for a profession I am both interested in and naturally good at."
"If you'd told me 5 years ago that this is what I would be doing at the start of 2023, I would have had a panic attack over the thought of just dropping everything, quitting my profession and moving hours away from my home city."
"I was suffering then, but I didn't realize I had the strength to do it until I needed to do it."- ana-neemous
A Little Help Goes A Long Way
"A neighbor of mine is a teacher at an elementary school."
"One day, 6 years ago, she asked me if she could give my phone number to the parents of one of the kids at the school who needed tutoring."
"I wrote down my number for her and started tutoring the kid."
"Over time, I basically became part of the family."- AlmostChristmasNow
Really Knowing Who Your Friends Are
'Cutting my group of friends out of my life.'
"I always felt like crap around them, and one day I realized that they would never ever be there when I needed them."
"So I just noped out and changed numbers."- tsoro
Bye Bitch Get Out Of My Face GIF by Becky GGiphyIt's always scary to make a decision in the heat of the moment.
However, as the saying goes, "the heart knows what it wants".