It's impossible to know everything that's going to kill you. If you live your life in fear that death is right around the corner, you'll never get anything done. However, there are some hidden threats out there you should be aware of, knowledgeable of how to handle it, and what to do next.
Reddit user, u/squeezeday, wanted to hear what they should be wary of when they asked:
What is something that doesn't seem dangerous but actually is dangerous?
Okay, Let's Start Off With A Big One
frustrated homer simpson GIFGiphyStress. It can ruin your health. In particular the stress that you create in your head. Anxiety, depression, or a host of things. To many to even list really. Take care of yourself. You are a person too. You deserve to do you for you :)
[usernameredacted]Expand These Rules To All Exercises
Deadlifting.
I deadlift twice a week cycling through heavy and repetition work. For example, if I deadlift heavy on a Monday, I'll do five to six sets of one to three reps each with warm up sets in the beginning and a cool down, not AMRAP, set at the end. When Thursday comes around, I'll dial the weight back about 50 to 60 percent and do about 5 sets of 8 to 10 reps each, again, with warm up sets in the beginning, and a cool down, not AMRAP, set at the end.
Deadlifting with improper preparation or bad technique can lead to spinal injuries that you can't recover from. People, in my experience, usually f-ck themselves up during a deadlift workout either during the beginning of the workout or towards the end. It's paramount to warm up properly and less important, though important enough, to have some sort of back down work at the end.
In the beginning or a deadlift workout, it's important to grease the groove and dial in technique and thus, blood flow.
At the end, notice I emphasized not AMRAP at the end. At the end of a deadlift session, typically, you're spent and exhausted. Throwing an AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) at the end, you're bound to lose positioning and your technique will be compromised which can lead to injury.
Deadlifting is not a crime. You should deadlift but deadlift with proper technique.
Rats With Hooves
Deer. 99% of the time their fight or flight chooses flight, but when it doesn't..... they're about as heavy as you, maybe heavier if its a buck, and have feet made of rocks that they use to go 20+ mph. And maybe antlers.
It's not like a deer is gonna pick a fight with you, but every once in a while some drunk asshole who decides to fuck with a deer ends up in the ER.
Not Talked About Nearly Enough
Pregnancy and delivery.
Yes! I feel like people don't talk enough about how dangerous it is to carry and deliver a child. I've lost two people in my family due to complications in labor. One of those people being my mother.
They Will Go Through Bone Like Butter
Pigs. If the hog haven't eaten food for at least 1 day, it will eat you. So yea, pigs are dangerous, when they are hungry, no matter how cute they can be.
The place I live was fairly rural 30 years ago. People would have farm animals (chicken, pigs) that would walk free in their properties. I always heard of the story of a pig that got inside of the house where a baby was in a bassinet and the pig ate the baby's fingers and ear lobs. So yeah, I don't care for pigs.
Watch What You Eat
Food poisoning. A lot of people think they got a "stomach flu" and don't think anything else about it. Think again.
CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
[deleted]
Smokey Says What's Up
Small campfires.
A tree root can burn for weeks without anyone knowing, then it can spread.
Embers can travel for miles before they extinguish.
River rocks can have pockets of water in them, and can explode when heated. I have made this mistake myself, and got lucky.
Always make sure your campfire is cold when you leave it. If you can't hold your hand on the ground, and I mean touching the dirt, for 15 seconds without feeling any heat, you haven't done enough.
Also, in most states it is illegal to have a fire in national parks without having a shovel with you. Just a heads up.
A Short Flip And A Cold Swim
homer simpson kayak GIFGiphyKayaking in cold water. My old kayaking buddy used to go out in water in the 40s with no gear until I explained to him how he was going to get himself killed.
Absolutely. Friend was a Marine home from recent graduation from Boot Camp, He was kayaking on the Great Lakes with his future brother in law (no life vests) as pregnant sister/fiancee watched from shore. Early spring. There were just enough wind and waves that one flipped. The other flipped trying to help him. Despite dozens of witnesses, there was no reviving either by the time the EMTs rescued them and got them to the hospital. Years later, and not a day goes by that his sisters don't grieve. Nothing has ever been the same.
That's Chlorine Gas...CHLORINE GAS
Mixing chemicals, namely bleach and vinegar.
RIP your eyes and lungs if you clean the bathroom with both of those.
A Wonderfully Dangerous Day Out At Sea
Boating.
There are so many ways you can be injured or killed during what ought to just be a fun weekend outing. Collisions with other boats, falling overboard (especially without a lifejacket), accidentally igniting the gas when you refuel, etc. And god help you if you've been drinking.
Just Six Inches
Everyone vaguely recognizes swift water during a flood is dangerous, but not how dangerous. Every time there's a flood it seems somebody decides to drive into it, or otherwise lands in this situation.
I've done swift water rescue training while wearing a life vest while playing the "victim". With the vest and after several practice runs I'm able to point my feet downstream and (mostly) keep my head above water just like the books tell you. And can remain stable for about a minute while swallowing water all the way.
If you're untrained (like nearly everyone) you're screwed if you aren't pulled out immediately.
Don't Be A Tough Guy. You Can't Punch Diseases.
Mosquitoes, dude. Getting bit won't kill you, but they carry so many deadly diseases and can even carry certain parasites like bot fly larvae
Even The Small Ones Can Become Something Bigger
A lot of people don't seem to care about small wounds and don't take care of them well.. You do NOT want to get an infection, those things are very bad and can also be very dangerous
Dude I knew at my gym, yelled out in pain in the showers after...
Asked him what was up and he said he stubbed his toe - he kicked this "lip" they had to keep the water in pretty hard. Was some blood but he was walking around and said it just really hurt but he'd be fine.
Next time I saw him at the gym was like a year later. He told me the infection got so bad they almost amputated his foot. It took him that long to recover and he said he still wasn't right.
For Those Up North
Hypothermia
If you're out in the cold and suddenly start feeling really warm, it's bad news bears.
Don't Ever Get Too Comfortable
Driving. If you know what you're doing and are paying attention, it's easy. But one little mistake can result in injury or even death.
Driving while tired. It is super easy to get into a very dangerous situation and not be able to realize it.
Piles Of Your Personal Information
Getting rid of a computer without thoroughly wiping the hard drive.
I've bought many a yard or garage sale computer and hard drive and most had anything from financial information to photos to documents.
If you don't care to bother erasing them at least salvage a hard drive's rare earth magnets and destroy the platters. Software is readily available that enables you to reconstruct files and folders even if they've been deleted.
Something Small With Large Consequences
Kidney stones, specifically not being able to pass them, can be deadly. My mother had one back in 2016 that she was unable to pass, which caused a severe kidney infection and led to sepsis. She was put on life support and my family had to make the difficult decision to take her off the machine after about a week and a half as her condition worsened and she passed away. If you ever have complications with passing a kidney stone, get to the ER as soon as possible. It could save your life.
Repeat After Me: Just Because Bear Grylls Does It, Doesn't Mean You Can
homer simpson water GIFGiphyDrinking sparkling clear rainwater out of a ditch while playing adventure man. You will sh-te and vomit out your own intestines for the next two days.
Oh yeah. Just . . . never drink wild water without purifying it. It's not worth the risk unless you're in immediate danger of dying of dehydration.
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They asked:
"Native Americans of Reddit, what are your or your tribes ghost stories, legends, or supernatural occurrences?"
Here are some of the interesting legends and superstitions of North America's First Nations and Indigenous tribes.
Uktena
Brice Cooper on Unsplash
"Uktena. It's a legend about a horned snake in Tsalagi [Cherokee] legend. Uktena is said to be very large and round like a tree trunk, with horns on his head."
"The only way to wound him is to shoot at a singular spot on his forehead that emits bright light. It's similar to a diamond. If you defeat Uktena, you become a miracle worker."
"A great warrior. Yet, once you see the light of his forehead, you run toward it instead of trying to escape."
"Even to see Uktena sleeping is death. Not to the hunter, but to his family."
~ Faith-Hope-TacoBell
Dog Tails or Why They Sniff Each Other
gotdaflow on Unsplash
"Lenni Lenape story about why dogs sniff each other's butts."
"When the humans slept, dogs would get together and party, but not before taking their tails off. They'd dance the entire night, put their tails back on and return home."
"But one time a wolf found them and all the dogs had to scramble away to their homes for safety, but a lot of them grabbed the wrong tail."
"They never danced again at night because they were afraid of the wolf, so they were stuck with weird mismatched tails for the rest of their lives."
"This is the reason that dogs sniff each other's butts; to see if the other dog has their tail."
~ ChurroChick
Haida Raven Brings Light to the Earth
Cristina Glebova on Unsplash
"In the beginning there was no light in the world, because an old magician kept it hidden in a box inside his house. Raven, who was always hungry, didn't like the darkness because it was difficult to find food."
"One day he was looking for food near the old magician's house. He heard a voice saying, 'I have a box, and inside this box is another box, and inside this there is another box, and inside the smallest box is all the light in the world'."
"Raven decided to steal the light."
"Raven waited until the old man's daughter went down to the river to collect water. Just as she was dipping her basket into the river, he changed himself into a hemlock needle."
"The needle floated into her basket. When the girl drank some water, she swallowed Raven too."
"Inside the girl's belly Raven took the form of a human baby. He grew and grew, and in time she gave birth to a funny looking child with black eyes and a big nose."
"The old man loved his grandson so much that he gave in to the child's every wish. Raven became spoilt and greedy. He was bored with all his toys, and wanted to play with the box that held the light."
"Finally the grandfather opened the box and tossed the glowing ball of light to Raven."
"As soon as Raven caught the light, he immediately changed into his bird form. Holding the light in his beak, he flew up the chimney hole into the dark world."
"The magician was angry. He wanted to get the light back into his box."
"He flew after Raven."
"The light was heavy in Raven's beak, and he was getting tired. The magician was coming closer."
"Raven broke off some pieces of the light and threw them into the sky. They became the stars."
"The magician was still coming closer, so Raven broke off another piece of the light and threw it into the sky. It became the moon."
"Finally Raven became so tired that he tossed the last and biggest piece of the light into the sky. It became the sun; and that is how daylight came to the world."
~ deviety
Nakani
Oliver Roos on Unsplash
"Dené from northern British Columbia here, my mom used to always tell me stories of the Nehgunni [Nakani], or bushmen/wild-men when I was young."
"They were people who lived in the forest and took away people who wandered too far out, specifically children."
"I always figured these stories were created by my people to serve two purposes, first to teach young children to not wander far off, and second to give explanations to kidnappings or missing people."
~ spanishLION
See-at-coh
green trees near lake under blue sky during daytimePhoto by Jasper Gronewold on Unsplash"See-at-coh (don't know the translation in English) is a Cowlitz legend. Lived at this lake and it was his spot."
"We DO NOT go there or he will kill you. Used to have nightmares about him based on what I was taught as a kid."
"Like how you could stand at the edge of the water and be looking in and he would come out of it and just grab you. No whistling at night and keep windows covered."
"But then the mountain blew up [Mt. Saint Helen] and filled in the lake so don't know if he's still around or not."
~ kalimah1
Nahual of Mexico
Joshua Wilking on Unsplash
"I live in rural Mexico. There are many, many different Indigenous peoples in what's now Mexico."
"The ones who settled here speak Nahuatl—the language of the Aztecs. This legend took place in the early 1900's."
"One of my favourite Nahuatl myths is the Nahual."
"Some people were thought to be able to turn into an animal. Most of them could only turn into one, but the most powerful Nahual could turn into different animals."
"There was a man who owned a hacienda where my town is, and he had a sort of overseer that everyone was afraid of."
"Said overseer could take a message all the way to the next state (think hundreds of miles) and bring back a sealed response in a single day."
"He also seemed to know everything everyone did, all the time. He was rumoured to be a Nahual that could turn into a coyote and an eagle."
"His quarters were heavily warded in his absence, which only added fuel to the rumor. You can only kill a Nahual if you find the human skin he sheds to transform and burn said skin."
~ CTalina78
Yamǫ́rıa & Yamǫǫ̀zha
Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
"Yamǫ́rıa & Yamǫǫ̀zha—the giant twins [of the Dené]."
"There are landmarks all around the territory I live in that is exhibited as 'proof' they were alive."
"In the middle of the Mackenzie river( biggest river in the NorthWest Territories) there is a large stone sticking out of the river which looks like the petrified guts of a beaver, there is a giant branchless, leafless tree sticking out of the top of this stone."
"It is said that Yamǫǫ̀zha had hunted a giant beaver and gutted him there in the river. He used his spear to anchor down the cuts so fish may feed on them. They are still there to this day."
"Yamǫ́rıa's body can be seen laying down, it is essentially a mountain range that looks like a giant human laying on his back, completely with face and feet. This can be seen from the peak of the hill as you enter a town called Ft. Liard, the southwestern most town in the NWT."
Walking Sam of the Pine Ridge Reservation
Boston Public Library on Unsplash
"'Walking Sam' skulks in the shadows of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and convinces people to take their own lives, especially young people."
"He's 7 feet tall, very thin and has no mouth. When he stretches out his long arms, nooses hang down with Lakota children hanging from them."
"Walking Sam finds you when you're alone and puts thoughts in your head until you feel worthless and kill yourself.
"Sometimes Walking Sam is depicted looking like Abraham Lincoln, complete with the stovepipe hat. 'Walking Sam', 'Uncle Sam', I don't know if that's where the name came from."
"But Walking Sam is an evil infected upon the people when the Oceti Sakowin were forced onto the reservations; he isn't a legend of the people before Pine Ridge Reservation existed."
"Lincoln was President when the Lakota were being forced onto reservations. Lincoln also ordered the execution of 38 Lakota men the day after Christmas in 1862. It's the largest mass execution in U.S. history."
"I always thought Walking Sam was Lincoln. They carved his face onto Ŝa´kpe Tuŋkaŋŝi (Mount Rushmore was called Six Grandfathers) in the Paha Sa´pa (Black Hills)
"My Father attended Holy Rosary boarding school at Pine Ridge in the 1940s & 1950s, but our people didn't live on the reservation. My Grandmother said evil stalked the people there."
"My Father never wanted us to ever even visit any of our cousins or his Uncles there."
~ LakotaGrl
Este Lopocke or Este Lubutke
Morgane Perraud on Unsplash
"Miccosukee [Seminole] tribal member here (South Florida) and for us it's the little people."
"Essentially really small people (like barbie doll sized and smaller) that live in the trees. They play jokes and stuff mainly, unless you piss them off."
"Had family members get tricks played on them that couldn't be explained."
"And then we have our fair share of stories that circulate our reservation like a tribal member being taken by the little people."
"All on the reservation in the Everglades (like 40 mins west of Miami)."
~ SSBMBabyCakes
Haudenosaunee Rules
Chris Chow on Unsplash
"I know the Haudenosaunee [Iroquois Confederacy] rules."
"1. If you hear someone you know calling your name, but you also know they are not supposed to be there, DON'T respond. Especially if they are out of sight and insisting you come to them."
"2. Always play group games in counter-clockwise order, otherwise your playing with the dead."
"3. Also don't eat in the dark, this is considered inviting the dead to eat with you. If you can extend your hand all the way out and still see it clearly then your fine."
"4. Don't play card games past midnight. If you do, and someone knocks at the door, don't answer it."
"5. Try not to drop your cards, if you do then don't bend down to pick them up, or you will see hooves under the table. That's bad."
"6. Say thank you after meals, even if you're the one that made it. Even better if you say it in native tongue."
"7. If someone finishes their meal and says thank you, you say 'you're welcome', even if you didn't give it to them. Even better in native tongue."
"8. After someone dies, you should gather family as quickly as possible to have feasts for 10 days. The first dinner is large, then every meal after that is a smaller feast meant for portions of the family to come at different times to help.
"The last feast on the 10th day is the closing dinner, which is the largest, with the entire family expected to show up and help. For every meal of these 10 days, put out a plate of the deceased's favorite foods first."
"Contrary to rule 6, you do not say thank you at any time during these 10 days. This is because it is believed that it takes the dead 10 days to relive their lives before they pass on, so this is your last chance to eat with them."
"Saying 'Thank you' during this time will make them stop before they're done because you're saying you're done. This will have bad consequences."
"9. Don't try to contact spirits, especially with board games. This is not a tribe custom, it's more of an unspoken common sense among the Rez people."
"10. If a bird flies into your house, someone's going to die."
"11. Pregnant woman should not hold any child that isn't theirs."
"12. It's accepted that if you actually try to curse someone, literally going through all of the steps with the intention of harm, not accidentally wishing them bad luck, then your family will also be cursed horribly."
"13. If you play with fire you'll wet the bed."
~ kinda-always-hungry
To learn more general information about Indigenous mythology of the United States, visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian website.
For Canada, visit the First Nations in Canada website.
For information about specific tribes, visit their tribal government website for recommended resources.
There are rules in life where people are expected to just know how to operate without being told.
For instance, if someone falls down... help them.
When you like a sweater in a store... get money to buy it.
Just leaving with it won't go over well.
And there are more rules, or guidelines to adhere to...
Redditor christygl7 wanted to hear about what is expected in people's homes without words, so they asked:
"What's an unwritten rule in your household?"
If you have to pee... lift the seat cover.
The people in Port Authority always miss that one.
Routine
Cleaning Chores GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy"Either my wife or I can do any chore when noticed. We thank each other for routine chores as we appreciate each other."
cwsjr2323
"That’s how my fiancée and I handle chores. Whoever’s around when the core needs to be done does the chore, typically. I find she does more regular cleaning of the whole apartment while I do more dishes and cooking."
radtech91
Trashed
"Replacing the trash bag IS PART OF taking out the trash."
UndiagnosedReptard
"Similar to this, in my house, the rule is if the toilet paper ended on your turn (or there’s barely enough for the next person) then it is your job to procure the next roll and put it in the bathroom. It is NOT acceptable to let it run out for the next person."
wavesnfreckles
"We have extra stored in every bathroom. I make sure of it. However, if it runs low/out on the roll, my wife will 100% of the time take the new roll and set it on top of the empty tube on the spindle, refusing to replace it. I actually called her over and shamed her into changing it in front of me the other night (not in an abusive way - we were both laughing about it)."
on_the_nightshift
Finder's Keepers
"If you find money in the laundry while you are doing the laundry, it's yours."
Rich1926
"Yep. My boyfriend learned that lesson the hard way when we first started living together. He had a bad habit of just crumpling up bills in a big wad in his pocket, usually just ones, but sometimes he accidentally leaves a twenty in there. I tipped myself the twenty. It took him a couple of days of trying to figure out where it went before I took pity on him and told him."
"He now both turns out his pockets and washes his own clothes. I still find the occasional single dollar in the dryer."
Head_Razzmatazz7174
Dropped something?
"If food is dropped on the floor it becomes the property of the dog. The dog knew this rule before we did."
Altruistic-Bit-9766
"That was one of the hardest things after our family dog died. Dropped something? Who cares! Riley will get it. But then he didn’t."
"Also, I don’t live at home anymore but coming home to him barking and crying out of excitement and greeting me always made my day and I looked forward to it every time I opened the door and could hear him wiggling in excitement on the side hahaha. It’s a little less exciting coming home now."
ohno807
Obligations...
Water Stay GIF by Kinda FunnyGiphy"If the water you take from the Brita pitcher leaves what’s left below a certain line, you are obligated to refill the pitcher on penalty of death."
halcyon3608
If you stay in my home and don't refill the Brita pitcher...
I'm setting your hair on fire at 3 AM!!!
Flushed
Go Away Pink GIF by HacklockGiphy"Check the toilet after you flush."
NANNYNEGLEY
"This. My brother-in-law never does this. It's annoying and disgusting! You don't want to clean up after yourself because you think it's gross? How do you think it makes me feel to clean up after you?"
purplestarsinthesky
WAKE UP!
"Wake someone up if their alarm goes off. It's a pretty weird one but setting up alarms is a conscious and deliberate decision for all of us and you want to wake up when it goes off, so we just help each other out."
DonMartiniMacaroni
"I'll do this a few times, but my roommate needs to learn not to hit snooze because he's taught his body that alarms don't need to be woken up to. I don't wake him up anymore. He started waking up to them."
stumblinbear
"I’ll wake them up because it annoys me when people snooze especially if I’m next to them in the bed and I don’t have to get up."
chill90ies
No Exceptions!
"Shoes off at the door. No exceptions."
Next-Dark-4975"
"Shoes-on people must not be using the same public bathrooms that I do. 100% of them have a lake of dirty urine in front of the urinal. They must also be amazing at finding two urine-free spots that are shoe-sized on the shores of said lake. It’s fine if they want to bring that into their homes. It’s not allowed in mine, though."
Bmadray
Table Manners
"No tech at the table."
"Even with a teenage daughter this has proved eerily easy; we all love food though!!"
"Also murder is out of the question, it is non-negotiable. If any of us kills another then they are outlawed in the true sense."
"Other than this, we are pretty cool."
Dante2005
Woof
Well Done Applause GIF by MOODMANGiphy"Let the dog out to go potty before you use the restroom. (Seriously, the dog is asking to go out and you think she can wait while you take a 30-minute poop first? Not cool.)"
InfiniteBackspace
Always let the dogs go first.
If you wait, you won't like the surprise they leave!