People Explain Which Things May Seem Safe But Are Actually Really Dangerous
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
Stress. 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
Kayaking 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
Drinking 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.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
We may not like it, but getting older is pretty inevitable.
With age may come wisdom, but it also comes with lots of responsibilities.
And some days, we're just over it.
Redditor brick_layer asked:
"What tasks are you tired of doing as an adult?"
Decisions, Decisions
"Deciding what to make for dinner."
- PortiaEss
"I would eat people kibble if it tasted good. Bachelor Chow (just add beer) needs to be a real thing."
- chaos8803
Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho
"Going to work and acting like a functional person."
- ovelanimimerkki
"Yep, I hate trying to work when I'm not emotionally stable or just exhausted. And you literally can't tell anyone or they tell you to go get a coffee which just makes the week go downhill over time."
- gg_ff_42069
Manners
"Being polite to other adults who don't deserve it."
- 25_-a
"Also known as the 'I am too old for this sh*t' phase of life."
- Zintao
Cleaning
"Cleaning the fridge. 🤢 when I find something way in the back that’s been forgotten."
- joydobson
"I finally cleaned out ours today because it was trash day, and the husband isn’t home to argue with me about how that sauce from 2015 is 'still good!!' 🤨 Now I have an empty fridge with just the bare essentials. Worth it."
- Grizelda_Gunderson
Circle of Life
"Working. Paying bills. Getting up early. Doing stuff."
- guyfromcroswell
"Agreed. Such a mundane cycle indeed."
- Emotional_Ratio_3251
Is Naked So Bad?
"Laundry grrrrr."
- FewPizza7880
"I tend to put the laundry in, hear it beep, forget about it for 6 hours then remember it needs to dry."
- marvel_is_wow
Traffic
"Anticipating the morons on the roads that change lanes without signaling."
"Or merging into 70mph traffic while doing 45..."
- haveyouseenthebridge
"Or being stuck behind those people as we're merging, I get pissed. Like speed up to the flow of traffic, being behind them merging puts me in danger too."
- Nigel_IncubatorJones
Maintenance
"Buying a house is an endless list of shit that needs fixing or improving."
- muffbiscuits
"This is one of the many reasons I bought a condo. The majority of the maintenance is somebody else’s problem. I haven’t cut grass, raked leaves or shoveled snow in almost a decade."
‐ yogaballcactus
Teeth
"Brushing my teeth. It's annoying."
- scottevil110"
"I feel this deep. It’s flossing for me."
- brick_layer
"Wait until you're in your 60s and all of a sudden the perfect teeth that never even had a cavity now all of a sudden have tiny cracks and need porcelain crowns and you have constant pain and Delta Dental only covers cleanings and x-rays and a single crown is like $1500 and they're telling you that you need four and you think, well, we don't really need two cars, I could sell my old Subaru."
- Nobody_Wins_13
Alarming
"Waking up to an alarm clock."
"I've been waking up to an alarm clock almost every day since 1985, and I'm fucking tired of it."
"I want to wake up when I'm done sleeping."
"I don't want to wake up and find that I've slept through/turned off my alarm(s) yet again, and have to choose between packing a lunch and taking a shower."
- thisbuttonsucks
What part of adulthood are you tired of?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
I would love to know how people don't fear death.
I mean, it's the end. Life will be over. That kind of sucks.
Yet there are people who find tranquility in it.
Can you teach the rest of us?
Redditor deensuk wanted to hear from everyone who has a calmness about the heading to the afterlife. They asked:
"People who are not scared of death, why?"
I have a constant fear of death. I wanna perfect the ending of "Death Becomes Her" so I can live forever.
Before
"I'm not scared of death because of working in health care I was around it so much. I AM scared of what leads to death, however."
Full-Mulberry5020
Why now?
"Why should I be scared now of something that's only going to happen at the end of my life?"
User Deleted
"I did this cult thing called the landmark forum and I actually did like their “meaning of life”: the meaning of life is that there is no meaning. Life is empty and meaningless. There is no answer."
"Life is what you make of it and every persons answer is equally valid because there is no meaning to life. Life exists as, basically, an accident, we are all here by complete accident, there’s no great mystery, it’s all biology and you are 100% free to make life about whatever it is you want."
Conservative_HalfWit
Death and I are good friends...
"I was very sick as a child. Spent ages 7-20 in and out of hospital due to kidney issues. Lost a kidney at 28. Almost died during the surgery to removed the dead kidney due to blood loss. Had 5 surgeries back to back during the next 2 years. Twice they had difficulties bringing me out of anesthesia."
"Found my favorite aunt dead in her bed when I was 22. Watched my best friend die from a brain tumor at 30. Death has been a constant force in my life. Sometimes just on the edges waiting, sometimes unexpected staring me in the face. I'm not afraid because it's always been there. I now work in healthcare. Death and I are good friends."
Tiny_Teach_5466
No Worries
"Because it's coming for us all, sooner or later. So there's no point in worrying about it. I am much more concerned about day to day minutiae. The Lars von Trier film Melancholia starring Kirstin Dunst portrayed this perfectly. If there was an asteroid hurtling towards the earth, I'd probably be more preoccupied with worrying about whether I left the back light on or not."
Giallo_submarine
It's Over
"Because no one has ever made it out alive, and I was dead for an eternity before I was alive, and didn't suffer the slightest inconvenience because of it."
MarshallApplewhiteDo
I never thought about the before much. I hope the before is quick.
The Effects
"I hope that when my times comes it will be merciful. My uncle had a stroke, he is paralyzed. My grandmother is 91, but is losing all her memories of her life. Death does not scare me, what could be left of me before I die is what terrifies me."
M1ssy_M3
No Terror
"It’s like when the writer Nabokov said that he saw a picture one time, a picture of before he was born. It was a picture of his mother, his brother and sister that were older than him, but he had not been born yet. He said that when he saw that picture there was no terror in him, even though he was looking at a picture where he didn’t exist."
im_on-the_can
state of nonexistence...
"I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of dying. Death is just the state of nonexistence I experienced before I was born. I don't remember it because I didn't exist yet. Death will be the same way. I just don't want the transition to be marked by pain and sorrow at things left unfinished. I want it to be quick, painless, and with me surrounded by love."
Wazula42
I'm Gone...
"Because once I die, I won't know it. I won't miss people or regret things or feel pain or sadness about anything. I might fear being sick and slowly dying, just having to live with the knowledge that it's all going to end and this is the last time I'll ever see the people I love or taste good food or hear good music. That sounds almost unbearable. But death isn't even a thing, it's just having done something (died)."
"It's like virginity, it's a made-up state of being that just says whether or not you've experienced a specific occurrence. Once I die, I'm gone. My corpse will be the empty wrapper I used to be in, just garbage to be disposed of in whatever way makes my survivors feel better. I'll be switched off. If I don't worry about what the light feels after the bulb burns out, why would I be afraid of being dead?"
SallyHeap
At Peace
"I’m scared now because I have young kids. Once my kids are old enough to be on their own I imagine the fear will subside and I’ll have a more relaxed approach."
User Deleted
Some very interesting perspectives. May it all calm peacefully and with great mercy for us all.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Dating and the search for love and companionship... What a nightmare.
This journey plays out nothing like in the movies.
Every Prince or Princess (or everything in BTW) seems to have a touch of the psycho.
The things people say during what should be simple dinner conversation can leave a dining partner aghast.
Like... do you hear you?
Redditor detroit_michigldan wanted to discuss all the best ways to crash and burn when trying to make a romantic connection. They asked:
"You're on a date and it's going really great. What can another person say to ruin it completely?"
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Despite the advancement of technology rendering people left to their own devices–literally–to entertain them, there are some leisurely activities that will never go out of style.
Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"

Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.