People Share Hard-To-Believe Things That Might Actually End Up Happening

People Share Hard-To-Believe Things That Might Actually End Up Happening
[rebelmouse-image 18355934 is_animated_gif=Maybe it's the advent of TV and internet, but lately really unlikely scenarios seem to be much more possible. Are we truly on the brink of nuclear winter? Is a meteor going to strike? Is global warming going to release ancient diseases, or worse, cavemen played by Brendan Fraser? One reddit user had been pondering things alone long enough and finally asked:
What is unlikely to happen, yet frighteningly plausible?
You probably shouldn't read through these answers if you have anxiety, are having a bad day, or are sitting under a ceiling fan. You've been warned.
Two Weeks
[rebelmouse-image 18355935 is_animated_gif=In the 19th century, the world experienced a solar event of unprecedented scale. Called the "Carrington Event", after the astronomer who first identified and studied it, it took the form of a massive solar flare, called a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME bombarded the earth with basically a galactic electromagnetic pulse, completely flattening the magnetosphere and immobilizing earth's inherent electromagnetic shielding until it was over. Fortunately, at the time, earth's electronic infrastructure was still in its infancy, although the event did cause telegraph wires to melt, and telegraph machines themselves to catch fire.
Then, in 2012, a CME of equal or greater magnitude than the Carrington event was recorded. It passed directly through the earth's orbit... while we were on the other side of the sun. Imagine if we had been in the splash zone of something like that, with how vital our electronic infrastructure has become in our daily lives. Reddit and the Internet would immediately cease to exist as servers become fried and destroyed. Anyone connected to a life support machine would be dead unless the life support techniques can be done manually or with analog technology. Satellites for communication, weather prediction, scientific study, GPS systems, and anything else man-made in orbit around earth would be damaged to the point of useless space junk. It would be an apocalyptic-level event... and it almost happened. The sun completes a rotation on its axis about once every three weeks, so if that CME happened either two weeks before or two weeks after it took place... well, the world would be a suddenly and dramatically different place.
Airbags Are Meant To Save Lives
[rebelmouse-image 18355937 is_animated_gif=The airbag in my car suddenly malfunctioning and deploying into my face whilst I'm driving on the freeway. Sometimes I glance nervously down at my steering wheel while I'm driving almost expecting it to happen.
AAA, But Not The Car Kind
[rebelmouse-image 18346939 is_animated_gif=For me, something called a triple A. Basically you get flu like symptoms then, when it ruptures, you bleed out in about 30 seconds. Nothing you can do about it, super rare but happens and if you have the symptoms you're already dead unless you're literally on the operating table. Worst part is you are awake and thinking throughout the process and basically know this is the end.
So... Keep The Windows Closed?
[rebelmouse-image 18355939 is_animated_gif=I'm terrified that one day, whilst driving with the windows open, a bee or wasp will fly into the car. It would get agitated, buzz around and probably sting me in desperation to escape from the car, I could easily lose control while driving! I think about it every time I open car windows.
Anesthesia Awareness
[rebelmouse-image 18354404 is_animated_gif=Anesthesia Awareness. It doesn't happen a lot but being awake during a surgery and feeling every single blade cut into you and feeling the doctors moving your guts constantly would but terrifying. That's why I don't wanna have surgery ever in my life.
No, There's No Dragon In The Kitchen.
[rebelmouse-image 18355940 is_animated_gif=Mental deterioration. I'm not talking like getting old and forgetting things, I mean schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, even Huntington's. Anything where I can't trust my own mind, scares the literal f*ck out of me. Imagine seeing your worst fears come to life, and when begging for help from your loved ones, they either dismiss you, or try to convince you that you aren't seeing anything....
So Long, Seattle
[rebelmouse-image 18355941 is_animated_gif=I live in the Seattle, WA, and though it is actually likely, I am still frighteningly scared that this could happen.
If you haven't heard, there is a massive earthquake that is long overdue in the Pacific North West (Washington, Oregon, N. California), with a predicted magnitude of up to 9.2.
It is supposed to wipe out the city of Seattle itself, along with the Capital of both WA and OR and other major cities in the area. And the odds are very real. The odds of the big one happening any time in the next 15 years are 1/15.
That may seem like a small chance, but consider the risks. Seattle has become a major economic hub, housing HQs of both Microsoft & Amazon. It houses some of the best medical institutions in the country, and we aren't even prepared for this disaster in the slightest.
More info is here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
It really scares me that this is a real event that could happen. Hopefully there is a way we can avoid it.
Sinkholes
[rebelmouse-image 18355942 is_animated_gif=Sinkhole swallowing me up while I slept. It happened in Florida. The guy died, crushed and smothered to death, just 10 feet away from from his family. It opened up under his bedroom. It happened so fast that he couldn't get away and no one could help him, even though his brother swore he could hear him screaming and tried to dig him out.
Recalculating...
[rebelmouse-image 18355943 is_animated_gif=My GPS has taken me off road several times, and has tried to get me to drive into a river at least once.
Now every time I drive up a hill or around a corner, or just anywhere where I can't see the road, I'm always worried that I missed a "dead end" or "bridge out" sign and the road is just going to disappear and my GPS is going to finally kill me.
Bathroom Demons
[rebelmouse-image 18355944 is_animated_gif=When you go to take a piss in the middle of the night and swing open the shower curtain to check if a spoopy demon or serial killer is there and THERE ACTUALLY IS ONE. Has anyone ever actually thought about that? What would anxiously ripping open the shower curtain do? Would you beat the said demon or killer with a plunger? Would they slip in the shower because you're too cheap to own a bath mat?
Man am I afraid of the bathroom at night..
Well That's A Killjoy
[rebelmouse-image 18355945 is_animated_gif=After I'm done hanging out with this person I will not ever see them again. This thought almost always ruins the good times I'm having with friends because I know eventually it will happen so it's inevitable but it's unlikely that this is that time.
"One Moment You're On Reddit, The Next..."
[rebelmouse-image 18355946 is_animated_gif=A moving black hole (they exist) passing through our solar system and instantaneously ripping it apart. One moment you're on reddit, the next, everything you know ceases to exist
Ceiling Fan Of Doom
[rebelmouse-image 18355947 is_animated_gif=I'm not sure how plausible it is, but I've always been afraid of the ceiling fan falling and killing me in my sleep.
"My Hand Is Possessed"
[rebelmouse-image 18355948 is_animated_gif=Have you heard about alien hand syndrome (I think that's what it's called)?
I remember watching a doco about people who had really bad seizures, who opted into having their corpus callosum (the bit of the brain that joins the two sides) severed... several of them had weird "my hand is possessed" type symptoms, and there was one guy who hand his non-dominant hand try to steer him off the road while he was driving...
I'm sure you'll be fine though
Death Would Be Preferrable
[rebelmouse-image 18355949 is_animated_gif=Go ahead and kill me. It's over. No worries.
But wake up a quadriplegic fully aware, but unable to make a single move. Staring at the same space for hours on end until you're moved hoping someone doesn't forget to give you eye drops because you can't blink. But let's add some fluff. All the nerves in your body are activated, and you're in chronic pain throughout the remainder of your extremely long immobile life.
Financial Ruin
[rebelmouse-image 18355950 is_animated_gif=Getting really sick, bankrupting my family, then dying anyways knowing I've ruined the lives (financially) of the people I care for the most.
Why Is That Button Even There?
[rebelmouse-image 18355951 is_animated_gif=Accidentally click the Facebook like/share button on pornographic content.
Nothing Is Real
[rebelmouse-image 18355952 is_animated_gif=That I'm insane and that everything I say and do doesn't really happen. I'm just some blabbering idiot who has imagined up his entire life with no way of knowing it.
God Bless America
[rebelmouse-image 18355953 is_animated_gif=I'd say the USA becoming a belligerent nation and/or suffering a civil war. We're an enormous nation with lots of power. Lately, some of the foundational institutions of our democracy have been under attack, such as elections and the press. Facts have become less important in debates, and much of our population believes it has a duty to lash out violently against legislation they don't like.
Beware.
What Will All The Trolls Do?
[rebelmouse-image 18355954 is_animated_gif=That my anonymity online will disappear. I'm relatively open about my views, but not to potential employers because I've seen people (liberals and conservatives alike) be discriminated against based on their political ideals, and I don't want that to happen.
Also, in "real life" there are things you think but you don't say whereas with the anonymity of the internet you're allowed to be more open. I don't want all my "think it don't say it" things being public.
H/T: Reddit
Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
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