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People Share The Scariest Thing They've Ever Witnessed

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There are just some events in life that are too difficult to bare witness. These are the moments that you think about or see on the news or a Dateline NBC episode that you pray to whatever deity you believe in to spare you from ever having to be a part of any of it in real time. You would assume death was the worst thing to see, you'd be wrong.

Redditor u/AviahWinchester wanted to know what people have seen firsthand that still gives them nightmares by asking.... What is the scariest thing you've ever witnessed?

Saucy Minx....

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Damn horny bobcats trying to hook up in the middle of the night. Yeah, they really do sound like someone being murdered. khegiobridge

The first time I ever heard a cougar I was a security guard at an outdoor theater on the edge of town, I thought a woman was being murdered, I called my LT and he told me to google mountain lion screams to see if that was it, that's exactly what it was and it didn't really make me feel any better. LOL. BadReputation2611

The Scream.....

Just after college, my roommate and I lived in a townhouse. Our neighbor was murdered and I was home when the police think it happened - I was even called as a witness to what they believed was a struggle and a silenced gunshot.

We didn't realize what happened until his sister and some of his friends broke into his house the next day and saw him laying on the ground with a bullet wound in his neck. The police showed up, roped off his house and the two surrounding (ours and the other neighbors').

His dad showed up and his expression when he saw his only son murdered and the scream that he let out were the most terrifying expression of grief I've ever seen and hope to ever see. agatheg

Be Prepared....

My mom having a seizure when I was about 6. It was the middle of the night and I was the only one there with her and had no clue what was happening. She was alright but God seizures are terrifying to watch. billbobhob

Can confirm, have had 2 in my life.

Neither were very fun but for me I felt like I just passed out and woke up in an ambulance with a headache.
The doctor says he had no idea what happened and it's still a mystery to this day as to why. Has not ever happened again but the brain works in strange ways. Jestire

Damn Kids....

This guy collapsed in the movie theater line while ordering food. He was chatting with his girlfriend one minute then he just rocked forward and fell backwards right into me. I really thought I witnessed someone die right in front of me and that I was holding a dead body. Luckily, the guy popped right back up and he left with his girlfriend. The people in line behind me were really rude, saying "there's two stupid teenagers playing drunk." I just assumed the guy had narcolepsy or some other neurological disorder. sleepilyLee

Stay Sober....

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Someone in my immediate family came home high on hard drugs and was hallucinating bugs in their neck so they took a knife and started cutting their neck. That was..... not lit. sneakysillysteve

Birds of a Feather.....

I snuck into my high school late at night whenever nothing was scheduled to be going on that late. Fast forward ten minutes and I hear instruments playing in the darkness.

Turns out some band kids snuck in that night too. UnderratedCommentor

Into the Abyss..... 

At my childhood house, my parents never bought any blinds for the basement sliding glass door, so it was always kinda like this horrifying black abyss at night. So yeah, me and my brothers were playing down in the basement one night and through the window we saw our neighbor through her window dressed as a clown, sitting reading a book. It was truly horrifying. I'll never forget that day. iammine88

KABOOM!!!! 

I was in the break room eating lunch at my first job out of college. The break room had windows that had a perfect view of the interstate and I would mindlessly watch the interstate traffic every day on my lunch. One time I watched a semi truck smash into one of the concrete pillars for the overpass. As I was calling 911 I saw a gentleman in the opposite bound lane pull over to the shoulder, get out of his car and sprint to the semi truck I saw the trucker hand his dog to the Samaritan and then climb out shortly after and as soon as they got out of the truck, the vehicle exploded. Seriously the most nerve wracking thing I've ever seen. MattyIcex4

To Grandma's House.... 

I was about two or three when I watched my dad punch my mother in the nose. He was abusive and that was the last straw for my mother. We were living in a apartment building and fortunately, my grandma lived in the next apartment.

So my three year old self had to run out of my apartment, past the elevator, and knock on my grandma's door and she ended up getting my mom out of there. I haven't seen him since and she's been with her current boyfriend for over 10 years. Joos_Toos

The Crash....

Had swing by my dad's place earlier in the day and talk to him about my plans for the rest of the summer evening good. He told me he was going to go on a motorcycle ride after he just got done building a custom sportster.... Later on that afternoon I drove up on a wreck on a two-lane Road often used heavily by semis, traffic backed up at a slow crawl... The closer I get to where it looks like the wreck is at, I start wondering what it could be.. Traffic comes to a standstill and I am within talking distance of a State Trooper who had been waving traffic through.

I rolled down my window and asked him if he knew what the wreck was.. He said it was a vehicle vs motorcycle head-on collision... I cringed because that sounded bad.... Traffic began to slowly move again, as i roll by the ambulance which had been blocking my view... i gazed upon a crunched SUV... and a custom sports car on it's side... my heart sank.

I immediately pulled off to the side as i sat there in shock, watching the EMT'S proceeding to load the stretcher up; which had my dad on it. Bat_man_89

Where is the Humanity?

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I worked as a host at an Olive Garden over a decade ago. It's a busy weekend night. Out of nowhere, this woman comes up to me and says quietly, "my baby isn't breathing." I was 19. Not really sure what to do, so I just yell out the movie thing, "is anyone here a doctor?! This baby isn't breathing!" and thankfully there actually was a doctor and a nurse in the lobby.

The bar called an ambulance and I had to keep new people from coming into the restaurant (they had the baby on the floor) and getting in the way/adding to the crowd when the ambulance crew arrived. Some people were really crappy about having to wait. I'll never forget the old hag who said, "what does that matter? We can walk around," to me. We found out a week later that the baby died. Very sad. And the baby was definitely over 1, so I don't think it was SIDS. napalmtree13

REDDIT

Who else has some soul shuttering events to discuss?

scary events

People Describe The Most Traumatizing Thing They Ever Experienced As A Child

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Life is hard. It's a miracle to make it through with some semblance of sanity. We are all plagued by grief and trauma. More and more people of all backgrounds are opening up about personal trauma and its origins. Finally! For far too long we've been too silent on this topic. And with so many people unable to afford mental health care, the outcomes can be damaging.

All of our childhoods have ups and downs and memories that can play out like nightmares. We carry that, or it follows us and the first step in recovery is talking about it. So who feels strong enough to speak?

Redditor u/nthn_thms wanted to see who was willing to share about things they'd probably rather forget, by asking:

What's the most traumatizing thing you experienced as a child?
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childhood

People Divulge The Real Reason Why They're Still Single

Image by klimkin from Pixabay

Being single can be fun. In fact, in this time of COVID, being single can save lives. But the heart is a fickle creature.

And being alone can really suck in times of turmoil. None of us are perfect and it feels like that's all anyone is looking for... perfect.

Now that doesn't mean that all of us are making it difficult to partner up. Sure, some people are too picky and mean-spirited, but some of the rest of us are crazy and too much to handle. So one has to be sure.

The truth is, being single is confusing, no matter how much we try to match. So let's try to understand...

Redditor u/Mcxyn wanted to discuss some truths about love and our own issues, by asking:

Why are you single?
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being single

Chefs Divulge The Most Important Tips That Amateur Cooks Need To Know

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Whether you're an at home parent, a college student just leaving the nest, or a Food Network junkie, there are a few basic tips that everyone should know.

Chef's gave us some of their top tips for amateurs and beginner at home cooks that will really make a difference. They are trained professionals with years of experience in the kitchen, so they definitely know what we're all missing.

If you're looking to improve some of your cooking skills and techniques, but you're still learning how to boil water correctly, this list is for you.

Redditor BigBadWolf44 wanted in on the secrets and asked:

"Chefs of Reddit, what's one rule of cooking amateurs need to know?"

Let's learn from the masters!


What a common mistake!

"A lot of the time when people add salt to a dish because they think it tastes flat, what it really needs is an acid like lemon juice or vinegar."

- Vexvertigo

"Instructions unclear I drugged my dinner party guests and now they're high on acid."

- itsyoboi_human

"Yes! Or tomatoes. They're pretty acidic too and go with so many things. Our dinners are so much better once the garden tomatoes are ripe. Or if a dish is too acidic, oil/butter or a little sugar can help add balance to it."

- darkhorse85

"Like tomato and eggs. Every Chinese mom makes those slightly differently and I haven't had a tomato egg dish I didn't like yet."

- random314

"There's a book called 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' that comes highly recommended to amateur cooks."

- Osolemia

"Reading even just the first chapter about salt made a lot of food I cooked immediately better, because I finally understood salt wasn't just that thing that sat on the dinner table that you applied after the meal was cooked."

- VaultBoy42

"Salt is important for sweets. A batch of cookies without that little hint of salt doesn't taste quite right."

- Osolemia

Unfortunately, this tip might not be accessible to everyone. Many people who contracted COVID can no longer use their sense of smell the way they used to.

"Have a friend that lost his smell from COVID, and now he only recognizes if food is salty, sweet, sour or bitter."

- AlphaLaufert99

"Just wait until he gets his sense of smell back and a ton of foods smell like ammonia or literal garbage now. Yeah, that's fun... It's been 7 months for f*cks sake just let me enjoy peanut butter again!!!!!!!!!"

- MirzaAbdullahKhan

You can't take back what you've already put in.

"You can always add, but you cannot take away."

- El_Duende666

"I find people's problems usually are they're too scared to add rather than they add too much."

- FreeReflection25

"I see you also grew up white in the mid-west."

- Snatch_Pastry

Safety first!

"Not really a cooking tip, but a law of the kitchen: A falling knife has no handle."

- wooddog

"I'm always so proud of my reflexes for not kicking in when I fumble a knife."

"If I drop anything else, my stupid hands are all over themselves trying to catch it (and often failing). But with a knife the hardwired automatic reaction is jump back immediately. Fingers out of the way, feet out of the way, everything out of the way. Good lookin out, cerebellum!"

- sonyka

"Speaking of KICKING in. On first full time cooking job I had a knife spin and fall off the counter. My (stupid) reflex was to put my foot under it like a damn hacky sack to keep it from hitting the ground. Went through the shoe, somehow between my toes, into the sole somehow without cutting me. Lessons learned: (1) let it fall; (2) never set a knife down close to the edge or with the handle sticking out; (3) hacky sack is not nearly as cool as it could be."

- AdjNounNumbers

"Similarly, NEVER put out a grease or oil fire with water. Smother with a lid or dump baking soda in there (do not use flour, as it can combust in the air making things worse)."

- Metallic_Substance

How else will you know it tastes good?

"Taste the food."

- OAKRAIDER64

"Also don't be afraid to poke and prod at it. I feel like people think the process is sacred and you can't shape/flip/feel/touch things while you cook them. The more you are hands on, the more control you have."

"No, this does not include situations where you are trying to sear something. Ever try flipping a chicken thigh early? That's how you rip a chunk out of it and leave it glued to the pan until it's burnt."

- Kryzm

Here's one just for laughs.

"When you grab a pair of tongs, click them a few times to make sure they are tongs."

- Kolshdaddy

"People really overlook this one. You've gotta tong the tongs a minimum of 3 times to make sure they tong, or else it can ruin the whole dish."

- BigTimeBobbyB

If you're looking to get into cooking or to improve you technique, pay attention to these few tips.

Salt generously, add an acid to brighten things up, and don't forget to taste your food!

If all else fails, you can always order take out.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

cooking

People Describe The Most Inappropriate Thing They Ever Did As A Kid

Victoria_Borodinova/Pixaba

As part of the learning process, children often do embarrassing things before they learn a little more about the world and all the different implications therein. While the inappropriate moment is usually minor and ends in laugher some instances are truly mortifying.

One such instance involved a little sister who was around 6 at the time. It was the 90s and at the height of the youth-focused PSAs (think the frying egg representing your brain). One type was a safety PSA about stranger danger. The speaker would remind the children that if a stranger tried to take you anywhere to yell “Stop, you're not my mommy/daddy" to raise the alarm.

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