It takes a peculiar kind of person to be a service member, either enlisting in the military or choosing to serve as a member of the police force. You lay your life down on the line to make sure others get the chance to live theirs. Sometimes, seeing that side of society can change you.
Reddit user, u/sleafordbods, wanted to know:
Just A Couple Of Quickies
Most people are not suited to authority. The more they have, the more they abuse it. Both genders.
Most people aren't that smart, and the dumber they are, the dumber they think smart people are.
Men are cruel. Women are wicked.
Groupthink is real, is everywhere, and is dangerous.
What? The Government's Wasteful?
GiphyThe government truly is staggeringly wasteful. I mean just truly wasteful on a scale that boggles the mind.
I'm certain we could field a more capable military with half the annual money ($350B instead of $700B) if we didn't just thrown the money away on redundant hardware that is manufactured and exists solely to provide jobs in specific congressional districts, inefficient logistics, gas and oil, etc.
You Say Only What You Have To Say
"Thank you for your service" and my response "Thank you for your support" is really just an obligated, scripted back and forth that usually means nothing to either party.
I know there's no ill intent meant by it, but I feel like 90% of the time, people say it when they feel like they have to, not because they feel genuine gratitude.
I hope that doesn't make it sound like I think I deserve gratitude just on account of being a glorified government employee, but I can definitely tell the difference between someone who genuinely believes I somehow keep them safe, and someone who is saying because they think they have to, and I wish those people felt comfortable not saying anything at all
Things Are More Complicated Than They Appear
That everyone has preconceived notions about the military, good or bad, and any information given to the contrary goes in one ear and out the other.
Also applies to just about everything else. People don't like to give any additional thought to an idea once they have settled on it as their personal belief. TBH thinking about it bums me out a lot.
"The Military" is a huge organization and a supreme example of the American melting-pot, with people from literally all walks of life and all ideologies, and making any generalizations about service members beyond "they are all human" is pointless.
Kind Of A Tactless Way To Say It, But, Okay
If you're good at your job, great! You'll get to do someone else's job too. When things need to get done, regardless of who's responsibility something is, the tasks will fall to the people who can do them- the high performers. So you end up with all of these high performers who get burnt out because they're doing their job and picking up all of the slack that falls on their shoulders.
In the military especially, it's frustrating when these high performers who carry most of the load are compensated and treated the same as their peers who don't add as much value- the military is many things, but a meritocracy it is not.
Many from this top group leave the military to pursue something where their disproportionate contribution is rewarded. You then end up with the leftover group of people from the middle of the pack, who were never really high performers, finding themselves in leadership positions. Through attrition of the actual best, the middle rises, simply because they end up being the best of who's left after the high performers leave.
Just Asking Questions Can Get You In Trouble
There's a lot of grey between the black and white of following orders.
"Our worst day is some people's paradise."
How well we have it. Visiting other countries puts your "struggles" into perspective.
Our worst day is some peoples paradise
They Will Take Anyone. Any. One.
The ridiculous amount of stupid people that exist, and how low the bar actually is to join the military.
It's Not As Bad As It Seems
That people freak out about wars about to break out, despite not being in the military.
Like, you think Iran is [going] to be world war 3 and you work at starbucks.
Calm down karen.
Things Don't Trickle Down
People who have less give more and people who have more give less and take away from the people who have less..
You'd Be Surprised How Much Nothing We Do
When I was in [military] in Germany when it was still mandatory: Nothing.
We were just doing pointless stuff all day. Like laying around in the forest for no reason.
Caring Is A Good Thing
Comradery doesn't exist in most civilian jobs. Lucky for me, I now work with mostly ex-military people. Folks who have never known what it means, to have a bond with coworkers, are the worst people to work with, IMO.
Some of them are the typical corporate minded, back-stabbing, kiss-ups, and are the bane of comeradery in the workplace, especially once they get promoted to management. Knowing what it means to have that bond...it really opens your eyes to the types of insecure, and uncaring co-workers that exist out there.
If you are one of these personalities(which is likely when you have never had comrades), I want you to know, that giving-a-sh-t about people you work with, is a 'good' thing.
Doesn't Matter The Rank. You're All The Same.
Everyone has an opinion about military members and it is imperative that you agree with them about it.
I've been called a war hero, a baby murderer and everything in between.
I'm a f*cking 14p we don't do anything to warrant either reaction.
Having A Uniform Doesn't Make You A Good Guy
There is good and bad people in almost every group of people. For instance some of the worst people I met were in the military.
Some of the people on the other side weren't evil, they just didn't want foreigners conquering (liberating we say) their country.
Being A Criminal Doesn't Mean You're A Bad Guy
Just because someone commits a crime and you have to arrest them doesn't mean they're a bad person. Most of the people I have arrested or given citations to are cooperative and polite. The majority of these individuals understand that they made a mistake and that they now have to accept the responsibility.
Respect will get you respect. Treat people fairly and regardless of the situation, they will 9/10 times treat you fairly back.
RindgeTinge17Don't Know What You Need
GiphyBeing on deployment overseas made me appreciate signs and announcements in English. Being in Dubai or India and not getting lost because of the English signage is something one wouldn't think important until they're lost and need to make it back to ship on time.
So now when someone complains about seeing signs in Spanish or French in America I'm more prone to calling them out on their bullsh-t.
You Know The Real Deets
If your security clearance is high enough, the evening news makes no sense.
Everyone Has The Same Potential
The only sign of being a good person is being a good person.
People like to say "oh, that person has x trait, he's a good person". None of those traits pan out.
Religion, education, money, status, race, politics, electability, sexuality....I met plenty of straight-up aholes in every iteration of every category there is. Nearly every iteration of every category also had strongly good people in it. There was virtually no correlation.
Not Everyone Is A Saint
Before Army: "Everyone in military service is a hero. F-cking extinguish anyone who thinks otherwise."
After Army: "I've been wrong... for a very long time."
If you're a service member, what do you wish other non-service people knew about your job? Share it with us!
Redditor imboredaa wanted to discuss all the ways so many of us get lost watching things on the internet, so they asked:
"What are some of the craziest/strangest rabbit holes you’ve ever been down?"
I constantly get lost on talent show audition rabbit holes.
And I am proud!
Restored
Serial Killer Chainsaw GIF by Rise RecordsGiphy"YouTube videos of old chainsaw restorations. No idea why, but I guess that’s why it’s a rabbit hole. I don’t even own a chainsaw or have a need for one."
aretelio
'rooms/shared'
"I really enjoy going on a city’s Craigslist, then to 'rooms/shared' (or whatever it is for finding a room mate) and then typing words like 'warning' or 'beware' in the search to see what kind of horror show nightmare room mate scenarios people have decided to write about... it's usually some juicy headline like 'warning!!!'"
"Do NOT rent from this woman!!!! She is a PSYCHO!!….'"
"And after reading it, it’s always a guess to decide who is the actual crazy person, the landlord or tenant. Could be a bitter ex, tenant, or a scam, or whatever. But it’s an easy way to dive quick into some weird corners of the internet that are filled with drama."
After the Ice
"I spent a bunch of time about 12 years or so ago reading about all the details of the Titanic, how it sunk, what happened as it was sinking, who died, who survived. I got into the life stories of the people who died, and what became of the people who survived. And then I very nearly bought a piece of carpet from the Titanic."
SweetCosmicPope
Expeditions
"Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition"
"Dumb, then numb, a** thought he could fly a balloon to the North Pole. They had cyanide capsules and all, in case they crashed and were about to freeze to death. Or get eaten by a polar bear during a three month night. He and his assistants somehow managed to do both."
"Plot twist: Andree, the worst captain of all time, noticed the balloon was leaking the night before they were about to leave, pumped it up a bit, and said 'f**k it that'll do.' It did not do."
Needydadthrowaway
Thanks John
"An Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Started with 1 and ended up with a 20+ collection."
originalsanitizer
"Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are so addictive."
evanman69
Toilet time can be knowledge time.
Living Sky High
City In The Sky Vfx GIF by PBSGiphy"Turning old planes into houses! About 10 years ago I found a company that would do it for you. The wings were decks and the plane was mounted to a pedestal that allowed it to be rotate with the sun!"
BeeEyeAm
Doggerland
"Mega tsunamis. Thousand foot walls of water moving at hundreds of mph? It happens more than you would think. The Azore-Gibraltar fault will cause one one day. There evidence they happened a few times in the Pacific. It doesn't take a meteor to happen, it could be an underwater landslide (Doggerland), or a large section of a volcanic island shearing off and falling into the ocean (Oahu). Doggerland is another rabbit hole that is worth googling."
KD_Burner_Account133
Hitting the Keys
"Mechanical keyboards. I wanted to buy one, so I started researching and watching videos of reviews. I went deeper and deeper, seeing special cables, obscure companies, the tons of switches, etc etc."
"I stopped when a Youtuber I watched made a video asking her viewers and discord users to stop bullying and harassing her for using some kind of switches or keycaps. I bought my keyboard and never went back to that crazy fandom."
NirvanaForce
In the Sky
"I worked in administration at an aviation academy for a few years and decided I’d start listening to aviation podcasts since I didn’t know much about it. I came across a plane crash podcast that talks about crashes in history and how it improved the safety of flying."
"I was fascinated by it, and found myself gradually needing to know more and listening to more of the same type of podcasts, watching videos, and listening to black box recordings. It was eerie but interesting at the time. Now, I regret it tremendously because since then I’ve developed horrible anxiety when flying."
contagiousphrase
The Big Questions
steve harvey lol GIF by TV Land ClassicGiphy"Spent a lot of time in the 'quantum consciousness' rabbit hole. I had just deconstructed from religion and wanted answers about life, death, and reality. It was long before I made peace with not knowing. I spent around a year obsessed with quantum experiments, psychedelics, and the general philosophy of consciousness."
excusetheblood
Lives (and chores) can be put on serious hold when you find a juicy enough topic to research!
Well, what rabbit holes have you gotten lost in? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor Who_Did_You_Expect1 wanted to hear about the things from our memories that still haunt our nightmares, so they asked:
"What's the most f--ked up thing you saw that still haunts you to this day?"
Living through peril is unimaginable. I've been luckier than most.
Tragic
Sad Best Friends GIF by Lisa VertudachesGiphy"I watched cancer kill my baby brother. He was in grade school when I was in college. 25 years, and I still see it in my dreams."
TheDigitalRanger
Ay Dios mio, Dios mio!
"When I was about 8, my sister and I were walking with my mom to a bus stop to see my grandma in Mexico city. There was a lady on a bike crossing the intersection that we had just crossed ourselves but she didn't stop in time to the next one and didn't look both ways, she didn't have time to stop her bike. All I remember is the lady making the beginning of a scream as a white old muscle car ran over her (bike and all) at a high speed."
" remember the sound it made as it broke everywhere. My mother took her sweater off as she screamed and covered both my sister's and my head from looking, but it was too late. I remember looking at my sister with tears in her eyes, and I was too shocked to react or comprehend what I had just seen happened. A lot of people immediately surrounded the place, and the driver came out of his car and held his head with his hands after seeing the lady on the pavement."
"I didn't look at the lady anymore. I remember hearing people screaming in shock. My mother told my dad later as she cried. I remember hearing her wake up screaming for weeks after this saying: ay Dios mio, Dios mio! Still makes my heart race when I think about it."
amahied
I Quit
"I was a news photographer for a while in the 90’s. I got called out to an accident. A high school girl ran into the back of a semi. As I was shooting, I noticed her wallet was on the ground. It had a plastic picture holder and the wind was flipping back and forth. I saw her prom pictures and shots of her with her family."
"I quit being a news photographer shortly after. I never forgot that day, and it still haunts me."
No_Confusion4720
Images
"I saw the aftermath rather than the actual event. A woman was walking home from the grocery store late at night. She crossed the road without using the crosswalks and got hit by an SUV. The two images cemented in my mind are of her, embedded in the windshield, and the driver of the car standing a little ways down the street vomiting. I've never seen someone look so utterly broken as the way the driver looked. I can't imagine what he was going through."
GrowlyBear2
Everyday
Sad Rabbit GIF by Muffin & NutsGiphy"When I was 16 I was in a car wreck with my best friend since 3rd grade. I pulled him from the car with a broken shoulder while he was bloody, lifeless, limp. He died within the hour, not long after the ambulance got us. It’s been 18 years and I still think about it every single day."
oil_can_guster
I couldn't imagine living with that.
I also couldn't move...
"Coming to after getting hit by a vehicle as a pedestrian. Was face down, all I could see was blood soaked road and thought 'f**k, that doesn't look good.' I also couldn't move. The last thing I remember seeing before that was the grill of the vehicle. I still get jumpy when I catch a vehicles grill out of the corner of my eye and I'm not expecting it to be there."
"I'd seen a lot of accidents prior to that, but something about it being my own blood hit different."
"And yes, I had the right of way and was crossing in the proper place, at the proper time. Driver plain a** wasn't paying attention. It was daylight to boot, so no reason they couldn't see me."
Sweet_Force1478
Bad Dreams
"I was volunteering with my k9 working with NYC emergency services and chief Patell during 911 WTC attacks. We were in the middle of where the twin towers used to stand The thick gray dust, horrible smell of burnt things and dead people was all around but when the dogs started to find bodies and body parts it really freaked me out and I will forever live with this reality that seems like a bad dream."
DjCanicus
Missing
Confused Wile E Coyote GIF by Looney TunesGiphy"A family of four that had burned in a plane crash. I used to do a woodland search and rescue, and we saw a lot of wild crap, but I still have dreams about what I saw when we went to look for a missing plane."
JalenTargaryen
Goodness life is dark sometimes.
Do you have any similar experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
