Older People Share Early Warning Signs of Trouble That Younger People Don't Know About.

2/32 Girls, if you have sex with a guy for the first time and fake it, it will never ever change.
betaboop1990
3/32 Never, ever, in a fight with your S/O, EVER use something they've told you in confidence OR their biggest vulnerability against them in a fight. EVER.
It is a nuke. It can not be undone. It will erode the trust in your relationship by the first breath after being said, even if it doesn't kill the relationship instantly.
w00thooligan
4/32 This one was difficult for me to learn, and painful to have to undo the damage: Bills.
If you receive a bill, open it right away, look at it, have an idea of what you owe, and then pay it at a set time every month (or right away).
NEVER let bills go unopened. I know I'm not the only one who ever did this, but I knew I was broke 'right now' so I let the bills pile up without looking at them. That earned me some late fees and put me in collections a couple times. Meanwhile I was going to see movies or buying drinks etc. It literally took 7 years to finally get the collections off my credit report.
limbodog
5/32 Interruptions are a part of conversation, but if more of your sentences end with interruptions than periods, there might be a serious problem.
Also, in the other direction, try not to interrupt. Listen.
LazyPalpatine
6/32 In terms of a relationship, criticism. Too many people don't know the difference between airing your grievances in a healthy way and being critical in a negative sense.
For example, "I would appreciate it if we could trade off nights on who does the cooking," or "I think that shirt might be better for another occasion," are fair criticisms. Saying "You never cook, I'm not your mother," or "You don't even try to dress up, you look sloppy!" is not productive and creates resentment. Good criticism always presents a solution or an opportunity to compromise. Bad criticism belittles the other person and shuts them down.
No one likes thinking the person they love thinks very little of them. It hurts and destroys people's self-esteem, and that's hard to get back once it's gone.
astrocats
7/32 If someone wants to break up with you - let them.
dawhoo
8/32 If you find yourself always having to make excuses for your partner's behavior to friends and family, it's a warning that your partner is probably no good for you.
delicateteacup
9/32 It's not really a warning sign, but make sure you maintain hobbies and friends outside of a relationship. The warning sign would be if your significant other is trying to isolate you from these things.
mmm_unprocessed_fish
10/32 If you feel unhappy because you are being stretched too thin and have no time for yourself, that's a sign that you need to practice saying "no" to things.
SSJZoroDWolverine
11/32 Young girls - if he is a [jerk] to everyone except you. You are not a special butterfly that can bring out the good in him. It just hasn't been your turn yet. Wait.
AmiChaelle
12/32 If your managers' managers ask you to account for how you spend all your time, or list all the tasks you do in your job, they are probably looking to restructure your department and there will likely be layoffs. Get your resume together and start looking immediately.
KitsuneRouge
13/32 Boredom at your job is a big red flag that you shouldn't ignore. Don't buy into the common saying that "everyone hates their job" or "your job isn't supposed to be fun." That's hogwash. Your job won't be fun all the time, this is true. You will have times where you will do grunt work and tedious things that you wish someone else would do (and possibly can if you get high enough in a company).
My warning to you is if you feel bored and unhappy ALL the time. If there is nothing in the job that is fulfilling you might find that negativity spilling over into your work and that is something you don't want to have. Your work matters, customers depend on it even if you don't quite see it. So if it's not working out come up with a plan to make things better while at the same time not burning any bridges at your current job.
magamaleh
14/32 If your partner often accuses you of cheating, when you know you most certainly are not cheating, it just might be possible that your partner is cheating. If you try to ask your partner if they are cheating and they become instantly angry and make you feel bad for asking the question, it just might be possible that you partner is cheating on you. But the most important thing is not to waste your life trying to stay with the wrog person for you. It's okay to break up, if you've identified that you're not a good fit. Moving on hurts, but you owe it to your future self and your TRUE soulmate, who's out there somewhere, to keep looking. Hope that helps.
jzzanthapuss
15/32 That moment when you decide to make just the minimum payment on your credit card. I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but it didn't take long for that nearly 30% interest to add up and the debt to become crushing.
man_mayo
16/32 When two dogs meet, if one puts his head over the other one's shoulder, it's likely that there's going to be a fight.
signal15
17/32 If you say 'No,' and their response is, 'You'd do it if you really loved me' -- WATCH OUT. That sort of emotional manipulation is usually a bad sign.
palad
18/32 If you lose contact with good friends because they don't keep in touch with you or make the effort, chances are they're thinking the same of you.
BarryMcKockinner
19/32 If the first thing you find yourself doing at a party is grabbing a drink as soon as you can, before even really saying hi to friends, or if you start to feel anxious when you're socializing with friends and there's no alcohol (or no drink in your hand yet) you might want to take a look at your relationship with the booze.
[deleted]
20/32 If you go on an interview, and something just does not "feel" right, listen to your gut. Don't chalk it up to your own nerves. You are picking up on something that is probably a problem with the job/company, but can't fully articulate what it is.
KitsuneRouge
21/32 If your company suddenly gets really excited about "cross-training" people, and asks you to do an abnormal amount of "tidying up your workspace" there are about to be layoffs.
gogogadgetpants_
22/32 The hardest lesson I've learned in life is how to recognize that a relationship is failing and let it go.
There are a number of warning signs that I missed. We didn't laugh as much when we hung out. We didn't spend as much time together. We fought...a lot. She seemed to care a lot less about the things I thought were important, and frankly I probably stopped caring too much about the priorities in her life.
All of this seems incredibly obvious in hindsight, but at the time it was all mixed up with a lot of really complicated emotions. We had been together for over 4 years at that point. Due to the circumstances of our relationship, I had to make a lot of sacrifices at the beginning stages that I felt on some level I was "owed" to be emotionally reimbursed for (yes, I realize this is another huge red flag).
One of the worst things you can do is carry on in a relationship with someone (romantic or even just a friendship) when it's not working. Ultimately, believe me, both parties will be happier without the relationship dragging both people down.
fdsaf3
23/32 I will say that once you start finding yourself say "yes" when you want to say "no," get used to a life without getting your needs met.
copper_pickaxe
24/32 Getting into the negativity habit. It's always someone else's fault. Blaming others for any little thing that goes wrong. Eventually you start to look for opportunities to be offended and proven right. To the point where someone does something nice for you and you ruin it by trying to figure out their angle.
Yes, some people will screw you over and some are rude and will take advantage of you. But most people are just neutral trying to live their life and a lot of people are terrific. Now if someone is rude, I just think, they must be having a bad day and let it go.
cisco54
25/32 Contracts... If a contract is confusing, doesnt make sense and is difficult to understand, theres a reason for that. You're not supposed to understand it, they want you to sign it on faith. Dont do this. This was a major cause of the housing bubble. Balloon loans etc...
Do this instead. Cross out lines of the contact that dont make sense and initial them. Circle whole sections and note "I dont understand or agree with this" and initial it. If the person wanting the signature says that just means... and it doesnt sound bad verbally, you say: "Okay but you may not be around to explain that to someone in court, that needs to be in writing in the contract." They dont want to rewrite it, they just want you to sign so things run smooth. Many times they dont know whats in the contract themselves, they just want it signed and if you make your changes most likely theyll bury it in the file and forget about it while you remain legally safe. Also get a copy with your modifications. In most cases youll impress them.
rob5i
26/32 Cigarettes. The enjoyment (if there is any) will only be in the initial phase and after that it's just a compulsive behaviour. I wasn't even enjoying it and spent thousands of dollars on [it]. Finally made me gasp for breath at times. 207 days since I quit after multiple attempts. Better you don't go through this struggle.
[deleted]
27/32 If you are getting older and you have what looks like a pimple that isn't going away, or anything new on your skin that doesn't look quite right, see a dermatologist.
Those small lesions don't hurt and you might not think they are that big of a deal. Go in. Basal cell skin cancer surgery can be extensive. We've also lost several friends to squamous cell skin cancer and melanoma.
Put sunscreen especially around your ears and neck. People forget those areas- it seems a trivial thing to do, day after day when you're younger, but future you will be so much better off.
Uvabird
28/32 In your personal life, if you start to feel really anxious or insecure with someone you're dating--treat it as a warning. With the caveat that you're not an immature/jealous person, those feelings can be a red flag that the person you're with isn't meeting your needs or that something else is amiss.
GinGimlet
29/32 People don't really change that much, except in extreme circumstances. Don't hang around/marry/work for someone who's ok but has some personality issues you really don't like, because you think 'they might change' or 'with my help, they'll change.'
Go in with the mindset that 'this is the person, as they are and probably will always be.' If their flaws (sometimes, it's only one flaw, like abusive or aggressive behavior) currently outweigh their good qualities, it's best to drop that person now and not spend months or years or a lifetime in waiting misery.
pbrooks19
30/32 This one is for young women. Never, ever let a man take care of you. Get an education, get your career rolling, and keep your job no matter what. If you allow yourself to become reliant on a man you set yourself up as feeling not only owned, but as owing. You're also less able to bolt when things go south. Always have that option of impending freedom.
[deleted]
31/32 If you ever find yourself in an existential, career related or love related (or any other kind of) crisis; only take advice from people who want you to succeed.
If you ever get two conflicting pieces of advice, don't bother figuring out who's "right". Instead apply the same thought: "Which one of these people want me to succeed?"
coffee_in_bed
32/32 If you want to move up in your company, you have to let your boss know you're interested.
Don't be afraid to let your boss know you're interested in a higher position. However, don't demand or ask for it. Don't tell them you've been doing a good job and working hard. Just let them know you're interested in learning new skills and taking on more responsibility and don't want to stagnate.
This is especially true for retail/restaurant work. The reason the other bus boy got trained to be a server or bartender and you didn't is because he let the bosses know he wanted to move up.
HorseHonk
It's highly believed that it is important to learn history as a means to improve our future.
What is often overlooked is that what is taught in history class is going to be very different depending on where you went to school.
And this isn't just internationally, even different regions of the United states will likely have very different lessons on American history.
This frequently results in our learning fascinating, heartbreaking and horrifying historical facts which our middle or high school history teachers neglected to teach us.
Redditor Acherontia_atropos91 was curious to learn things people either wished they had learned, or believe they should have learned, in their school history class, leading them to ask:
What isn’t taught in history class but should be?
The Irish Troubles
"The troubles."
"Too many people in America do not understand why a wall straight through Ireland would be a BAD idea."
"I’m referring to the Brexit referendum and possible outcomes."
"If people were wondering why we were talking about walls through Ireland in the first place."- CLCVS.
Forgotten elements of World War II
"What the Japanese did to the Chinese during WW2."
"Unit 731."- CaptainMcBoogerJew.
"Japan gets off easy for their war crimes in WW2."
"They killed an estimated 16mil Chinese civilians and another 8mil soldiers"
"Also, Pol Pot."
"Didn't know who he was until I was like 25."
"Worst dictator all time (in terms of percentage of population he decimated)".
The truth about the American Revolution
"That the American Revolution was part of a wider cold war type of conflict with France."
"The American Revolution was basically the UK's equivalent of the US version of Vietnam."- vinsant7.
The Dark side of Swedish history.
"As a Swede, I'd like to know more of all the horrible sh*t my country has done throughout history."
"It's a damn shame we're trying to hide our history."
"For example, Swedes killed a metric sh*t ton of all Polish people when we were at our strongest."
"That's the kinda sh*t we don't get to learn."- mogwandayy.
Colonization
"Basically what Belgium did to the Congo."
"A lot of people are telling me that they are taught about this actually."
"I'm glad to hear it because I wasn't taught about this in the USA during my public school days (1995-2008)."- EconArch.
The truth about "heroes".
"While teaching about historical Heroes they should also tell students about the unspeakable things some of them did."
"Many famous figures throughout history who are pillars of morality actually did many terrible things." - User Deleted
Intolerance for Mental Illness
"The dark history of mental illness treatments."
"I think it's worth learning about."- 7dayexcerpt.
Slavic Mythology
"Slavic mythology in Slavic countries."
"Don't get me wrong, I love both Greek & Roman mythology and as a person from the Balkans both of those cultures are part of my country's history and had great influence over not only my region but the entirety of the continent & the western world but I wouldn't mind knowing more about Slavic mythology as well."- ShorsShezzarine.
The truth about the CIA
"How the CIA was made and all the shady things they did over the years."- ALargeChip.
There is a lot about the history of our world, not to mention our own country which shouldn't be ignored.
And it's from learning from our mistakes that we really improve our future.
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So apparently we are in the endemic phase of this nonsense.
We have light at the end of the tunnel.
So what now?
Where do we go from here?
Normal seems like an outdated word.
How do we get back to normal though?
Is it even possible?
What are reaching back to?
Life pre-Covid.
Those were the days.
If only we could bring them back.
Redditor hetravelingsong wanted to discuss our new normal in this hopeful "endemic" phase. So they asked:
"What’s something random you miss about pre-COVID times?"
I miss people being sane. Though that maybe election cycle issues not COVID. We'll never know.
I thought I was Alone...
"Being able to grocery shop after 11 pm."
Reading_Rainboner
"Hell yes. I miss the days where the Walmart across the street was open 24 hours."
Small_Tax_9432
let's just go...
"I miss spontaneity... everything now seems to have a barrier of difficulty."
iidosee
"I live very close to Disneyland so I have an annual pass. My friends and I would just go there after work and hang out and grab a bite to eat."
"Now, we have to reserve a day to go. And most of the time, the days are at 'full' capacity so we couldn't even reserve. I don't want to schedule to hang out at Disneyland for a couple hours for July. So yeah, I definitely miss the 'lets go eat at Disneyland tonight?' texts."
mymymissmai
Not til 24-25
"Functioning global supply chains. Ah, the product you want has got microchips in it? 9 month wait."
richard-king
"Minimum, I'd been saying for a while now that I wouldn't expect a true return to normalcy in terms of electronics prices till 2024-2025. Although Crypto crashing through the floor really took some of the pressure off graphics cards which I really appreciate."
statiiic
WTF?!?!
"How affordable everything was!"
Disastrous_Hour_6776
"Yep. Today I was bagging up my things at the grocery store and I heard the cashier say to the lady behind me 'thats $78.12.' She had -- 2 boxes of Kellogg's corn flakes, a carton of 12 eggs, milk, strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, a small cheese cake, English muffins, coffee, and a small whole frozen chicken that could maybe feed 3 people if the meat portioning was small."
SnowyInuk
Sushi
"My favorite sushi place. It was good quality, close by, kid-friendly, and not too expensive."
InannasPocket
All of this... it was a simpler time.
NASTY
"As a retail worker, just how f**king NASTY some people have gotten."
DmitriPetrov*itch
"They applauded you for being an essential worker but won’t vote for policies that’ll raise minimum wage while insisting a wage cap for heavily paid employees."
sketchysketchist
CHANGES your DNA...
"Some of the people closest to me became very bitter and petty over the last 2 years. So many people have the 'crazy eyes' now."
__--__7
"So true and holidays with the family is like who has the biggest tinfoil hat building contest. How many jumps does your brain have to go through to think that the Covid vaccine CHANGES your DNA into the patented DNA so that the government now controls your body."
"So like vaccinated people now have a singular DNA set. I feel like I still have a chunk of my brain just broken off due to that comment alone. I was also told by same family member that I could never donate blood again due to the vaccine. I guess it is so my patented DNA doesn't affect people?? FYI my vaccinated butt just donated today fine and multiple other times after the vaccine."
tyreka13
Homeward Bound
"House prices."
adrianinked
"I'm resigned to never thinking I have a chance on owning property where I live. I'm 30 and just can't imagine it anymore. And I don't want to live anywhere else so, whatever."
Osdab2daf
"That didn’t happen because of the pandemic. That was already happening regardless."
CH11DW
Oh Mickey
"All Day Breakfast at McDonalds."
hutch2522
"It was honestly hell to do, and not very popular. ITs margins aren't anywhere dinner and lunch specials. ON top of that, the temperatures are such that They require its own grill, meaning that if you have 2 grills in shop, you are down 50% of lunch capacity."
Freyas_Follower
Way back when...
"Hanging out with friends. And I mean waaaaaay before Covid. Like 2006 back when I had some friends."
LoocsinatasYT
I miss the old days. Maybe we'll get back there.
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What do you believe?
Is there a GOD in the sky?
Is he guiding us and helping us?
Life is really hard. Why is that is a big entity is up there loving us?
Atheists have taken a lot of heat for what feels like shunning GOD.
What if they've been right all along?
Maybe let's take a listen and see what they really think.
Redditor __Jacob______ wanted to hear from the people who don't really believe all that "God" stuff. They asked:
"Atheists, what do you believe in?"
I'm waffling between G-O-D and nothing. So please give me some education.
911
"We need to look out for each other because help isn't coming."
cknipe
Peace Out
"More than 2 decades ago, a priest was giving a sermon in my church and he said 'our faith requires you to believe without question. Why call it faith if you have to ask questions?' I haven't returned to church. Not until my wedding day but you know what I mean."
asiangontear
Delusion
"When I was young I used to think that after death you would have access to a PC that you could see absolutely anything about your life. Stats, any question you had no matter how obscure, replays of moments, perspectives of others in relation to you. No matter what you wanted to know, if it was relatable to you, you could see it. I know it's silly, but as time goes on I just want it to be real, and I don't think I'd have any issue allowing myself to fall into that delusion."
eggwardpenisglands
I think nothing happens...
"Realistically, I think nothing happens. We literally experience nothing after death. Same thing that we experience before birth. We don't exist, so it's nothing. I think the tenant that we should follow while living is to try to be happy and healthy while minimizing the damage we do to each other."
"What I would LIKE to happen after death is whatever you believe in, exists. I think Christians should get to go to heaven if they truly believe in it, Hindus and Buddhists get reincarnated, and everyone else also gets to experience what they believe they will experience."
"'I would still experience Nothing. Maybe it's one of those things where at the moment of death their brain makes them experience what feels like an infinitely long moment in time where they experience their afterlife. I just think it would be neat for everybody."
Better_Meat_
Shrug
"Best advice I received from a dear senior on their way out. 'You win some, you lose some' shrug. Nothing divine, life is that simple and wonderful, accept it and move on."
Tune_Kindly
It all sounds pretty simple. Why are people so up in arms about Atheists?
Whatever
"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do."
imCIK
Cool with Empty
"Nothing. [Serious]."
rumblingtummy29
"I feel this way about death. When I was 5, my grandfather died and my cousin simple said, he is dead, that means you are gone forever. Everything ends up dying, even plants and animals. I'm now in my 40's and still have this simplistic view of life and death. People think I'm ambivalent to life and death but it's just what it is."
thepigfish82
puppet-masters...
"I think a lot of religious people struggle with the fact that we are all just swirling units of chaos. There is no grand plan or great orchestrator. I think that’s why people who are prone to religion are also susceptible to things like Q anon and the Cabal and all that. They REALLY want to believe that there is some almighty puppet-master who determines all of humanity’s fate."
Lngtmelrker
“we’re living in a society!”
"Just be a kind and empathetic person not because you’re worried about some cosmic justice, but because it’s the right thing to do. If there is some being that created us there’s no way they actually care about believing in it or adhering to some rules from over 2000 years ago."
"Also a big thing for me is that I find the idea that you need religion or the Bible in order to have morals and ethics pretty dumb. It’s pretty f**king clear that most evangelicals have neither. But my main thing is being a good person simply because, as George Costanza once said we’re living in a society!' If you’re only a good person in order to make it to heaven you probably aren’t actually a good and moral person."
conservative_genius
That's All
"You're born. You live. You die. That's it. After you die you cease to exist, the same as before you were born."
serefina
Believe what you want. We're all here together. So let's focus there.
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The list of what irritates me is endless.
I mean... breathing too loud or dust can set me off.
I'm a bit unstable, yes.
But I'm not alone.
So let's discuss.
Redditor Aburntbagel6 wanted to hear about all the times many of us just couldn't control our disdain. They asked:
"What never fails to piss you off?"
I feel like this article can go on forever. Let's get some highlights.
Wasted Time
"Meetings that could and should have been an email."
Sirena609
Lotto People
"Getting stuck behind people playing the lottery at a corner store."
thenuggetlover
"I also used to work in a gas station and you’re SO right. I f**king hated the lottery people. Especially since my store had a small staff and there was usually only one of us working at a time, which meant that I couldn’t get any of my other work done as long as they were there."
"And you’re right, it’s also pretty sad to watch. I had one lady who used to come in every day and spent hundreds and HUNDREDS of dollars on scratch tickets. One day, she won $200 after spending probably around $600 and she was so excited and saying she can 'finally pay her bills.'"
i-am-your-god-now
Aware...
"No situational awareness. Job, home, shopping, driving. Think for one minute and go about. OBSERVE!!"
Dizzy-Foundation8122
"My mom is one of those people who leave the shopping cart in the middle of the damn aisle and proceed to walk twenty feet away. After correcting her a million times to no effect I just walk away now so people don’t know I’m with her."
OutrageousEvent
Shut Up!
"Endless barking in the middle of the night, I love animals but that sh*t I can't stand."
Acceptable-Lemon2924
"Endless barking in general drives me up a wall. One of my friends dogs was barking almost an entire gaming session the other day. I wanted to reach through the computer and smack him for letting it go on."
bangersnmash13
Kindness
"People being mean to service workers, especially if the workers are very young."'
scaryboilednoodles
All of these things. I hate them all.
Admit It
"People who never accept fault when they mess something up. Like, why blame a million people when it was clearly you who did it???"
Quirky-Area-8978
From Above
"My upstairs neighbors."
lutzow89
"I had terrible neighbors at my previous apartment. It was a one person studio for students, but her boyfriend was clearly living with her illegally and he was loud."
"One night we knocked n the door at 3 AM because of the loud music and an unknown girl opened the door. I just thought they were having a little party. But the next door I saw the girl living there come home with a suitcase after having been away for the weekend... Her BF was cheating on her in her own apartment."
Th3_Accountant
Move Away
"People who sit directly next to me at the airport, movie theater, any other place where you can choose a seat when there is PLENTY of other seating."
BacardiPardy33
"I can’t YES this enough and the ones who can’t park for crap so they park so close you can’t open doors on one side of the car or the ones who park directly behind when you pulled through so the door won’t open to load groceries."
BacardiPardy33
It's Over
"People who try to restart old drama. Like I'm done with you, just leave me alone."
Tired_Potatos
"Yep, half the reason I've basically quit playing one of my favorite online video games. People keep bringing old crap up or sh*tting on on someone who used to be our friend. I got tired of it so I just ejected the game out of me."
CaucasianHumus
AHHHHH!!!
"People walking too slow in front of me with no way to get around them. It’s even worse if it’s a couple or group taking up the whole sidewalk. HAVE SOME SPATIAL AWARENESS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!"
_-v0x-_
Life in general pisses me off. I'm easy.
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