There may be no substantial evidence to back what people believe to be emphatically true, like, say, the afterlife or the existence of a higher power.
But who are we to deny them their faith in the existence of something?
Curious to hear what some of these beliefs might be, Redditor btsao1 asked:
"What is something you strongly believe in but don't have evidence for?"
How well do you know your relatives? These people had gut instincts they couldn't shake off.
Grandpa's Double Life
"My grandpa had a second family. I never knew him as he died before I was born, but my mom would talk about how he'd occasionally disappear for up to a month at a time and my grandma never once asked why because he said it wasn't her business (this was like the 50s and 60s). My mom told me that she'd occasionally have this dream where he had a second family and I think it's because deep down she suspected it."
– Fournote
It Can Never Be Revealed
"My wife's cousin's husband is an undercover CIA agent."
– tecg
Family History
"Kind of related but my mum thought she wasn’t related to her brothers as she didn’t look anything like them. Obviously my grandparents told her she was just paranoid."
"Years later we find out that my gran had an affair (my grandpa knew) and my mother was the result. This came out many years after my grandpa and grandma had died and that my mother and my siblings all had another family, her dad had died but we were living 10 doors away from one of her new siblings."
– ItchyPlatypus
People propose the idea of living creatures still out there among us.
They're Out There Somewhere
"That the Tasmanian Tiger is not extinct. Great swathes of Tasmania are largely uninhabited and still heavily forested . People wander a few metres off a track and are never seen again so dense is the bush. So my old romantic heart hopes that Tigers are still out there."
– 1999falcon
How We Came To Imagine Dragons
"I'm convinced that the myth of dragons in the middle ages originates from early findings of dinosaur fossils. It simply seems like a logical explanation to me, but I have not the slightest evidence for this theory."
– Mission-Access6314 ·
Otherworldly Beings
"That there's aliens out there. There's millions of galaxies, planet and we only discovered 1 and not even fully with the oceans being 10% or something. Even if we are the only ones (super unlikely) that would be even scarier if its just us. I wouldnt doubt advanced aliens would avoid the ghetto planet or be able to disguise perfectly as a human (and human eyes are limited there could be layers of life forms that isnt visable to our eyes)​."
– AccomplishedCandy325
The Fungus Among Us
"That mushrooms are fully conscious. They help forests, they can communicate, they take over bugs brains and have them walk to a place the fungus wants and then kill it, they are older than any other plants/animals, and not to mention the insane effects of psilocybin!"
– chazmosaur
Dopplegangers
"There are clones, specifically human clones, alive right now. With the advances we made in that field in the 90’s with dolly the sheep and all that stuff there’s no way that some group of people didn’t take it a step further and create a clone human."
– Tornlinftw
If you know, you know.
The Sense Of Void
"I had an identical twin who never made it to be visible on ultrasounds. There's no evidence, just the subjective experience of the hole in the world where someone isn't."
– vewltage
We're All In This Together
"Everyone is delusional, some people just to a higher degree."
– coastermarioguy
For Good
"Being a good person is worth the trouble."
– DiarrheaButtSauce
Every Jekyll Has Their Hyde
"i believe that every single person in existence is capable of doing unspeakable things even if they don’t know it themselves and even if they never actually do."
– liteAvvikande
Graduation Theory
"that U.S universities lie about their graduation rates (the percentage of students that actually finish and graduate with a degree)"
– wayne8827
What We Eat
"Cambell’s Chunky brand soups and stews are really just dog food with extra spices."
– OrchidBest
I believe in ghosts. I believe that the departed exist on another plane.
But as much as I believe in the fact that there are apparitions and spooky specters out there, I really hope I never see evidence of their existence.
Because who has time for that?
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So how the heck are we ever supposed to let anyone know when they're factually incorrect without being seen as major jerks? Honestly, we probably don't. Even the most innocent and well-intentioned fact check has the potential to truly hurt and offend.
Still, reddit user Gallon-O-milk asked a question we all want to know the answer to:
How do you fact check someone without seeming like a jerk?
There are some really useful tips and tricks here, we will admit. But we're also not in the business of lying to our readers, so we're going to be honest. If a person is prone to being offended, then no matter how politely or tactfully you say something it's going to happen. They're going to think you're rude. They're going to dislike or dismiss what you say.
Just make sure you're braced for it if it happens. Choose your battles wisely. Prepare to be side-eyed.
Good Faith
Treat them as good-faith actors. They're not trying to be wrong... They believe what they're saying. Ask questions.
"I didn't know that. Can you explain it a bit more?" Then when you have a natural opportunity, say something like "I always thought... "
I Believe You, But...Â
At work as a foremen we use the phrase "trust, but verify" I believe you but it's my job on the line.
Yup, aircraft maintenance is the same way.
"I trust that's correct, but I need to verify. So if anything goes wrong we've both had eyes on it."
Us vs The Problem
Avoid telling people they are wrong and avoid telling them, "No, ...". People want two things: to feel heard and like they belong. Telling someone they are wrong doesn't accomplish either.
Provide evidence for a counterpoint and let them draw their own conclusions. You aren't trying to tear them down, you're working with them to find a solution to a problem. It just so happens that the evidence you have found supports a different solution than theirs. The minute you view it as me vs them and not us vs the problem you will have already failed.
This Nurse's Method
I once heard a visitor to the hospital where I worked make some outlandish claim, and a nurse simply responded pleasantly "It sounds like you need more information!"
- afmpdx
Just Don't
Choose your battles. Fact checks may be okay once a week, but not like twice a day.
Walk away without "convincing" the other person. If you get argumentative, they'll often double down. My sweetest fact checks pay off hours, days, or even weeks later: "You know, I looked that up, and it turns out you were ..."
Just Play Dumb
Say, "Oh, really? I haven't heard that. Where did you read it?"
You disarm them by admitting you weren't aware of something they supposedly are, and ask them for a source. From there it can be easy to figure out if their source is a blog or scientific study, or whatever.
- culb77
I use this often. Generally Instead of offering an alternative viewpoint or facts of my own I simply keep asking question like I'm genuinely interested and uninformed; anxious to know more. Also if they make a number of false claims it's important to simply ask 1 question at a time. That essentially forces them to fact-check themselves and justify their viewpoint without giving them any options in terms of which questions of yours to answer.
Most of the time they'll at least come away with the realization that they don't know all the details or that their sources are sketchy, and hopefully will ask more questions themselves next time they're confronted with bad information. Which is a win in my book. And hey, if it turns out that I'm the one who's actually wrong, I also didn't go around making incorrect claims through this process.
The biggest draw-back to this strategy though is that this doesn't usually work in online discussions with other people trying to "help" you because they inevitably sandbag the process by asking too many questions at once, adding condescending facts of their own, and/or getting frustrated and aggravating the person you're trying to debate, at which point, everybody loses.
Missing Some Information
I had a student swear that her mom was a doctor and she became one because she knew somebody. I could NOT let her drop that and have other students believe that shit. I stated that there isn't a doctor in this country that hasn't gone to college and medical school. She insisted. After a couple of back and forths, I just finished it with 'I think we're missing some information'. Best line I ever used.
Turns out, her mom was an ultrasound tech for a doctor.
In The Most Polite Way
I was backpacking through Yosemite last week and was just corrected in the most polite way. We were looking out over an amazing view and I thought something was half dome. A nice English fella then said "I'll be honest with you, I don't think that is quite correct."
Realized I was wrong immediately, and then thanked him for correcting me. Really seemed effective, on me anyway.
GiphyIf I'm openly disagreeing with someone, after a minute I just go, "Duh! We can Google this!" It adds humor to the situation and implies either could be right.
Knowing When It's Important
Not always possible. Some people are offended by facts and data, and that's not an exaggeration. The real trick is knowing when it's important to fact-check and when it's not.
If my parents assert that only citrus fruits produce citric acid, I'm just going to nod my head
If my parents start telling me crime is through the roof and it's all black people's fault, I'm going to wiki empirical data to prove them wrong.
If they want to be mad at me for not taking their word at face value, even after they've been shown contradictory data from a reputable source, that's their prerogative. I've done nothing wrong.
It's on me at that point to recognize and stand by my personal values. I can't force immature people (even if they're my senior age-wise) to not "feel offended" for being presented a fact.
If you find yourself getting into debates with people who are like that, you should probably just tell them that if they're going to be offended by fact-checking that either they should check the facts themselves (then they can "offend" themselves so you don't have to) and then report them to you... OR they should accept your rebuttal without arguing because they're aware you're willing to look into the facts but you are also willing to refrain out of consideration for their (illogical) emotions, so long as they don't assert correctitude without proof.
Anyone who insists they're right but refuses to look at evidence is forcing you into an emotional battle in which you're tasked with overcoming their poorly-conceived yet deeply-held personal opinions, rather than an objective discussion using logic and reasoning to determine the truth. They have already made themselves "the jerk" at that point, even if people in their tribe feel similarly.
We're going to talk about the not-so-fun facts.
Reddit user Chilloutjack asked:
What is a fun fact that is mildly disturbing?
Reddit did NOT disappoint. Quite a few of these are outright heartbreaking, cringeworthy, and in some cases kind of gross. Proceed with caution. There is talk of death, fetal death, animal rape, etc. ahead.
Ruining Nemo
"Want to ruin Finding Nemo?"
"Clownfish live in groups that are all male except for the biggest and most aggressive fish who is the Dominant Female. The next biggest fish is the Dominant Male, and these two are the only ones who breed. When the dominant female dies, the dominant male changes gender to become the dominant female. All the other males then fight to become the dominant male, and the cycle continues."
"If you keep a Clownfish male on his own for long enough, he will become female."
- Sygga
Some Serious Stones
"The world record for most kidney stones passed is 6,504 by Don Winfield, the most being removed is 172,155.
The largest kidney stone ever removed. was 20cm long and weighed 4.4 pounds, another being 13 cm."
- PNote09
The Eagles AddictionÂ
"He song hotel California by the Eagles is actually about drug addiction. For example, the "pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends." Are actually the side affects. And think about the lyric "You can checkout any time you like. But you can never leave."
"When I learned it, I was shocked."
Blondes Don't Always Have More Fun
"If you have blond hair you are 70 percent more likely to get cancer."
Eating You Back
Giphy"Pineapples have an enzyme that dissolves meat, meaning that when you eat one, it's technically eating you back."
Coke
"Coke (cocaine) was in Coke (the soft drink) and that's why it's called Coke."
So Easy Not To Get Caught
"There are an estimated 35-50 active serial killers in the US. Famous serial killer Edmund Kemper (I think?) said he thinks that number is way higher because it was so easy not to get caught (he turned himself in)."
SUPER Superbad
"Christopher 'McLovin' Mintz-Plasse's mom had to be on set during the filming of his sex scene in Superbad because he was only 17 at the time it was being filmed."
Dangerous Dolphins
Giphy"Dolphins can and will pick stuff up and move it around using their penises."
"They also rape people, and are known to push people out to sea about as much as they push them ashore. They also get high off sea urchins and puffer fish. They pass it around like a bong."
Speeches
"If Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got stuck on the moon the official policy was to cut communication and let them suffocate in silence, Nixon even had a speech and procedure prepared in case this happened."
"There were also speeches prepared in case 'the spacecraft goes missing, 'the astronauts abscond with the spacecraft', 'the spacecraft returns with extra astronauts', 'the spacecraft crashed into the USS Hornet, crushing Nixon', or 'the spacecraft is accidentally sold for scrap with the astronauts inside'"
Tasty Monkeys
"Chimpanzees just flat out love to eat monkeys."
"They love it so much they've feasted on certain breeds to local extinction."
"Always found this mildly (moderately) disturbing because of the similarities in the species, like if wolves sought after puppies."
Postmortem Birth
"If you die while late into a pregnancy the build up of bodily gases as you decompose can push the dead foetus out of your body. Its called postmortem fetal extrusion."
Puppy PTSD
"The rescue dogs from ground zero on 9/11 developed PTSD and needed therapy afterwards because there were so few survivors and so many dead recovered that the dogs thought they'd screwed everything up and done a bad job."
- jeg26
Thanks, Snot!
"If it weren't for a layer of snot lining the inner walls of your stomach, the acid would burn through you and your insides would fall onto the floor."
Smoked BBQ
Giphy"Burnt humans smell like smoked Texas barbecue."
"Before anybody calls me a serial killer, I worked in a trauma ER and the bad burn victims smelled exactly like this."
Rabies
"If you contract rabies it can lay dormant in your body for years until one day you get a headache, and by then its already too late and you will slowly go insane and grow an erratic fear of water and Inability to swallow - then you die."
- swagxake
Melted
"They couldn't give the firefighters from Chernobyl morphine, because their veins were literally melting."
The Universe
"The entire Universe outside our galaxy could have completely disappeared over 20,000 years ago and we still wouldn't know it yet. Our view of the Universe is actually what it looked like anywhere from thousands to Billions of years ago -with no way to see what it actually looks like "right now". Imagine if you looked out your front window and saw your yard as it was 6 months ago, neighbors house across the street a year ago, and houses a block or two away as they were several years ago. Also off in the distance you see the glaciers from the last ice age. That's what it's like looking out at the Universe."
- UEizo
Nutmeg
"Nutmeg was used as a hallucinogenic before modern drugs. It can also kill you if more than a tablespoon is eaten at once."
"I basically spent my late teens researching and experimenting with everything I could get my hands on."
"Naturally I tried nutmeg. Ingested about half a spice shaker in one sitting. Never experienced a hell like that. It felt like the entire world lost meaning, that I was pointlessly walking around in this grey plastic world and every minute dragged on for eternity. Couldn't function, couldn't focus on anything or do much of anything but lay on the floor and beg for it to be over. Faked being sick to not go to school. It lasted like 3 days and I felt like there were still noticeable effects weeks later. Still afraid I did some kind of permanent damage."
"Do not recommend."
These certainly would liven up dinner party conversation -- or perhaps end the party all together.
Do you have similar facts to share? Let us in the comments below.