Are you ready to be surprised with some cold, hard truths? We all like to think we’re knowledgeable on how the world works, but sometimes, it takes a few jolts to the brain to realize we don’t know as much as we thought.
We recently found a post that asked, “What are some cold hard facts that you have learned over the years?” and boy, did the responses deliver. From mind-blowing statistics to surprising revelations, we’ve got it all covered. So sit back, relax, and be ready to have your mind blown with some profound wisdom nuggets. Who said education couldn’t be fun?
Not So Important
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You are not nearly as important as you imagine, and that can either be depressing or liberating. You choose how to let that reality affect you.
Do you wonder what they’re thinking of you? They’re not thinking of you at all. They’re looking at their phone.
Small Friends
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It’s better to have a small group of close friends than a large group of not-so-close friends.
As life goes on, you’ll need people you can depend on and who can depend on you. Stuff happens. Parents die, spouses die, and sometimes even kids die. Other family members get sick or injured and don’t make a full recovery. Couples get divorced.
There WILL be times you’ll need to lean on good friends and times that they will need you.
Fixing Others
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You often can’t fix someone else’s problems. If they seem emotionally invested in changing, you may be able to pull it off, but there are also people who are so deeply invested in their dysfunction that they’ll drag you down with them if you get too involved in trying to save them.
You can assist someone in implementing their plan, but it has to be their plan, and they have to lead the implementation. Otherwise, they will fail/revert, and they will blame you.
Keep Travelling
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Travel. It’s a big, beautiful world, and we are only here briefly.
“I truly feel every high school in America should require a 6-month trip. I would have no problem as a child-free taxpayer funding this. There is a giant world out there that doesn’t operate in our bubble, and you absolutely cannot make good decisions in life, voting, environment, or world politics unless you have a perspective.”
Bad Badges
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Fact: nothing changes a man faster than a badge.
“There is a saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but I disagree. I think those traits are already present and are just uncovered as a person achieves power or position. Many people follow the rules until they think they are not being watched and will not be caught or until they rise to a level of power where they think the rules no longer apply to them. Only a very few have such a sterling character that they are capable of remaining benevolent and ethical in spite of great power, such as Lincoln.”
Being Right
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That just because in life you are right about something, sometimes you just have to suck it up and let it go because the consequences of being right can have a very negative impact.
You can be right, or you can be happy. Only very rarely do you get to do both.
It’s Unfair
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Nothing is fair, and “hard work” doesn’t guarantee success. You only have a finite number of seconds in life – and you don’t know how many – so unpaid overtime for someone else is basically giving them part of your life.
Have integrity and do what you’re paid to do, but then stop.
Happily Childfree
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Having children is a crap shoot.
Yes, it’s a crap shoot, indeed. It’s lost on some people that children can grow up to act like idiots despite how you raised them, not because of how you raised them.
Not Really Asking
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When people ask for your opinion, they seek confirmation or validation rather than constructive criticism.
The lesson is learning to tell the difference between requests for validation and requests for actual feedback.
Completely Unfixable
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You can’t fix stupid.
“My life’s mantra: People Are Stupid. Also, driving is above everyone’s pay grade.”
Same Universe
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No matter what you decide to believe, the universe is still the same.
Clear Difference
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In your life, you will have people who start as acquaintances, then become actual friends, and some who will always be acquaintances.
Don’t confuse the two.
Building Up
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Compound Interest builds up quickly.
If you live with consumer debt, your life is as much as 20% more expensive than it is for people who don’t live with consumer debt. Get out of debt and stay out. And then, let that compound interest reveal itself to you.
It’s Unfaxable!
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You can’t fax glitter.
Not Permanent
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Friends will come and go. Very little remains the same over a lifetime.
Got to a point in my life where history means nothing; either you show me you deserve to be in my life, or you’re out. I’m not keeping anyone around for nostalgia.
They Don’t Care
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No one cares for your well-being at work. Don’t trust anyone when it comes to your job. Keep your comments to yourself and mind your business. People who you think are your ride and die will throw you under the bus to keep their jobs. And you do the same if any information is shared with you. Do you think they will help you with their bills if you get fired over something they did? Or vice versa?
At the Core
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“All of my life, I kept hearing that people were, at their core, intrinsically good.
I have learned that, at their core, people are pretty selfish and cold, with the rare good person mixed into the lot.”
Stick to Yourself
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Strive for independence. You don’t want to be dependent on anyone.
The Majority
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Most people are self-centered, and many are very selfish. Not necessarily all bad people, just so inwardly focused. And one more: most people do not know how to listen.
Getting Worse
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No matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse.
The Value of Money
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Rich or poor, it’s nice to have money. Everyone has the equal right to live under a bridge. If you want to lose a friend, lend them money. People never realize when they are being flattered for a purpose. It’s WHO you know. Learn to be quiet when you are done.
16 ANNOYING PHRASES THAT MAKE PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY HATE YOU!
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We wanted to know the most irksome things someone can say that turns you off! These online users didn’t hold back! 16 ANNOYING PHRASES THAT MAKE PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY HATE YOU!
OBSOLETE MILLENNIALS: 14 SKILLS THEY LEARNED IN THE 90S THAT HAVE NO PLACE IN TODAY’S WORLD
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A lot has changed since the turn of the century – just ask this nostalgic lot!
OBSOLETE MILLENNIALS: 14 SKILLS THEY LEARNED IN THE 90S THAT HAVE NO PLACE IN TODAY’S WORLD
THE FALL FROM GRACE: 12 PROFESSIONS THAT WERE ONCE REVERED, NOW A TOTAL JOKE
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These 12 professions that are now obsolete show how much the times have changed.
THE FALL FROM GRACE: 12 PROFESSIONS THAT WERE ONCE REVERED, NOW A TOTAL JOKE
FROM ‘OKAY BOOMER’ TO ‘UGH BOOMER’: 10 HABITS THAT IRRITATE MILLENNIALS
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Each generation has its quirks. Most label it as an “old person thing” when asked why grandpa or grandma does something unusual. The defense from the other side is that “it was the way things were back in our day.”
FROM ‘OKAY BOOMER’ TO ‘UGH BOOMER’: 10 HABITS THAT IRRITATE MILLENNIALS