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Most of us say "yes" when asked if we want to hear the truth. And it seems like a good idea at first that will ultimately help us improve and become our best. But there’s something about having it shoved in our face that is so unbearably revolting, only the most courageous dare to swallow it.
Thanks to the redditor who posted the question “What is an absolute truth that no one wants to hear?” on r/AskReddit and received 11.8k comments, we now know what people hold as some of the most difficult truths. So hold on tight, ‘cause it ain’t gonna be an easy ride, and you won’t surely have a place to hide.
You have an option to either endure them and survive the post, becoming a better self, or to ignore them and move on. Whatever you choose, I feel you. No one was born ready to come to terms with things like “Just because someone is related to you doesn't mean they are a good person” and “It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose.” And I mean it.
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#1
Just because someone is related to you doesn't mean they are a good person.
RELATED:
#2
Don't believe everything you think.
#3
“It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose. That is not failure that is life.”
-Captain Jean Luc Picard
Getting people to see what’s right in front of their face is not easy. This is largely due to the fact that we, as humans, hate hearing the truth. It’s especially true when we are dealing with truths that involve something we need to improve or work on.
To find out more about why so many of us don’t feel comfortable around hard-to-swallow truths, Bored Panda reached out to Susan Petang, a certified life coach who runs The Quiet Zone Coaching. Susan is helping those who struggle with stress find relief, manage their fears, and build self-confidence so they can wake up happy in the morning.
Susan said that if the truth is something we don’t agree with, it will be uncomfortable to hear it because it all has to do with our core beliefs and values, and the way we view the world. “When what we believe to be true about ourselves, situations, other people, or the world, in general, is at odds with what we observe, the result is cognitive dissonance—when our beliefs and our observations are at odds. This can cause considerable stress,” she explained.
#4
Life is easier for attractive people.
troufaki13 4 years ago
As unjust as it is, it is also very true. Good looking people have to try a little less harder than the rest of us. Also, remember Jeremy Meeks? He became a model even though he served time in prison (assault and robbery I think)
#5
Vaccines don’t cause autism.
They help stop the spread of the disease. They are not a cure, the just allow you to have a lower chance to catch the virus, which helps lower the chances of the virus spreading.
#6
There is no inherent justice in this world.
Bad things will happen to good people, and good things will happen to bad people.
However, one has to be aware that perception can be an issue here too. “So, what I have experienced as 'truth' may not be what you have experienced as 'truth.' For example, one could say that the truth is that water boils at 212 degrees. Or does it? If you use the metric system, water boils at 100 degrees.”
Susan said that even though these two are the same, the perception, the semantics come across differently, and “what one individual might experience as truth wouldn't be truth to someone else.”
Susan warns that when you’re telling people something they don’t want to hear, it’s going to sound like a criticism. She suggests keeping that in mind and not being surprised if you get perceived as the one launching an attack.“
#7
If you didn't vote but could have done so, you have no right to complain about our elected officials.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
True. Tired of hearing "My vote doesn't matter." Every vote matters because it contributes to the grand number that influences the elections. If 90% of the people refuse to vote, they are leaving the remaining 10% the powers to decide over their lives. That's how polls work. They just ask a small number of people "representing the people" and present the result as the peoples opinion. Remember how that blew up in so many faces in 2016? "Yeah, we're going to win so I don't have to vote..."
#8
No-one wants to hear your [crappy] music in public, especially in class.
#9
Having an opinion doesn't make you right.
Amy Pattie 4 years ago
I mean, the bubonic plague never went away, we just have treatment for it now.
That being said, the first step is to remember kindness and the Golden Rule. How would you want to be told that something you believe isn't true?” Susan suggests thinking about your tone in communication, which should be kind, respectful, and encouraging.
Moreover, you may use reflective listening. “For example, you could say, 'It sounds like you see grass as pink,' or 'I'm hearing that you think crocodiles make great pets.' You can also add, 'Tell me how you came to that conclusion,' or 'I'm curious as to how you formed that opinion.'"
Susan encourages using expressions like "It sounds like..." "I'm hearing that..." "You seem to feel..." "I'm noticing that..."It’s also important to phrase the truth in a way that doesn’t undermine others.
And also, it's important to agree to disagree, since “even after you have (calmly!) stated the truth, someone else still might not accept it,” she concluded.
#10
2021 will not magically be better than 2020.
Anxious Pansexual Nightmare 4 years ago
This is honestly all I’m hanging on to. It’s ok to want to pretend
#11
Just because you’ve done something wrong in the past, doesn’t mean you can’t advocate against it.
Niko Alarcon 4 years ago
This is what some people need to hear. I 100% agree with this statement, some of us dont know the harm we've done until later, but it doesnt mean its too late to prevent others from making the same mistake.
#12
As long as we fail to protect and provide for all children in our society, we will continue to suffer the crimes of the damaged adults we produce. We have no right to expect any different, and we deserve everything that we get.
RaroaRaroa 4 years ago
Anyone who complains about people receiving benefits from the government needs to consider this. If we don't help them, their children have NO chance of doing better. We'd end up with people living in gated communities, hiding from the other part of society, afraid to go out. Parts of the world all ready live like that. I hope we never do.
Mark Murphy, the author of "Truth At Work: The Science Of Delivering Tough Messages," suggests that cognitive dissonance is to blame. It occurs when someone holds two psychologically inconsistent beliefs (or attitudes or opinions) that create unpleasant mental tension.
Murphy explains: “If you've ever been in a conversation with someone who just couldn't, or wouldn't, hear the truth, no matter how many ways you tried to explain it, or who reacted so badly to the truth that you regretted saying anything at all, you've likely witnessed someone who was experiencing cognitive dissonance.”
This is because such a reaction is a way of lessening psychological tension and reducing anxiety when people face something that contradicts their existing beliefs, attitudes, and opinions.
In reality, no human brain would ever enjoy receiving information that doesn’t help ourselves in the sense that it makes our lives more difficult or threatens our self-esteem, status, and public image. And it seems that the saying “truth hurts” wasn’t born out of nowhere.
#13
People don't think about you anywhere near as much as you think they do.
RaroaRaroa 4 years ago
Ahh, but to the socially anxious, we still cringe over something dumb we said to someone 20 years ago. Something they no doubt forgot within a week.
#14
You're supposed to care deeply about the things in your own life, and other people not caring about them doesn't make them less important.
This is one of the things Instagram culture has taken away from us -- the idea that you're doing great even if nobody likes the photos of the breakfast you made or knows who you are.
For most of human history, most of our emphasis and energy was spent on our families and immediate communities. Now we're all flailing to "matter" to a bunch of strangers we probably wouldn't like in person and it's wrecking our brains.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Except for the few that have discovered that life without Fakebook, Instagram and Twitter is much more enjoyable.
#15
No matter how nice you are, people will still just be a**holes to you just cuz.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Some people will. It's not that all the people are a**holes all the time but you do get to meet the inevitable jerk or bitch, no matter how nice you are. It's up to you to decide if they are going to dictate how you interact with people. It still does take more muscles to frown than to smile.
#16
Just because someone is related to you, doesn't mean you have to like or tolerate them. Sometimes for people, friends are your true family because they accept you for who you are. They choose to stick around with you. Not because they have to.
I don't speak to my abusive father and never will again, nor his side of the family. I'm estranged from one of my sisters already and I don't like most of my extended family. I do not appreciate their morals.
You won't lose much at all by cutting some family ties (circumstances depend though, ofc). You'll be much happier in the long run once you establish your life, who you are and what you need/want for your future.
postboredom 4 years ago
Yes, this. It is YOUR life, you can choose to cut the bad people, no matter who they are and how you know them
#18
Civil debate is a must. You gotta stay respectful, open-minded, and civil, even if you loathe the views of the other side with a passion.
#19
Even though you think your kids are special, they are most likely just average.
Amy Pattie 4 years ago
But everyone’s kids are special to them, and that is why love is so important.
#21
After a generation or two after your death, no one alive will have any memories of you. Your life, everything you did, and all of your struggles and achievements will all be forgotten. You’ll just be another one of the billions of forgotten souls whose names, faces, and life stories have all been lost to time.
#22
You need to have your views challenged.
Being around and positively engaging with people who disagree with you is one of the healthiest intellectual practices we can do.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago (edited)
We've come to a point that "positively engaging with people who disagree with you" has become impossible. Everything has become an "Either you're with me or you're against me"- issue. You can't criticize politicians or you're a leftist fool or a rightwing idiot. And the same goes for feminism, sexism, racism etc. etc. So we all persist in our views making any dialogue impossible.
#23
You can't control what happens to you, only how you react to it.
brandon sat 4 years ago
partial disagree here, i would say that you cant control EVERYTHING that happens to you
#24
Just because you helped someone doesn't mean they are going to help you. People are ungrateful more often than not.
Pawlise Glemtepassord 4 years ago
Hard truth. My BF is a volunteer firefighter, and do people ever thank him for getting up at random times in the night and sprinting to station just to break open that door for the medics or pump out floodwater or hauling some dumbass out of a smoked-up apartment? Usually, no. Sometimes the people he just rescued even choose to be mean. He gets pretty broken up about it sometimes, I make sure to thank him but it would be a whole different thing if the actual people in question would just say thanks sometimes. If a fire station ever helped you out, it's not too late to send a letter and simply say thank you. A lot of them are volunteers in many countries.
#25
You cannot go through life without experiencing some type of pain/discomfort. Physical and emotional. It is necessary for growth.
#26
Things are going to keep getting worse on our planet and we are in for some serious human tragedy.
Hans 4 years ago
This is not universally true. In fact, many things are improving, at least when looked in decaded. Scientific progress. The fight of hunger (despite negative effects through corona). Medicine. People believing it ought to be worse anyway are a major contributor to it becoming worth, because, why should they care if they are doomed anyway?
#28
So many of these are negative... So how about the truth that one of the best ways to be happy in life is by helping other people. People don't want to do it, because helping other people feels like you're losing out, but it's true.
RaroaRaroa 4 years ago
How does it feel like you're losing out? It always gives me a happy feeling.
#30
Everyone's a hypocrite. Even you.
What do you think ?
Sasy 4 years ago
It started to sound like a very angry man trapped in a fortune cookie factory. This is why no one should text after drinking.
Hans 4 years ago
Many of these are not absolute truths, quite a few are not even true but some some contexts or with assumed connotations. Negativism does not lead you anyway; cloaking it as "brutal truths" does not make you or the world any better. Now that is an absolute truth, isn't it?
Death Metal Kitty 4 years ago (edited)
Not really, you still need the right context for virtually all of them. These read more like "how to speak like an asshole" more than hard-to-swallow truths. If we want to be kind, these read more like "consequences of standing idly by instead of taking action".
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Sasy 4 years ago
It started to sound like a very angry man trapped in a fortune cookie factory. This is why no one should text after drinking.
Hans 4 years ago
Many of these are not absolute truths, quite a few are not even true but some some contexts or with assumed connotations. Negativism does not lead you anyway; cloaking it as "brutal truths" does not make you or the world any better. Now that is an absolute truth, isn't it?
Death Metal Kitty 4 years ago (edited)
Not really, you still need the right context for virtually all of them. These read more like "how to speak like an asshole" more than hard-to-swallow truths. If we want to be kind, these read more like "consequences of standing idly by instead of taking action".
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