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Some things can be learned without having to go through a traumatic experience; after all, common sense can go a long way. But there are certain life lessons that we can only understand if we go through them ourselves.
People in this popular Reddit thread realized this by accident. Their unfortunate “messed around and found out” stories range from learning that ducks can bite to discovering that poison ivy is actually poisonous. If you’re curious to know more about how this went down, scroll down below.
We also reached out to AyrionUpaka, who started this discussion in the first place.
You can find our interview with them below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
When i was a kid I was short and fat and I got picked on mercilessly. Then one summer I went and worked in the Alaska Bush and grew to 6'3" and got pretty ripped. I also got taught some very basic moves from some of the surveyors I was working with. Came back to high school and got into it with every person who bullied me. I won and learned all the wrong lessons.
New kid started at my school and I was the a*****e this time. He was always polite, walked away, and generally asked me to stop but I didn't. Finally he told me that he'd meet me on a Saturday and we could have it out. We showed up, he asked one more time for me to just stop. That's the point that I should have realized I'd done f****d up.
I went after him and he took me apart. It was the proverbial "He hit me with so many rights I was desperate for a left." But when he had me down he stopped, helped me sit up, and then sat down to talk to me. He gave me advice on how I was acting, how i was just doing the same thing that had been done to me, and that I'd never be happy if I went down that path. Then he helped me clean up and sent me home.
That conversation made such an impact on me it 100% changed me overnight and I owe it to him. I absolutely f****d around and found out, but in the best way possible.
michael Chock 9 months ago (edited)
Good for him, literally got some sense beaten into his skull.
#2
I was a teenager working retail with a guy named Stephen and I always just called him Steve. He pulled me aside one day and asked me politely if I could call him Stephen since he preferred that. My smart a*s replied “Well I want to be called Gladiator but you don’t see me complaining.” He just said “deal” and walked away.
For the next two years he only referred to me as Gladiator. Need help finding something? Gladiator here would be happy to help you. He would get on the intercom and be like “Gladiator to the front desk…Gladiator, front desk.”
Learned not to be a smart a*s and never called him Steve again.
#3
If someone will cheat to be with you, then they will also cheat on you to be with someone else.
Bored Panda reached out to AyrionUpaka, who kindly agreed to tell us what inspired them to start this discussion online.
"It's a fairly common saying I hear quite often. It's a warning, and it got me thinking about what happened to those who chose not to heed the warning. This subreddit seemed like a great place to ask for a large and varied response. Although I really wasn't expecting a response quite so large."
#4
Abusers aren't worth a second chance. If they know you're willing to leave, they'll just go harder. Being lonely is better than being broken.
Milady Blue 9 months ago
Too many people in abusive relations, who believe, "They said they changed, they swear!" end up either permanently disabled or dead. My mother had the best Southernism on cheating or abuse, "Make your first one a good one, honey, it'll be your last."
#5
I was late for work and starving. The chicken I pulled from the fridge for a quick dinner smelled a little weird. But it was organic and I had roasted it myself, so it must be fine.
So very f*****g wrong. 18 hours of pure hell. I would have gone to the hospital but I literally couldn’t get off my bathroom floor. Fainted twice and ended up with a black eye from hitting my head on the toilet.
When in doubt, throw it out.
Milady Blue 9 months ago
If something in my fridge looks like it is evolving into a higher life form, it gets evicted.
#6
Drank for too many years. Went from Fun Bobby to Mean Bobby. Stayed as Mean Bobby for way too long.
Sober now, getting on ten years. There’s still a path of destruction behind me, but the new path has been very good for me.
If they were to answer this question themselves, they would go back in time to when they were just six years old.
"The playground teachers always warned us not to venture behind the outbuilding towards the back of the playground since it was dangerous back there.
One day, I heard a bunch of kids playing behind the building, and curiosity got the better of me, so I went to join them. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and found the "danger" when I accidentally stepped on a board with an upturned, rusty nail in it. The nail slid straight into my heel.
Almost immediately after, a teacher found us all, scolded us, and told us to come out. Another unfortunate part of the story is that they wrongly believed I was crying because I'd been caught breaking the rules, so they didn't think to ask me if anything else was wrong. As a 6-year-old, I was shy and not very articulate, so it took them a fair while to figure out that I was actually injured. My mom was called, and I got to take the rest of the day off school, so it's not an entirely unhappy ending."
#7
I tried to break up a dog fight. Was holding my dog, on leash, when an unleashed dog ran in and began attacking him.
I went for the dog's scruff to try to pin him to the ground (while also trying to hold my dog back with the other hand). The attacking dog bit my hand three times quickly, the third time he punctured my thumb bones and got a real good grip. Proceeded to try to rip my thumb off. All I remember thinking is, "That's my primary hand, even if I let go of Fitzy (my dog) with the other hand, you are NOT going to be able to pry this thing's mouth open."
This was all of course happening in the span of 5-10 seconds. Out of nowhere my then girlfriend swooped in like f*****g Batman from behind the dog, sunk her fingers into its' scruff, and her knee into the back of its' neck, ripping it off me. Anyway I ended up proposing to her after that and the settlement paid for a big chunk of our wedding. In retrospect I'm damn glad this thing went after me, it was a 4th of July party and there were little kids everywhere.
What makes me angriest about this whole thing is the way it impacted my dog. He was very social and friendly with other animals before this, but it has been ten years and he won't give any other pup a chance now. He has lived a life lacking what he deserves due to those poor dog owners.
Szzone 9 months ago (edited)
Jesus Christ. This story sent shivers down my spine. See this is the reason I don't have pets. I love cats, I love dogs even more. But you're responsible for your animal, you have to feed them, bring them to the vet, train them clean up after them, provide a safe home with enough enrichment, if you travel you have to make arrangements, it all sounds like a lot of work. It's all the owner's reslonsibility and some people just shouldn't have pets because they aren't responsible enough.
#8
I chased a giant white squirrel and I found out it was actually a skunk.
#9
As a young girl, I used to kick boys in the shins when they annoyed me. One finally kicked me back. That s**t hurt more than I expected, and I stopped kicking the boys.
Natasha Arruda 9 months ago (edited)
Glad someone finally returned the favor. I'm very big on the idea that if you're "man" enough to hit someone, regardless your gender, then they should get to hit you back in defense.
For them, life lessons learned the hard way seem to stay in memory longer. "I always believe positive reinforcement is the way to go when teaching lessons, but lessons learned the hard way do tend to stick out for me personally. I'm 34 now and remember being 6 years old behind that school building like it was yesterday, but I'd find it more difficult to conjure on the fly a memory of a lesson learned via positive enforcement."
#10
When the infected tooth is on a Saturday, and the dentist opens on Monday, and you're at urgent care on Sunday asking for painkillers because holy s**t it hurts, and they offer you antibiotics, say yes.
I said no, and wound up with IV antibiotics three days later.
#11
If you throw rocks at chickens and laugh at the angry rooster, the rooster will find a way through the fence to hunt your a*s down.
#12
About six years old. Having a picnic with my dad by the lake. Some ducks wander up near us. Dad says, “You know, ducks will bite you.”
“That’s silly, they don’t even have teeth.”
“Stick your finger out and see for yourself.”
Got bit. Cried.
They signed off by saying, "I appreciate all the stories that were shared on the post and found it super interesting reading through all of them. My favorite was the user who was warned by their dad that ducks have teeth and can bite.
It reminded me of my own story that I shared above since both come from childhood misadventures. One of the ones I felt worse for was the guy who warned his opponent in a fight and was an expert in kickboxing. Poor guy. I think the responses on the post all showed a clear message that it is for sure best not to mess around and find out."
#13
I discovered that procrastination doesn't make problems disappear; it just delays the inevitable and often makes them worse.
#14
For my 40th birthday a friend of mine, who is about ten years older than me got me a really nice 12 year old scotch.
Up to that point I had never tried any type of whiskey, or bourbon. Only was drinking vodka, gin, margarita's, and rum. Would only drink one or two saturday's a month, it was no big deal.
I fell in LOVE with the taste, the look and feel of having a glass of scotch or bourbon every night, like the classy dudes in those old movies I grew up watching, so much so, that I ended up drinking some everyday and developed a drinking problem.
I Have spent the last two working hard on getting completely off alcohol.
I can now say, as I approach my 50th birthday, I am off alcohol all together.
#15
After years of my parents forcing me to paint my nails on the linoleum floor of the bathroom with a towel under me, I got my own apartment and was like HAH, NO DUMB RULES HERE.
And that’s how I lost my first down deposit.
#16
It was a hot sweltering day and I wanted to get my bike fixed. Played outside all day as kids do and didn't hydrate enough. Walked to the bike shop in the late afternoon, got my bike fixed and felt faint walking back but thought I'd be okay after drinking water.
Came home, drank some milk then some water. Immediately puked everything and then some more. Everything I'd eaten since the morning(not much) was in the commode. Stomach hurt and my face went pale. Went and lay down, puked in a few minutes again but only bile came out. Puked bile every few minute for the next hour until my father came home and saw me weak and pale. Went to the doctor and he said I'd been severely dehydrated barely away from hospitalization. Put me fluids for some time. If my dad hadn't come home when he did I don't know what would have happened.
Drink water folks.
#17
I once thought I could easily handle spicy food, so I challenged my friend to a hot wing eating contest. Turns out, my tolerance wasn't as high as I thought, and I spent the rest of the night regretting my decision in the bathroom. Lesson learned: don't underestimate the power of spicy food!
#18
Don’t mouth off to the judge or he will throw the book at you….
#19
Chose to disturb my cat - who was already pissed at me - by telling him to move off my spot on the couch.
The scars are healing nicely.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 9 months ago
It's OUR couch, and OUR spot. Everything is ours. You are lucky your owner only gave you a reminder. You are there to open cans, clean boxes, and provide a warm leg to sleep on. Stop getting co¢ky.
#20
Brake checked a tailgating jerk. He flew around me and slammed the brakes with no intention of letting off. Should have known better since he had an old beater and I had a fairly new car. 6500 dollar lesson to just let things go.
Lydsylou (she/her) 9 months ago
Don't brake check just turn on your wipers and wiper fluid and if they're too close it will spray onto their car
#21
Decided at the tender age of 8 or 9 that I was immune to poison ivy, since I spent quite large amounts of time outside and had never once gotten a rash from it. Since I was a born scientist, apparently, I decided to test this...by rubbing egregious amounts of the plant all over my upper body. Needless to say, I was not immune. In the slightest.
DE Ray 9 months ago
A lot of people can shrug off a little bit of an allergen, but there's a certain line they can't cross. I don't react strongly to poison ivy myself, and if I just brush against it and be sure to wash carefully and thoroughly after I'm okay, but if I deliberately rubbed it into my skin I would have a very bad time.
#22
Ignoring my medical problem didn’t make it go away lol.
🦄 Unicorn Princess 9 months ago
I was feeling really run down and would get short of breath easily. I had an appointment with my family physician for a well check so this went on for about 2 weeks. When I finally saw him he had me go get x-rays and blood drawn. Come to find out my potassium was dangerously low and my lungs have fluid in them as did the sack around the heart. I was admitted, then had emergency surgery to have a chest tube put in. Spent 8 days in the hospital with 4 days in the ICU. Remember much of those days.
#23
Putting a 9V battery on your braces is not a great idea. It melts the rubber bands and you have to explain it to the orthodontist.
#24
Reported my manager for inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. Ended up costing me my job. Working for a company that considers integrity optional is soul crushing.
michael Chock 9 months ago (edited)
Sue. If the company tried to correct your bad behavior and you retaliated by costing them money,you better believe they would sue you. Sue.
#25
During a fight someone announced to me they were an expert in Kickboxing. 'Course you f*****g are' was my sarcastic reply *Narrators voice "they were an expert."* He beat me into the ER.
Ken Beattie 9 months ago
Maybe don't pick physical fights at all. Doesn't matter whether they're an expert or not, s**t happens and you can get injured or killed.
#26
Skateboarding is not easy, not at 40 anyhow.
Little Wonder 9 months ago
Every so often I get the notion to take up roller-skating and then I remember I'm middle aged and my bones do not knit like they used to.
#27
Lifting and Twisting while working in a supermarket with large 50+ lb bags. Probably did this for 10-15 minutes without any thought on form or proper technique. 72 hours later I had surgery to remove Disc L4 in my spine due to drop foot and partial paralysis. Thankfully I made a 95% recovery.
#28
My uncle once f****d around with a raccoon and found out
michael Chock 9 months ago
Did he wake up to find the bed empty and his TV missing or did he end up having to call everyone he had been with?
#29
I physically grabbed and lifted my dog out of a fight with another dog and he bit me
Veronica Jean 9 months ago
Ehh honest mistake. I've done it. You're just desperate to make it stop by any means
#30
Gave a hitchhiker a ride. He thanked me for my kindness while attempting to steal my medication out of my purse.
What do you think ?
Major Harris 9 months ago
2013, then 94 year old william webster started rceiveng phone calls from a man with a jamaican accent saying that he had won a lottery of $100,000 and a range rover s.u.v. he just needed to give a $10,000 deposit to claim it. even though old, mr. websyet still had ALL his wits and knew this was a scam and ignored the calls. the scammer continued, hoping to wear down the old man. the scammer also knew that mr. webster had been a naval officer, a lawyer and a judge. mr. webster did not budge. the calls then became threatening. big mistake! the scammer missed two VERY big things in mr. webster's bio. hi was the ONLY person in united states history to have been in charge of the f.b.i, 1978-1987 and head of the c.i.a., 1987-1991. the scammer served 10 years in federal prison after being extradited from jamaica. mr webster will be 100 this year.
TheElderNom 9 months ago
I decided it wasn't that slippery outside and to not use my spiked shoes. Well I slipped and fell and broke both bones in my lower leg. In the end I had to have surgery, nine screws and a plate to correct it. Still recovering so no idea how well things will turn out in the end. But thank god health care is cheap in my country.
Weirdo with Internet 9 months ago
With all the dog fights on this thread I feel like I should mention what happened when my own dog f****d around and found out. I was like, 13 at the time and was on a walk with my sister and our elderly mini poodle. We got to the end of the street and this little (unleashed) white rat dog ran out and started barking at ours. So our dog barked back. Oh boy bad idea bc the little devil thing started to bite her face. Our pup wasn't hurt, just suprised and we had to kick the thing before it tried again. That's not even the first time that dog had bitten someone. The owners would just let it out in our neighborhood to wander around. Last I heard though it got hit by a car, and all I can say is that nobody was sad about it.
Major Harris 9 months ago
2013, then 94 year old william webster started rceiveng phone calls from a man with a jamaican accent saying that he had won a lottery of $100,000 and a range rover s.u.v. he just needed to give a $10,000 deposit to claim it. even though old, mr. websyet still had ALL his wits and knew this was a scam and ignored the calls. the scammer continued, hoping to wear down the old man. the scammer also knew that mr. webster had been a naval officer, a lawyer and a judge. mr. webster did not budge. the calls then became threatening. big mistake! the scammer missed two VERY big things in mr. webster's bio. hi was the ONLY person in united states history to have been in charge of the f.b.i, 1978-1987 and head of the c.i.a., 1987-1991. the scammer served 10 years in federal prison after being extradited from jamaica. mr webster will be 100 this year.
TheElderNom 9 months ago
I decided it wasn't that slippery outside and to not use my spiked shoes. Well I slipped and fell and broke both bones in my lower leg. In the end I had to have surgery, nine screws and a plate to correct it. Still recovering so no idea how well things will turn out in the end. But thank god health care is cheap in my country.
Weirdo with Internet 9 months ago
With all the dog fights on this thread I feel like I should mention what happened when my own dog f****d around and found out. I was like, 13 at the time and was on a walk with my sister and our elderly mini poodle. We got to the end of the street and this little (unleashed) white rat dog ran out and started barking at ours. So our dog barked back. Oh boy bad idea bc the little devil thing started to bite her face. Our pup wasn't hurt, just suprised and we had to kick the thing before it tried again. That's not even the first time that dog had bitten someone. The owners would just let it out in our neighborhood to wander around. Last I heard though it got hit by a car, and all I can say is that nobody was sad about it.
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