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People say that if there’s no risk, there’s no reward. That may be true, but there’s also a limit to that thought. There are aspects of our lives where we take more risks than we should that can be blindspots for us. When one Reddit user asked others to share which warnings they think people don’t take seriously enough, the responses became an excellent list of tips for what might not be worth risking in life.
The responses seem to have drawn on a vast variety of different life experiences and come from different fields. We think that just about anyone will find some wisdom on this list that would be worth taking into consideration in their own lives.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Letting the culture war distract you. The purpose of the culture war is to be a distraction. We don’t need to worry about pronouns and drag queens. We need to worry about the extremely rich taking advantage of us all.
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#2
The fact that we need to pay our teachers more these are the people who are teaching the next generation and we pay them a mere pittance of what they are worth. They need to be able to support their families and we do not pay them accordingly.
#3
Keeping their kids away from social media for as long as humanly possible. They are too young for the 24/7 drama.
Quite a few of the ignored risks covered on this list have to do with our health. That’s one of the most valuable things that any of us possess, so we thought we could flesh the list out with more information about some of the most serious public health risks people face today.
#4
Sleep deprivation.
That s**t'll kill you. Slowly. Painfully. Insidiously. Your body will wear out. Your mind will waste away. You will be sick all the time. Your judgment, self control, and emotional continence will fail with astonishing regularity. You'll develop cognitive decline in your 50s or 60s that shouldn't happen south of 80 or 90. It will destroy your quality of life.
#5
Escooters are becoming more and more of a thing. I see kids zipping around town no helmet.
WEAR A F*****G HELMET. I might look goofy but if go down at 40mph I won't get brain damage or die.
#6
The way you speak around your children
My mother once reffered to my little sister as chunky and said they'd have to cut back on her diet
And I had to stop and remind her that was the exact sort of thing that my dad and his gf said to me that caused me to develope an ED
Tammy Kirks 1 year ago
I'm 57 and STILL dealing with being taken to Weight Watchers when I was 12. I was a bit chubby, but when puberty kicked in and I grew, all that "baby fat" was gone. Diet culture is beyond toxic!
Alcohol use, though mentioned on this list, is worth expanding upon. Some studies suggest that very moderate alcohol consumption can be beneficial, but many people use a bit too much. Tens of thousands of deaths every year are attributed in various ways to alcohol, from accidents and violence to a number of related illnesses.
#7
How fundamentally AI is going to change our society. It's going to be bigger and more disruptive than the internet and we are still only at the very early stages. Things are gonna get real weird real fast but funny AI says silly things haha so nobody listens to me.
Sally Signup 1 year ago
I'm kind of freaked out by the game mods for Skyrim that are being made with voice-synth AI. I've tried a couple of them and can't tell any difference between the actor's originally recorded lines and the faked ones. So now if there is a sample of a person's voice out there, they can be digitally made to say anything you want. With the deep-fakes and voice synthesizing, it's going to be hard to believe anything you see on the news.
#8
Antibiotics. It's imperative to follow the prescription and finish the bottle. I've known people who stop taking them when they start to feel better and save the rest of the bottle for "the next time I'm sick"
Emma London 1 year ago
And that's a way to ensure that you'll only heal partially, develop a resistance towards that antiobiotic and to antibiotics in general, and in the future you might catch a hospital bacteria, nothing wil work against it and you'll die or end up disabled.
Food safety can be more important than many believe. Those who aren’t severely harmed or even killed by food-borne illnesses can still be seriously sickened, causing usually easily avoidable suffering.
#10
Wearing sunscreens.
Surprisingly, more people hadnt got a grasp on how important it is on our skin in the long run.
#11
Wear your seat belt. It's like the old PSA goes: whether it's down the street or to the moon, buckle your seat belt.
Rens 1 year ago
I had to talk to my friend the other day about how stupid she was by not using her seat belt. She said it was too uncomfortable to wear... And to be honest, the way she drives is frightening; I always feel like I'm white-knuckling when I ride with her because she drives too fast, doesn't stick to her lanes, gets easily distracted and doesn't pay enough attention to the road. She claims to have passed an advanced driving test...
#12
Listening to music so loud on your headphones that I can hear it. This happens at the gym and it’s all the young high schoolers listening to their music so loudly. Gonna blow their ears out eventually
Depending on the quality of care where you are, healthcare-associated infections can be a serious risk. There isn’t much that most patients can do to avoid this risk when in the care of medical professionals, but when relevant, be sure to carefully follow all hygiene and care instructions to avoid catching serious preventable illnesses.
#13
Microplastics
Freya the Wanderer 1 year ago (edited)
We absolutely must develop alternatives to petroleum-based plastics - alternatives that biodegrade. Plastic is killing our environment, and us.
#14
I’ve spent the last year teaching at various schools in the LA area, grades 3 up to seniors in high school. I can not emphasize enough the effect of cell phone use on young people. Many of the high schools I go to don’t even make a legitimate effort to make students put their phones down. There were theater games I’d play with seniors in high school where I would have to explain the simple rules so many times that we’d barely ever accomplish getting through the game. The 3rd graders would get it immediately and play for half an hour. Every single time I’d give the high school kids a simple direction they would look at me for a second and then say “Wait…what?” It was alarming.
#15
owning a fire extinguisher. you never know how fast your life can change until a natural disaster/fire hits. and yes, it could be you
Emma London 1 year ago
They also sell those to be kept in cars. I bought mine when a car parked right next to mine caught fire.
Having mentioned alcohol twice in this article, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention tobacco use as well. Fortunately, general trends suggest that more and more of us are becoming aware of the risks. In the US, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports: “Current smoking has declined from 20.9% (nearly 21 of every 100 adults) in 2005 to 11.5% (nearly 12 of every 100 adults) in 2021.”
#16
propaganda/advertising really bother me
I read something recently about an area of research called "consumer neuroscience" which is basically the term they are using for a collection of research and imaging to figure out how best to exploit your psychology to make it more effective to own your attention. Research into psychology should benefit people, not the interests of whoever-the-f**k, but that's where the money is
The reason it bothers me is because manipulating and controlling people is morally wrong, this is obvious in relationships but not from outside. The reason nobody cares is because either they assume it is harmless or they think I am crazy for caring about something that seems so innocuous on the surface
#17
Overfishing
OhnoI’vebeencensored 1 year ago
Somehow I don't think those old guys on the pier are to blame.
#18
Alcohol. It is literally poison and your body doesn't enjoy it.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
I don't drink, and I never have. It deeply saddens and concerns me the number of people I've encountered who absolutely CANNOT understand how I have any fun without alcohol.
Drug abuse is another serious issue. Different drugs can have different impacts on our lives, but nearly all of them can cause significant health issues and addiction problems. According to American Addiction Centers, “Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs.”
#19
Falling.
You can hurt yourself grievously when hitting your head on the ground or on nearby objects. Concussions are nothing to laugh about, no matter your age.
jdtimid123 1 year ago
It's good to learn how to break your fall, if you practice falling on a mat (with someone to teach you) often enough, eventually it becomes habit to keep your chin tucked and hit the ground properly. It might still sting on regular floors and there's always the risk of landing on furniture and break-falls won't do a ton for that, but is far less likely to cause serious injuries. Martial arts classes usually teach it, I would imagine gymnastics classes would too. You could find a video, but have a person nearby in case you do it wrong and hurt yourself until you get the hang of it.
#20
Always use fans on your plants when you are growing them indoors!
Especially seedlings.
Plants hate still, stagnant air. They are able to transpire moisture more effectively when the air is moving.
A strong breeze will also keep your seedlings from dying due to damping off.
It also strengthens the stems so that they don't just fall over when you move them.
#21
South American here: Send your kids to English lessons as early as possible.
It's expensive but you are giving them a golden ticket for their future.
We all know we’re supposed to brush our teeth, but a proper dental hygiene habit goes beyond this basic step. Oral health is a significant issue for many and causes both pain and suffering and unwelcome expenses! As the World Health Organization reminds us, “Most oral health conditions are largely preventable and can be treated in their early stages.” Make sure to floss and rinse!
#22
The importance of foot strength. A lot of knee, hip, back issues stem from weak feet/ ankles. People think they need softer insoles but it’s actually making your feet even weaker.
Haywood Jablome 1 year ago
You can't tell by looking at me, but my legs are uneven, causing me lower back problems. I have to put 2 insoles in my left shoe to compensate or the pain becomes so intense I'd never make it through an 8 hr shift
#23
Recycling. I know many people who are proud of the fact that they litter, despite being college educated. They do not care about the effects this has upon our environment or the animals that suffer from human carelessness. I find it to be a mob mentality; “everyone else litters so why should I change?”
#24
Saving/planning for retirement.
A lot of my coworkers say they will die working which is a real possibility but if you don’t die, you will need money to survive. One of my coworker is almost 50 and has zero savings, zero 401k and cannot afford to survive on her own if anything happens to her partner.
#25
Having enough insurance for your home and belongings. Your stuff is probably worth way more than you think, once you start adding it up, and a total loss event will flip your entire life on its end, and if there’s not enough insurance money, it can be impossible to come back from.
We had a total loss wildfire, and were dramatically underinsured. We’re only able to rebuild because a family member could rewrite their will and give us an early inheritance and that, added to our insurance settlement, was just enough to build half the house we had before. Our home will be furnished almost exclusively with things we bought at thrift stores and estate sales, because we don’t have the money to rebuy all that we had.
Em 1 year ago
Sometimes I think I'm living a relatively normal life. Then I read something like this and realize I've had at least two total loss events, and neither of them was much more than a hiccup because I just don't own anything. Sucked having to go to the laundromat every other day until I could buy new clothes, though.
#26
Workplace Safety and proper claim filing for injuries. Too many times I see workers getting hurt due to haphazard working environments, then not filing because they are ingratiated to their superiors and don't want to rock the boat (their excuse). I put safety first people, your job won't care if you lose a limb or a life, they just write it off and keep going. At most you or your family gets a settlement. At the least you may get a plaque or written warning or termination notice, you know just a piece of paper to cement how much they care for you not going after them or for you not being safe.
RedCorvette 1 year ago
Isn’t it illegal to terminate people that got disabled due to hazardous working conditions?
#27
Working safely at heights. I work with people who worry more about sun safety than they do about working at heights greater than 2 meters.
#28
Got to United States is having droughts and that some major states are losing their water supplies but I can never get anybody to have this conversation with me. Droughts I'm becoming more prevalent and big States Los Angeles Utah Colorado Phoenix these things used to only happen in Europe people need to take heat and pay attention
#29
Damaging their hear with loud music, tv...
They all put it on my sound sensitivity but the walls are shaking 🫨
What do you think ?
Will Cable 1 year ago
The switch to smart phones. I'll explain, everything is changing so you need a phone, not just a regular phone but a smart phone, parking a vehicle, need an app, banking, need an app, dealing with government department, need an app, All it takes is one little issue and the who system shuts down. I know people love their smart phones, I have one but there are things I will not do with it.
Clearly sunny 1 year ago
I'm so sick of everything requiring a phone or app. Can we rewind to a simpler time?
Load More Replies...
Lara M 1 year ago
I hate to be that person, but: wear an N95 mask in public places and wash your hands a lot. We are just learning how badly a seemingly-harmless infectious disease can mess you up. There are many other viruses out there that can cause serious problems down the road, too, and there will be even more.
Squiffle Noses 1 year ago
There's a 17 year old guy at work struggling with his life. I know for a fact that if he practiced proper sleep hygiene, (say... no stimulants 2 hours before bed, no screentime 1 hour before bed or in his bedroom, 8 hours sleep a night with a regular bed time), then he would have better energy, reflexes, attitude, morale, mental health, skin, memory, mood, career prospects, and life in general. Do I tell him this? No! What would be the point? He'll work it it out in 40 years time, same as the rest of us!
Will Cable 1 year ago
The switch to smart phones. I'll explain, everything is changing so you need a phone, not just a regular phone but a smart phone, parking a vehicle, need an app, banking, need an app, dealing with government department, need an app, All it takes is one little issue and the who system shuts down. I know people love their smart phones, I have one but there are things I will not do with it.
Clearly sunny 1 year ago
I'm so sick of everything requiring a phone or app. Can we rewind to a simpler time?
Load More Replies... Lara M 1 year ago
I hate to be that person, but: wear an N95 mask in public places and wash your hands a lot. We are just learning how badly a seemingly-harmless infectious disease can mess you up. There are many other viruses out there that can cause serious problems down the road, too, and there will be even more.
Squiffle Noses 1 year ago
There's a 17 year old guy at work struggling with his life. I know for a fact that if he practiced proper sleep hygiene, (say... no stimulants 2 hours before bed, no screentime 1 hour before bed or in his bedroom, 8 hours sleep a night with a regular bed time), then he would have better energy, reflexes, attitude, morale, mental health, skin, memory, mood, career prospects, and life in general. Do I tell him this? No! What would be the point? He'll work it it out in 40 years time, same as the rest of us!
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