Someone recently polled an online forum asking: “What things do people not take seriously enough in life?” After thousands of people responded, here are THEIR honest confessions. Do you agree?
1. Consuming Alcohol
Alcohol consumption and alcoholism are two things that are not taken seriously enough. One notes, “The consequences of regular drinking can be anything from a massive bleed to a coma. It can make you quite literally incoherent and mentally unstable.” Because so many people do it, they refuse to see it for what it is.
Otherwise, they’d have to admit to having a problem. Wine and craft brews have become entire people’s personalities. Memes circulate about demonstrating alcoholic behaviors; people laugh and share them without realizing how terrible that is.
2. Driving Tired
Countless people nominate sleep deprivation as a serious offense to which people pay no mind. The hustle culture has taken over, and workaholism is accepted as the norm. Someone who doesn’t understand it states that many people talk about sleeping four hours a night as a badge of success and productivity.
3. Having Narcissistic or Abusive Parents
“Having narcissistic or abusive parents,” one claims. “Most people growing up in a normal or common family situation would think the parents did their best for the children. This always ends up victim-shaming the child. As if the children are acting up or lying.”
4. Politics
“Politics. People treat it like sports teams, but if even just half of us were serious about politics and our country, all bills would be single-issue bills, congress wouldn’t be able to sit out or phone in votes, and we’d have a wide variety of candidates,” suggests one. A second agrees, “We need more and better choices. The current duopoly has certainly run its course.”
5. Forest Fire Warnings
Many users say people do not take forest fire warnings as seriously as they should. One person shares, “I was evacuated for two weeks because of a fire. I was constantly worried my home and everything I knew was going to burn down. It’s terrifying, and people don’t talk about it enough.”
6. 18 Wheelers on the Road
People do not take the semi-truck’s inability to stop quickly seriously enough. Several truck drivers comment that they are not leaving that much room so you can cut in. “They are leaving that room cause they need it to stop, and if you are in that area and truck drivers have to brake fast, your car will be destroyed while they have a scratch on their front end.”
7. Dental Hygiene
Dental hygiene is essential not only for your teeth but your heart too. Unfortunately, many people neglect preventative care for their teeth. Additionally, dental care is outrageous in the U.S., so countless individuals can’t afford routine cleanings.
8. Driving
Someone starts off the discussion by stating, “Driving. Stop texting. Pay attention. You’re behind the wheel of a formidable death machine.” It’s true. I can’t go anywhere without seeing someone texting while driving.
It’s an epidemic of people not paying proper attention on the road. A teenager hit me head-on because she was texting. I kid you not, she jumped out and said, “It’s ok, my parents have insurance,” before finishing a text message. No eye contact. Her head was buried in her phone.
9. Health
Health is a tricky one when living in the United States. First, they poison our food and then treat us with more poison, or pharmaceuticals, as they call them. Nonetheless, many people neglect basic health-conscious activities such as exercise and eating as healthy as possible here. Others fail to see doctors or can’t afford them.
10. Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA)
Children who report abuse are not taken seriously enough. And unfortunately, “Families are covering up abuse instead of facing the shame of outing a family member regarding abuse,” one notes. Another adds, “Family that refuses to disown child abusers are worst than the actual abuser.”
11. Disinformation
Disinformation on the internet. It has helped swing many elections worldwide and will get worse before it gets better. Deep fakes are becoming too familiar, and people want to believe them so badly the creators will continue to make more.
The number of political disinformation out there is shocking, and people are so polarized on both sides that they absolutely believe the worst of the other without questioning the legitimacy.
12. People Asking for Mental Health Help
Numerous individuals confess that people do not take others who admit to having mental health struggles seriously enough. A few people share stories about needing help and nobody accepting new patients, health insurance doesn’t cover it, and appointments being booked eight months out.
I can relate. When my parents died a year apart, I needed some help. I really couldn’t get out of bed, and it took three months to see someone.
13. Nursing Homes
Many in the forum agree that nursing homes are despicable and don’t garner enough attention. “You have a relatively good chance of ending up in a nursing home waiting to die, and with for-profit healthcare, this means sitting around all day in your own feces waiting to be cleaned up.
Poor quality food and people who care but are overworked, understaffed, and underpaid with the cheapest equipment management can get away with. Medicare for All with nonprofit nursing homes!”
14. Environmental Issues
Environmental issues are heavily discussed in the thread. Someone elaborates, “It blows my mind when people say they don’t care about the environment. You live in the environment. How do you not care?”
15. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
A nurse explains UTIs can go septic quickly, especially if the patient isn’t cognizant enough to explain their symptoms. Any infection. “I’ve seen a lot turn into sepsis.”
16. Retirement Savings
Numerous individuals warn that saving for retirement early is significantly crucial for ensuring your ability to retire. One adds, “Ah, the most powerful force in the universe. Compound interest.”
17. Old People
Older people were voted on as something that more people should take seriously. One suggests, “They’re frequently dismissed as out of touch, but their wisdom is invaluable.” However, others argue that it depends on the individual.
While others still claim that the older people they know are out of touch with today’s world. Nevertheless, one senior is not a monolith for them all. Many have libraries worth of knowledge and interesting stories if you take the time to listen.
18. Sedentary Existence
Many people have sedentary jobs. One suggests, “This one’s permanent. A sedentary existence is here to stay unless you’re in specific workplaces that have you moving or are allowed a standing desk. Then, all anyone can do is mitigate with exercise.”
19. Global Warming
Global warming, or climate change, is something people don’t take seriously enough for sure. For starters, it’s become politicized, so many people are denying it entirely because of those “lousy democrats.” Meanwhile, science and our own eyes and experiences make it very real, and no one is doing enough.
One elaborates, “The problem is so serious in severity and scope that it requires orders of magnitude more attention than it’s getting.”
20. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Someone sums it up best by stating, “Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact humanity significantly, but it also raises concerns. One worry is the potential for AI to outperform humans in various fields, leading to widespread job displacement and economic inequality.
Furthermore, as AI systems become more autonomous, there are concerns about the ethical implications of decision-making by machines, such as biased algorithms perpetuating discrimination or unethical behavior. The lack of transparency and accountability in AI systems can also be problematic, resulting in unintended consequences and loss of control.
Additionally, the potential for AI to be weaponized as autonomous weapons pose serious ethical and security concerns. Finally, the concentration of AI capabilities in the hands of a few powerful entities raises concerns about the unfair distribution of benefits and power imbalances.
Society must address these concerns and ensure that AI is developed and used responsibly and ethically to safeguard humanity’s well-being.”
21. Allergies
Many people in the thread say they have severe allergies that others dismiss as not serious. However, whenever an allergy requires an epi-pen, I’d say that constitutes fatally severe. One explains that she can go into anaphylactic shock from dust, and people shrug it off as if it’s no big deal.
22. How Your Actions Affect Others
People do not take the reality of how their actions affect the world around them seriously. “They live in their own bubble and do not think about how they can impact others.”
People have become too self-centered, only thinking about themselves. As a result, they don’t realize that their actions can cause a ripple effect that can negatively affect others. “People should be more aware of how their actions can affect others and take responsibility for their actions.”
23. Adult Relations
The consequences of adult relations include “unwanted pregnancies, STIs, emotional and psychological trauma from unreciprocated affection, and abuse.”
Someone elaborates, “It is pretty crazy how much of a young person’s life is wasted on pursuing something so trivial, yet so potentially damaging. We’re hardwired for procreation, and most often, when we’re looking for recognition, validation, support, or even friendship, we end up pursuing sexual relationships.”
24. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity and password hygiene is something too many don’t take seriously before one jokes, “Wash your passwords, people.” Nonetheless, it is important to change them frequently and avoid using the same one for everything.
25. Hearing
People’s hearing is something that needs to be taken seriously. A user explains, “So many people blast their headphones, max out their car stereo, go to concerts, work in noisy places without hearing protection, etc. Assault your hearing too often, and you won’t get it back.” Also, noise-induced hearing loss can lead to constant ringing in your ears, making life miserable.
26. Credit Score
Oof. The fact that schools do not educate young folks about finances and credit scores is deliberate and infuriating. When I turned 18, I began receiving daily solicitations for credit card pre-approvals. It didn’t turn out too well for me. Countless others share this experience.
27. Gambling
Gambling has become accepted and normalized with casinos all over the country. You no longer need to visit Vegas or Atlantic City to get your slot machine on.
As someone who worked in a casino for a year, people cashing their checks and then losing them in the casino is too common. The fact that you can cash your check there is absurd. Now there are online gambling and casino games for your phones. It’s a terrible addiction that not enough people are taking seriously.
28. Having Children
“Having children,” one states, “A ton of people have kids for the wrong reasons and without weighing the heaviness of that choice. They don’t want to parent independent unpredictable human beings for the rest of their lives.
They want a cute little baby because that’s just what we do. Also, birth control. Too many people just leave creating a human up to chance, not giving it the weight it deserves.”
29. Religion
Respecting people’s religions is something many people do not take seriously enough (I’d argue respect in general). One explains, “Nowadays, people take any chance they get to insult someone’s religion, say why they think it’s wrong, make fun of traditions, etc.”
30. Bullying
An unfortunate one I know all too well, school bullying makes this list. Numerous individuals agree that the problem is not taken seriously enough, and as a result, many young people grow up with mental health issues, while others choose to take their own lives. It’s a tragic situation often dismissed as “Boys will be boys.”
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Source: Reddit.
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.