If you were lucky, you had a lovely childhood where things just made sense. Life seemed fair. Everyone was treated equally. Good behavior was encouraged and rewarded, and as long as you worked hard, respected others and tried your best, everything would just magically work out!
As adults, we’re well aware that that’s a very naïve way of looking at the world, but to avoid raising cynical, pessimistic children, we often allow little ones to view life through rose-colored glasses. “Eventually, they’ll figure out the truth for themselves,” we think. But unfortunately, even if someone is an adult when they receive a reality check, the harsh truths of life can be extremely challenging to accept.
Reddit users have been opening up about the brutal realities of life that hit them the hardest, so we’ve gathered some of their most eye-opening and heart-breaking responses below. If you’re struggling with any of these ideas too, know that you’re not alone, pandas. Remember to upvote the pills that have been particularly hard for you to swallow as well, and keep reading to also find an interview with Louisa Davis, editor for The Mind's Journal. Then if you’re interested in diving even deeper into this topic, you can find another Bored Panda article featuring a similar discussion right here!
#21
It’s very difficult to come to terms with the fact you’re not as smart or cool as you thought you were. That you’re really nothing special. But once you accept that, it gets a little easier. I don’t know about you, but to me there’s something kinda liberating about not being anything special. You’re free to be your own person and do your own thing.
97points
#22
There is a big portion of the world who hates me for who I am, but hating myself too doesn't help anything.
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92points
#23
Just because someone loves you and you love them, doesn’t mean it’ll always work out.
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92points
#24
No matter what you do, Someone will *always* hate it.
I hated hearing this for the first time and it put it into perspective for me.
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83points
#25
That everyone you love will die and you will always regret not spending enough time with them.
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83points
#26
You can never really know someone. The closest friends and family can keep the darkest secrets. Trusting someone doesn't mean that they are trustworthy.
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81points
#27
There is no justice.
Sometime, people will be d***s, and everything will work out for them. You can generally teach someone a lesson (by kicking the c**p out of them), but only once, because you will probably go to jail for it.
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78points
#28
Sometimes you just need to let dreams go and accept that your life is going a different direction.
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76points
#29
Some people don’t want actual solutions, they just want to complain.
Edit: I’m all for a good round of aggravation-venting catharsis for some one-off frustration. I’m thinking more of repeat offenders with a very solvable problem they just aren’t willing fix (ex: 3 months of on-and-off complaining about a specific problem... offer to brain-trust some viable solutions... they reply something along the lines of ”it’s unsolvable” ...future date, same topic, more complaining... offer simple, viable, and specific potential solutions you’ve thought of ... they follow with essentially “no, that would never work” but offers no potential solution in its place.... repeat ad nauseam. 🙄 I’m solution oriented. If you present a problem to me (and not specify that it’s just a vent session) then I’m gonna try to help you solve it so that I don’t have to see you suffer frustration, anger, sadness, or disappointment.
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71points
#30
That for a lot of people, facts, logic and objective truth are far less important than the first emotional response they had to the situation.
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70points
#31
I'm not going to win the lottery and I'm not going to magically become filthy rich.
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68points
#32
The "what are you going to do about it?" Will always be more important than who's right or wrong.
67points
#33
Other than a small group of people, no one gives a s**t about me.
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62points
#34
Adults are not all knowing. Stupid kids sometimes become stupid adults. The worst kid in class in bed school might still become a doctor.
Your parents, your heros, your teachers- all just people. Usually doing the best that they can, even if it isn't always enough.
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61points
#35
That life happens. After a 400 dollar electric bill and paying to fix a sink both within 3 days it finally dawned on me that this s**t happens. Life doesn't give you a free pass just because you are struggling.
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60points
#36
Love is not enough. A relationship dying because of things external to love, is such a horrible thing to embrace, given that we are taught love conquers all.
It can barely conquer a 2hr drive.
59points
#37
Not everyone will agree with me on everything, my opinion is not always fact, and sometimes compromise is necessary
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58points
#38
Some people are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again, and there's nothing you can do to stop them.
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57points
#39
I cannot depend on long-term remission, because it simply does not reliably exist for treatment-resistant depression, I've never had remission, and I'm a lot more treatment-resistant than the average.
That means if I want to get anything done, I have to learn to function how I am and not wait for a day when I'm better. There isn't a better. It doesn't matter who I am when I'm not depressed, because "not depressed" is not an option and it very well might never be an option.
I know that must sound really depression, but it was actually a really important realization. I can't control whether or not I'm miserable, or do anything I'm not already doing; but if I'm going to be sick then I may as well do something instead of lie in bed all day.
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56points
