5 things you wish you had never learned the hard way
 

Recently I was reading a blog I subscribe to and was inspired to start a thread here. Often people say, "If I could go back in time I would have never done such and such" and it is often responded to with, "All your struggles and stumbles make you the person you are today". Ok, I get all of that. Quite frankly, I am the definition of that but still....if you could choose 5 things to unlearn, what would they be?

Mine are:

1. Drugs are bad; no pills no powder.

2. The father of your children will ALWAYS have an impact on your life, even if they are deadbeats and fly the coop. Be careful who you mate with...you fuck with em your stuck with em.

3. 18 year olds should be out partying not raising children, I don't care how mature you are.

4. Being irresponsible with your credit will haunt you for years. And as a side note...student loans have to be paid back, just because they hand them out doesn't mean you should take it.

5. Relationships are invaluable. Don't ever for one minute get so caught up in your own spotlight that you forget those who loved you when you were nothing.

savemesom11 I dont get it, these morals seem to be quite healthy, (I'm only 21 so what do I know???!!) but why would you like to unlearn them?!?!?!

Things I wish I never learned?

Politics:
1) You can't ever, ever look up to a politician.
2) Government won't ever function correctly.
3) The best leaders will be shot and killed.

Life:
1) Most marriages aren't going to last.
2) There's no such thing as total trust.
3) The worst betrayal possible is that of a spouse or best friend.
4) You're never going to date Jessica Alba.

War:
1) McDonald Douglas, Boeing, and Lockheed don't just make cool airplanes, they build some of the most horrible, devastating, murderous weapons ever conceived.
2) There will always be another war, and it's going to happen sooner than you think.
3) We are often the bad guy.

Work:
1) Businesses care about profits. Everyone cares about profits. You are basically alone in not caring about profits and caring about people.
2) You're never going to think your boss is as smart as you are.
3) Your diploma is just a piece of paper to most people.

Jeez, this thread is depressing.

Look me up when your in your thirties....
-----Added 8/1/2009 at 01 : 01 : 26-----
Willravel, I adore you.....sorry your depressed now, those of us who stand for something often feel this way. Thank you for contributing :)

Flush with the seat down and don't store your toothbrush in the bathroom.

That is, unless you enjoy brushing your teeth with shit.

Xerxys: I think the point of this thread is more about regret for losing their "innocence" sorta.
However, as the OP pointed out, these experiences did make them the person they are today.

I suppose the point here is that they regret both the loss of innocence, as well as the fact that a few of these lessons had to be learned the really hard way, instead of the normal hard way.


I can honestly say that so far, most of the points in this thread as things I avoided myself because I'm such a gloomy, sarcastic & pessimistic guy when it comes to the world around me.
I guess that's why I tend to stay in my closed little circle of relatives.

However, I will disagree with Will Ravel on this:


I've only worked in 2 jobs my whole life, and in both cases, my boss was a good deal smarter as I was. Depending on who you count as your boss of course.
Last job, my direct superior was smarter, the real boss however was a douche :)

In my current job, my direct boss *is* one of the real bosses, and he can do damn near everything in the field of the company.

Guess I lucked out in that area.


Plus: Life(4) - Come on man, don't kill my little bit of hope like that :)



What I regret learning:
When you're going to college, and you're faced with 2 distinct directions, don't just take the one you think is financially more viable.

If you like candy as a kid, for god's sake, brush three times a day... Bad teeth can be a serious hindrance.

Talent is quite a lot less valuable than dedication.




If I think of 2 more, I'll put them in later.

I'm 60 and not smart enough to answer the question.

Rather than "things you wish you never learned," it would have been more clear to say "Things you wish you didn't learn the hard way."

-Believing in things will disappoint you. If you can't prove it, don't waste your time on it unless you're majoring in philosophy, in which case you should change your major if you don't plan to become a philosophy professor.

-There's always an ulterior motive.

-If you say, "I'll do it in 15 minutes," you'll say the same thing 15 minutes from now. Working hard then partying hard is the only way to go.

-Learning to take a compliment is just as important of a social skill as learning to take criticism.

-People will always judge you for what you do, what you say, and what you look like. Appearance is important.

I don't understand the point of the thread. Things I wish I never learned? I think it's worded wrong like MSD said. The replies in this thread make it seem more like a "things I learned and didn't want to believe"

Or the knowledge version of things you can't un-see. That's what I was expecting and I was a bit disappointed.

I wish I hadn't learned how easy it is to get away with things
I wish I didn't ever learn I was a good liar
I wish I hadn't learned that I could skate through life without really trying
I wish I hadn't learned that I am capable of hurting people as badly as I am
I wish I hadn't learned there are no grownups.

I'm glad I've learned everything I've learned so far. Even the hard stuff has made me who I am today--if not a better person. I'll be 40 in a little over a month.

There's a lot of stuff I wish I had never seen. Recently the photographs of dead and dying children that the media seems to have latched onto for the moment.

There are numerous things about situations that I wish I'd known before getting into them.

There are several things I ACTUALLY knew that I wish I had paid more attention to or even really believed (like stuff my parents told me).

Making a decision out of love at 18 can bring out a whole lot of bitterness later on. I feel 30 sometimes, which I'm still a ways from.

Marriage should only be when you're 100% sure.

How about, "5 things you wish you hadn't learned the hard way"?

Like vanblah, all of the lessons I've learned the hard way (and though I am only 26, there have been a number of them so far) have made me a stronger person. They have been lessons worth learning.

The big thing I've learned is that it's better to have your own safety net, versus having to rely on others to save you. They may not always be able to do so. You need to be able to stand on your own two feet. On the same note, you also must be willing to accept help when you truly need help.

Yes exactly the point thank you.

And coming back from the dentist just now after having a broken tooth....yes, you can add that to my list also!
-----Added 8/1/2009 at 12 : 33 : 50-----
Sorry I wasn't as clear as you all would have hoped I'll try harder next time.....:sad:
-----Added 8/1/2009 at 12 : 35 : 47-----
PERFECT

I could have gone my entire life without getting first hand knowledge of what it's like to be in jail.



That's about it.

Thought of another: I wish I didn't know what brake fluid and gear oil tasted like.

Ah, right there with you on that one. :splat:

Sometimes, I wish I never had to learn anything the hard way. I'm on a whole "the world is intent on fucking me up the ass" thing right now.

I wish I had never learned what it felt like to have my father die before I was born.
I wish I had never learned what it felt like to have my parents split up when I was 16.
I wish I had never learned what it felt like to have someone stop loving me.
I wish I had never learned what it felt like to go through a break up.
That's enough for now.

I wish I'd never learned how it feels to break a heart....
I wish I'd never learned that you can avoid a lot of pain by not trusting.
I wish I'd never learned that people judge each other on the most superficial of details.
I wish I'd never learned where hot dogs come from.
I wish I'd never learned how to fake a smile.

1. Never EVER trust anyone 100% but your mother.
2. The government is NOT there to help you.
3. The police are NOT your friend.
4. The world owes you nothing.
5. Take nothing for granted or you will lost it very soon.

Abaya: I wish I had never learned what it felt like to have someone stop loving me.

Me too

~Never drink a 1/2 bottle of wine, followed by shots of tequila, after you have been under a great deal of stress.
~Don't road trip from Florida to California, in the summer, in a car that overheats, and can't use the air conditioning. (It was for my friend and I didn't know the circumstances until I got there.)
~How it feels to have to let something precious go.
~That I am allergic to the Ortho Evra Patch.
~To have your trust completely violated and abused.

Something I won't have learned the hard way until I'm either elderly or on my deathbed: live every day like it was your last. Aside from that, no stupid decisions that I regret here (lots of stupid decisions, but I loved every one of them)!

I wish I had made better use of goatse.cx while it was still around - the hard way unlearned.

Suave - I have a few of those too. I shake my head and shiver a bit when I have the flash back; moments later I smile slyly at how fun I remember it being. :thumbsup:

Or things that seem utterly disastrous at the time, but make for good/hilarious stories later!

I don't know. If I never learned one of the things that I've learned, I wouldn't be in a position to lament the fact that I learned said thing.

I guess I'm glad for the things I've learned. Sometimes I even wish I could learn more.

I wish I'd never learned about Scat Sex. I will never get that innocence back again.

Oh come on.

You love getting the sheebillobillabeela beela all up in your skiddilawop bebop badanga danga biddely bop pow.

You're a goofball.

This was the most depressing thread on TFP before filtherton came in :thumbsup:

I say that about many threads.

I wish I didn't know the real color and smell of human brains.

Is that last part the exit strategy?
-----Added 9/1/2009 at 12 : 49 : 52-----
I second this. Give me more. If life isn't difficult or hurt, you aren't learning anything.

How much betrayal by a loved one hurts

The way your stomach drops away after the accident has started, but before you've hit the lorry.

I wish I never learned to make violence so easy. Fighting that back is the hardest thing I do, some days. I'll wrestle with that the rest of my life.

I learned everything my grandfather did to keep me from my mom, much of it illegal. I was on the verge of forgiving him for 10 years of beating and verbal onslaught (not to mention throwing me in a ghetto shit town, in an orphanage no less, when I got too big to keep under control) and now I have to deal with that. Him and I will have to talk in the next life, so it seems, because it aint happening in this one. He's going to die in a few years most likely. So be it. I wish I hadn't learned that. I had suppressed much of that information until it was presented to me again, then it came flooding back. Not sure how that's "the hard way", unless you count suppression of memories being reawakened.

I wish I had never learned that everyone has a breaking point.
I wish I had never learned where my breaking point is.
I wish I had never learned to close myself off to people so easily.
I wish I had never learned that my parents sheltered my from a world that was worse than I thought.
I wish I had never learned how to be angry at my family.

I wish I had never learned about two girls one cup.

I wish I had never learned what it feels like to lose control and physically assault someone I love

I wish I had never learned how much of my happiness I would sacrifice for the love/acceptance of someone else