We’ve been told to avoid a list of things in life that may not necessarily always be a “bad” thing. For instance, any kind of rejection turns out to be good in the long. Once you get past moping around cause you didn’t get that job or the funk you’re in once you find out your crush doesn’t feel the same way about you – it can only up from there!
In this article, Redditors respond to the AskReddit question, “What’s a bad thing everyone should experience once?”
Interested in more responses? Take a look at the original AskReddit thread that can be found at the end of the article.
Everyone should experience first hand how money can destroy close relationships and how quickly it can happen.
I was dating a girl who had a lifelong friend with bad credit. Like really bad. She wanted to buy a new car, but couldn’t get approved for a loan and asked my friend to co-sign. Then it turned out her credit was so bad, she couldn’t’ even use a co-signer so they wouldn’t issue her a loan with her name anywhere on it. So she had the idea “could you buy the car/get the loan, and I’ll just make the monthly payments until it’s paid off”.
I told my girlfriend not to do it “don’t do this. there is a reason she has bad credit”. Well, mshe didn’t listen and bought the car for her friend.
Her friend made exactly one payment to her, and the next month nothing. She started ditching phone calls, and then we find out she moved out of her apartment. Suddenly this girls family who my friend has known for like 15 years is pretending they don’t know where she lives and has no way of getting in contact with her.
A couple more weeks and an envelope with half a car payment (3 weeks late at this point) shows up stuck under my girlfriend’s doormat. Next payment comes due, and nothing.
So now my girlfriend is making the payments every month on a car she hasn’t seen in months. Her friend who promised to make payments is a payment and a half behind and it’s only been 3 months.
The one thing she had listened to me about has she kept a key to the car, so we had the idea we’d find the car and take it (since it was legally and morally her car anyway).
So we spent I weeks every night driving around for hours, hitting this woman’s hangout spots, friends houses, family houses, etc. Until one night we find the car parked in front of her father’s condo.
My girlfriend jumped in, took the car, and drove it to another friend’s house who was going to let her put it in his garage for a while until things cooled off.
We weren’t 2 minutes gone before bad-credit chick is blowing up her pager (yeah, it was that long ago) having suddenly remembered her number.
Anyway, long story short…this was a lifelong friendship, and this chick barely even hesitated at the chance to steal a car from someone who was trying to help her.
McFeely_Smackup
I was not one of the cool kids because I was new to my school. Every day I’d get on the bus with the same crew. There was this one guy we’d constantly joke with. He was an easy target. So one day I was taking it way to far and he punched me in the face. Right on the bus in front of everyone. I just kind of laughed it off and turned back around. I didn’t tell on him. I didn’t even blame him. I knew I deserved it. And from then on I never picked on him. I still think back on it and feel bad.
There are kids being kids and then there is insecurity taking its toll on someone who doesn’t deserve it.
And that’s the story of how a fist taught this jerk a life-long lesson.
Duck_Duck_Badger
I think it’s important to get used or ripped off once by a supposed friend.
My son, when a teen, would believe anyone. Any story. Any hard luck tale. Then came the day a “friend” sold him fishing poles for way too much money and he dropped them off. They didn’t have any reels on them. My son was so hurt, and pissed.
I felt bad for him, but he never forgot that lesson. Be careful who you call a friend.
loridee
When Borders bookstore was closing, they didn’t allow returns. This was on numerous giant banners all over the store so it’s not like they were hiding it. There was a long line checking out. This guy was yelling at the clerk about a 3 dollar CD and complaining about why he couldn’t return it if he didn’t like it. Normal customer, whatever. Then he goes “this is why you jerks are losing your jobs, you don’t know how to keep the customers happy” and several people yelled at him out so badly he dropped his stuff and left.
Seriously, what the heck man.
pokeysrevenge
Met this girl, talked to her on the internet for years. Never really went anywhere, but talking/typing to her became a part of my regular routine for so long that I felt like I knew her, even though in reality, of course, I actually didn’t.
One day she hits me up talking about how she desperately needs money and is looking to sell this gift card someone got her. I think nothing of it and say sure. I take it home and go online to activate it, at which point I find it was obviously stolen. Go on Facebook and see that she’s updated her status: “Sucker.”
OhioGuyT
The first time I hired a moving company to help me move my stuff into storage. I thought I’d be nice and go buy them some Gatorades. While I was gone they trashed a few pieces of furniture and even stole a few things. I didn’t find out until 6 months later when I finally got a new place. Too late to file a claim.
Noctudeit
I had a friend a few years ago who’s home life was pretty bad, both parents clearly didn’t care much for him, but in their defense, he was also really disrespectful to them so it was a broken family both ways.
Anyway, he would often stay at my place (I lived with my parents but I was often the only one there until late, mom always worked late and dad was a train driver so he was doing midnight shifts till whenever) and often ate and slept there, we didn’t have a spare bed but we had a lounge and blankets that he took multiple times. He was a decently fun person to be around; a little jittery but not a bad guy at the time.
One day I had saved up to get the video game ‘Halo 4’ and since my dad works odd hours, I left the money in my closet and told him it was there; asked if he could pick it up for me while I was at school (for context; he had become a dog washer for a while, this is 4-5 years after the story began) and I’d wash the car or something along those lines. My mate who stayed at my place knew I was getting the game (we played everything from smash bros to call of duty together), and decides to search my closet and takes the 2 $50 notes I left for the game and stops coming over to stay at my place. He mysteriously gets 4 used games the following day because he posted about it on some social media (Instagram I believe) and a few years later he admitted to a friend of ours (or just a friend of mine now) that he stole it. I know if I showed up at his doorstep he would give it back because he just feels threatened by everything but he thinks a mate of nearly 10 years is worth less than $100, I don’t need a damn thing from him other than the lesson I learned.
TacoLlama97
I was looking to buy a car and I had found one that was perfect for me, had all the proper checks, service history and incredibly low mileage (given the price and age). They had only driven 300 miles since the Ministry of Transport 6 months ago which I found a bit weird.
I had only driven 32 miles before realizing it had quite a few, big problems that were in desperate need of attention.
900 for the car, 200 extra on my insurance premium and 75 for the road tax, I was at a 1175 loss. That’s a hell of a lot of money for me. My Dad and I did get 150 for the repair out of the seller, but the damage was done to my wallet. The car was only worth scrapping at this point.
Danpeon
Getting scammed by street hustlers is a great lesson learned. Moved to Chicago and within the first week I fell for the classic “got change for a twenty.”
DrNinjaGhost
The wedding package I purchased included pictures of the ceremony ONLY. The photographer took us to a nearby park and took a bunch of beautiful “bonus” pictures, which we tipped him handsomely for after. I asked if they would be available to purchase, which replied “Sure! Just don’t select which box you want right now on the contract, and contact Yvonne you can work out the details.” So, when we got back home, I did just that. The lady vehemently refused to let me purchase the extra photos. I was literally in tears.
Moral of the story – Get everything in writing. Especially when it comes to contractual stuff.
KelRen
Just yesterday I was at the grocery store and gave my reusable bag to the bagger at the checkout lane. My wallet was in there and it’s one of those small card holder type things that holds like 6 cards and everything is pretty much exposed.
I knew that my wallet was in there and I didn’t bother taking it out because my dad was paying and I don’t know I just trusted the guy enough to not steal from me, I guess. He bagged our stuff pretty poorly, with the majority of the stuff in my bag (with the wallet) and like two items each in the bags my dad brought. I thought that was weird but chalked it up to him being a bad bagger or something.
I get home and take my wallet out and see that one of my credit cards at the top of my wallet is missing, which was easy for me to notice because I had organized my cards in a color gradient way. Then it all made sense why he had spent so much time trying to put all the stuff in my bag because he was trying to be all sneaky and steal my card! I felt so unintelligent for not being distrustful enough to take my wallet out of the bag, but lesson learned, I suppose. Never assume the good in people.
juneballoon
A minor car accident, so that you understand even if nobody is hurt how quickly it happens, how hard the cars jolt on collision and how much hassle it is to get through the insurance. It’s happened where two drivers have driven into me in the past, I drive with real caution for months afterward and am extremely attentive to the road as a result.
We_Flatten_Stuff
Take public transportation. I know many people who’ve never taken it, I personally find it kind of soothing, except when I am taking the bus home from work in the morning. If I could drive I’d be at home and in my bed.
fxkmehxrder
Having a terrible roommate or flatmate. It really makes you appreciate future living situations, especially with a significant other.
SMJ01
Being sick and having someone take care of you. Teaches you how to take care of others when they’re down and the efforts and sacrifices you make.
PM_ME_DOGS_IN_SOCKS
Working in retail or food service. Working those jobs really changes your perspective on what is an appropriate way to behave in those environments and shows you that many people have no idea how to behave appropriately in them.
CygnusSong
You never really appreciate the finite nature of your own life until you’ve breathed what you believe to be your last breath. Then to have the brain go into panic mode, images flashing and a strong inbuilt survival mechanism kicking in, forcing every part of yourself to fight for life to then have it all go black.
You wake up exhilarated, like nothing I’ve ever felt since or before, the air on your skin that you’ve never realized before, the feeling of air filling your lungs as you breathe, the smells and tastes are all amplified. It lasted for at least a year, the urge to savor every little thing in life and see all the previous annoyances as petty and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
It also puts into perspective the sheer terror of death and I believe it gave me a greater level of sympathy for those that are not as lucky, I think everyone would be a lot less violent and warmongering if they had felt the emptiness of death.
_Mr_G_
Death started to scare me again when I buried my father. Treasure that gap between losing your grandparents and your parents. When there’s no one above you in the chain of mortality, things look a lot different.
Tell your parents (and grandparents and children) you love them regularly. I almost feel bad telling people this (because there are those it is no true for), but I did get to say that to my dad in the last conversation we had before he died. That thought brings me some peace. Also, write a will. Dealing with an estate is a pain and even more so, dealing with an estate without a will is a major pain that no one needs. There wasn’t any fighting over assets, but just tracking everything down, paying necessary taxes, paying for the funeral, disposing of various assets, and more was incredibly difficult while I was in the middle of mourning.
vizard0
She was the first girl I ever loved (and the only to this day). Luckily my buddies were there for me, but it was humbling. I was a mess, just kept crying for days, and then I had a 3-day train trip, on which I also could barely keep it together. I know men crying isn’t necessarily wrong, but it just felt so unnatural, I didn’t know I could feel so bad. But it was a good learning and growing experience. An interesting and happy twist, I ended up getting back together with the same girl 6 months later and we’ve been married for 5 years now.
lman777