As much as the most ambitious will hate to admit this, it's literally impossible for a person to learn everything in the world there is to know in one lifetime.
But arguably, there are some basics that each of us should know, at least by the time we're in our adult years.
So much so, it might be embarrassing enough for a person to keep what they haven't learned a secret from others.
But Redditor StationaryLover_ forced everyone to bare their souls when they asked:
"What's something that you've never learned to do?"
Table and House Etiquette
"I never learned how to use chopsticks. Every time I go out to Asian restaurants, I pray they have forks already at the table."
"Sometimes when I ask, they bring me a fork with no problem. One time they brought me the training tool they let 5-year-olds use on the chopsticks, all while the staff and my friends were laughing. Another time our waitress was gone for like ten minutes and when she finally came back, she had a tiny plastic fork she must have fished out from the back. Literally did not have forks."
"If they're the ones where you have to break them apart, then sometimes I'll keep them together and pull them apart slightly to pick up the food, so I don't have to deal with the embarrassment."
- jaj488
"I don't know how to properly clean a house. I admittedly grew up spoiled. We had a live-in housekeeper who would clean daily, and so as a kid and teenager, I never had to do chores like cleaning a bathroom or kitchen."
"Now, as an adult who can’t really afford a housekeeper, but who has a husband, three kids, and two dogs, and who doesn’t want to live in a trash heap, I’m at a loss."
"I diligently try to clean things, but I never know exactly how often, or how long to clean them. It also seems like an insane amount of effort when the same floor that I sweep and mopped today will be dirty again tomorrow!"
"I do laundry and dishes EVERY DAY and I’m not a dirty person, but cleaning house is just something I’ve never truly learned to do."
- smartypants333
Why Are Social Cues So Hard?
"Basic socializing. It's all a mystery to me, and I'm in my 30s."
- normalguy_AMA
"Confession: I have no idea how to flirt."
- EyeArDum
"I can't figure out how to make friendships last."
"Or find something truly worth doing."
"Or truly and deeply care about something or someone."
- DerpeyBloke
"How to actually make friends as an adult."
"I left school at 16/17 (normal in the UK), joined the military, and spent my second and third year in the job getting severely bullied by one of my seniors (in rank) who I initially considered a friend."
"I haven't really trusted any 'adults' (I'm 21 currently) in friendships since all of that kicked off. Lord knows that I try, but I don't think I'll be able to truly trust anybody for any time soon."
"If you ever see the signs of somebody getting bullied, please step in and do what you can to make it stop. It literally ruins lives."
- Nomad_JM
"I’m awful at conversations in general. I can’t start them for s**t and if someone suddenly starts one with me, eight times out of ten, I will be hella awkward and not know what to say. Causing them to leave."
"This has caused me to become a loner over the years and most people seem to either forget I exist or proclaim that I’m an introvert if they remember my existence (some people even started a rumor that I was autistic..)."
"But the truth is I love social interaction. I want nothing more than to be 'the life of the party.' I want to be that guy that everyone loves talking to. I see these groups of people laughing and having a good time as I walk to my car so I can go home and sit in my dark lonely room by myself yet again."
"Oftentimes I wonder... just how nice is it to have friends?"
"I wish I could just be more confident and know what to say."
- Space_Cheese223
Managing Emotions Can Be Just as Hard
"I have no idea how to express anger and frustration in healthy, constructive ways. But I’m working on it."
- patriciodelosmuertos
"The hardest part about being angry and frustrated is figuring out why the s**tty f**king thing that just went wrong for no godd**n reason happened. I mean, I did it exactly as the instructions said and it’s not f**king working."
"JESUS CH**ST! I’ve tried 10 times and it’s just not happening. This is bulls**t!"
- myonkin
"I don't know how to deal with confrontation. My dad had anger issues when I was growing up and he would scream at us. It was terrifying and now as an adult, I don't know how to handle arguments with anyone. I just get so scared and anxious."
- Rattus_Domestica
"My mom was extremely angry and screamy growing up and now I have trouble getting into an argument without losing my temper."
"I don't lash out physically and I do my best not to verbally, but a mix of a certain tone and a raised voice just puts my fight or flight at an instant ten. I'm working on it but it's so embarrassing."
- Blizzard_lizard19
It's Not Just Hard for Elementary School Kids
"I never learned to tie my shoes not using bunny ears."
"Do not give me that rabbit hole nonsense. It makes no sense. I’ll die this way."
- TriFeminist
"I remember getting laughed at when I was younger for tying two loops together, but my thought at the time was who the f**k cares how you tie them. Now I just hate tying shoes altogether and go with slip-on shoes whenever possible."
- Goldblooded1981
Hobbies Have a Learning Curve, Too
"I haven't learned how to play a musical instrument."
"I have a bass guitar but I'm just not understanding it."
- coryhill66
"I can't ride a bike. It's shocking to people every time it comes up."
"It just never really came up as a kid so I never got a bike. Never learned. But I knew I couldn't be the only one."
- Hydrosimian
"I want to know how to draw."
"I really wanted to be an artist, but life pushed me in another direction. I still want to draw, even professionally one day, but I have no teacher and I'm extremely poor. When I was eightish, I used to glue the tiny bit of pencil lead, back onto another piece so I could use it. Didn't have paper, so I used to dumpster dive for sheets that weren't spoiled."
"I'm poor still, but I'm MUCH better off. I've actually found a stash of unused art stuff my mom had, so here's my starting point! I'm going to try and draw one object a day, anything I see."
- tripperfunster
"I’ve always wanted to learn how to write. I write a lot for school and work, but d**n, when I read other people’s works, I’m constantly astounded."
- AmIGoingToCollege
And Don't Get Us Started on Learning or Maintaining Another Language
"I was really good at writing and speaking French back in school. I had aspirations to become fluent in the language and never really followed through on those aspirations. Now I barely remember how to construct a sentence."
- Asunder99
"I did French for three years at school and it was the one subject I ever struggled with. I feel if we were given the chance to study Spanish instead, I may have been more inclined to put the effort in (being from the UK, holidays to Spain are very common)."
- IanRCarter
"I still can't roll my R's."
- potatoe_peaches
"It's hard to learn a new language. I have tried multiple times and ways but can’t seem to stick with it, which sucks because I would love to be able to speak fluently in a second language."
- cid_highwind_7
While we obviously can't know everything there is to know in one lifetime, it's still refreshing to see that we're not alone in the skills we haven't mastered.
Especially when we think it's such a big deal to not know something like a second language or how to ride a bike, at least we know there are other people out there, still living their lives with that skill.
@YouKnowNothing45/Instagram
@YouKnowNothing45/Instagram
