Everywhere you look, there are people navigating life, pressing on through it despite massive gaps in understanding. And sure, things can still chug along and steamroll through the far-reaching oversights.
But how wonderful it would be if we could just shake people by the shoulders and explain a few key concepts to make so many people become better humans.
A recent Reddit thread called for users far and wide to contribute the one topic or concept that they feel more people need to understand better. The subjects spanned science, the law, public health, and the good old fashioned human values.
Medicalkush asked, "What do you wish more people understood?"
We're Getting There, But We Have So Much Work to Do
"The importance of mental health. I wish it was viewed to be equally important as physical health by more people." -- not-a-real_username
"i find everyone's so quick to talk about supporting those who are struggling until they actually have to deal with a person who's struggling."
"then you're hit with the ignorant comments that do nothing but make you realize why everyone chooses to suffer in silence, including yourself." -- urbanlulu
Get Off Your High, Present-Day Horse
"History and it's repetition" -- K-pop_
"This. People tend to think that people who lived hundreds of years before us were stupid because they didn't have our technology and were superstitious. Humanity has always been the same."
"In the words of Mark Twain, 'History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes'" -- fingers621
The Changing Landscape of Work and Life
"Not being available 24/7 despite being reachable 24/7 is not a crime" -- trendz19
"Seriously. I've gotten semi chewed out by a PM before after he called me on a Saturday evening to update some documents and I was like 'uhh, you don't want me to do that, I'm pretty drunk.'"
"Sorry I'm f***ing drunk. It's Saturday and I'm watching hockey, I can be drunk. Leave me alone." -- stickyWithWhiskey
Respect the Instrument!
"Even if they're not used, pianos should be tuned at least once per year."
"Otherwise, the strings can become brittle and their ability to be flexible for tuning purposes compromised."
"Likewise, the tuning pins in the 'pinblock' can become resistant to change and not hold the strings steady once they've been tuned."
-- Back2Bach
Grey Areas
"Just because there is a law allowing you to do something doesn't mean its right. Just because something is against the law doesn't make it wrong" -- SaharanDessert
Listen to Others
"Just because you haven't seen or experienced something first hand does not mean that it doesn't exist." -- Manic-Digression
"Tell that to my Dad who always told me I couldn't be tired from stress" -- Son_of_Belgarath
"Likewise, just because you've seen or experienced something, it doesn't mean it's common or statistically significant." -- TigerNuts1980
The Fuel of False Confidence
"Confirmation bias." -- KingGorilla
"I used to deal blackjack in a casino and had to give up trying to explain it. People wanted to be f***in Yugioh and believe in the heart of the cards."
"But of course when they lost it was my fault." -- Active_Phone
Advocating for Honesty
"That it's ok to say 'i don't know' to something they don't know instead of guessing and pretending like they know" -- Canty_Amy20
"Unsurprisingly enough, this is the result of teacher/tutor asking you to take a guess when you said you don't know."
"It's f***ing annoying. If I don't know then I don't know, I don't want to make some stupid guesses." -- Yasutsuna96
Timely...
"How to read and interpret basic maps and graphs. A lot of garbage information gets spread because people don't understand how to look at them properly." -- E_Zuk
"Or worse, the ideas of percents, ratios, and absolute vs relative." -- fd1Jeff
"Kind of along the same lines, correlation vs. causality. There's a correlation between being born early and lower grades... but there's also a correlation between drinking while pregnant and giving birth early."
"Guess which one is the actual causality. So much misinformation is spread because people mix them." -- captainminnow
Ironing Out Values
"Money, prestige, etc. do not make you happy. In my opinion, time and lack of stress are worth more than money and prestige any day."
"I just left a job with a fancy law firm to work with a nonprofit in June. My salary was cut 22%, and I went from a supervising associate to the bottom of the ladder. And I would do it again in a heartbeat."
"The time I spent at the office or stressed out beyond belief was so taxing on me. I work a little more than half the hours I used to work, and I believe in my organization's mission and work. There's a lot to be said for those things."
-- Panama_Scoot
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