Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Debate The One Thing That Ruins Most People's Lives

People Debate The One Thing That Ruins Most People's Lives
Eric Ward on Unsplash

Life is full of twists and turns, and few are more upsetting than the ones that have the potential to ruin your life in one fell swoop.

There's nowhere to go but up—or so we're told.

No, some people go down. All the way down.

It can happen fast, and it's scary on top of it.

What happened? What did they do?

It turns out there could be a bunch of reasons, because life is messy that way.


People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor krhw asked the online community:

"What is the one thing that has ruined most peoples' lives?"

"Unresolved and unprocessed..."

"Unresolved and unprocessed trauma and grief…I guess that’s two but they go together."

mlperiwinkle

To which this person replied:

"And then choosing a partner/relationship that reflects these unresolved/unprocessed issues. Then having children with them. Heal yourself."

Umm_is_this_thing_on

"The fear..."

"The fear of failure."

herecomesthekicker

To which this person replied:

"This currently runs my life. I'll be planning how to live in the least risky and fail safe way instead of aiming for something higher just because I can't deal with risk properly."

shahhabali

"The inability..."

"The inability to delay gratification."

gtb821

To which this person replied:

"Yup… I have just spent an hour on Reddit rather than getting up and having a shower… and I do this every day…"

LochNessMother

"Few things can ruin your life..."

"Few things can ruin your life more than bad parents."

macaronsforeveryone

To which this person replied:

"And one of the worst things is that you're going to use all these behavior patterns that you've got from your parents in your OWN relationships. You're gonna do that UNCONSCIOUSLY when it's hard to control your emotions. That's really sad and confusing."

tobehonest7

"Seriously!"

"Positive vibes only. Seriously! People expect only one boring emotion from others. A lot of people burnt bridges because the vibes were 'off.' No, it’s called being freakin human!"

somethingfuplikethis

To which this person replied:

"I gotta say bro, I'm not digging your aura right now."

cosA_2sin_A

"Rejecting reality..."

"Rejecting reality in favor of the fantasy in your head."

wickedblight

To which this person replied:

"Sometimes I just have to daydream so I don't collapse."

eclipse113

"The global financial elite..."

"The global financial elite who profit off the backs of hard working individuals And condemn us to ever increasing wealth divides whilst hoarding enough money to solve all the worlds problems."

Daza87

To which this person replied:

"You could have just said capitalism."

vellyrs

"Given the choice..."

"Modern living. Our little cave brains are not equipped for this much choice, this much noise, this much stuff happening all the time. Given the choice most of us would prefer to live simple lives with basic necessities and adequate healthcare, living off the land rather than the endless rat race to accumulate things endlessly and then die."

stuckwitharmor

To which this person replied:

"It's a deep fantasy of mine to have fewer obligations and a much more simple life of working 8hrs, spending time with my family, and pursuing hobbies."

"Everyone's situation is different but here, its work all the time, scramble to take care of adult responsibilities, and not sleeping enough to wake up and do it all over again."

NerdyDadGuy1981

"...which makes people..."

"Society, which makes people aspire to things that are virtually impossible to achieve."

LegendaryPlayboy1

To which this person replied:

"My aspirations are world domination with as many martinis as I want. If only."

AffectionateWalk

"It's an addictive drug..."

"It's an addictive drug with long term side effects. People get the complete wrong idea about sex, people get less satisfied with their sex lives, it takes too much of their time, it causes erectile dysfunction, etc."

RandomHuman2354

To which this person replied:

"The fact that it’s so normalized is the most destructive part. Scared to see where we’re going to be in 10 years when AR and AI become a total replacement for human interaction."

No_Philosophy69

While the answers here vary, one thing is clear: There is no shortage of options or ways for you to deal some irreparable damage to your life. Take note and take caution.

Have some observations of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ikea Spotlights Viral 'Lonely Monkey' Punch's Stuffed Animal Given As 'Surrogate Mother'—And We're Sobbing
STR / Contributor/Getty Images

Ikea Spotlights Viral 'Lonely Monkey' Punch's Stuffed Animal Given As 'Surrogate Mother'—And We're Sobbing

No one is immune from loneliness, and all of us have our own ways of coping with it.

And, as it turns out, this includes monkeys.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from TikTok pregnancy announcement
@cynthiamariehuffman/TikTok

TikToker's Pregnancy Announcement Gets Hilariously Spoiled When Suspicious Husband Notices The Camera

The internet is having a good laugh after a couple's viral pregnancy announcement was foiled by the eagle-eyed dad-to-be.

TikToker @cynthiamariehuffman attempted to document her husband Jordan's surprised reaction to finding out she was expecting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eric Dane; Eric Dane and Alyssa Milano
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images; @milano_alyssa/Instagram

Alyssa Milano Pens Touching Tribute To Honor 'Charmed' Co-Star Eric Dane After His Passing

Actor Eric Dane passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 53 years old.

Dane shared his diagnosis in April 2025 after a diagnosis in 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Seth Meyers; Donald Trump
Late Night with Seth Meyers/YouTube; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Old Seth Meyers Joke Resurfaces After Trump Announces He'll Release Government Files About Aliens

The liberal outlet Meidas Touch resurfaced late-night host Seth Meyers' joke predicting that President Donald Trump would pivot to talking about the existence of aliens to distract from his role in the Epstein files.

Trump has done everything he can to dismiss or downplay the outrage surrounding the documents, which are said to contain detailed lists of some of his former friend and associate Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile clients and enablers. The late disgraced financier was a convicted pedophile and sex trafficker.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Donald Trump Says 'Stupid People' Rate 'Make America Great Again' The 'Number One' Political Phrase

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he declared that "stupid people" would rate his "Make America Great Again" slogan "the number one phrase in the history of politics in America."

Trump made the remark during a press conference while pledging that "together we're going to 'Make America Great Again'—though he didn't have great things to say for the slogan he claims to have come up with.

Keep ReadingShow less