One of the wise people of antiquity once said that everyday experience is a collection of mistakes accumulated by a person throughout their life. A person learns from some mistakes, some they simply try not to repeat, and some of these mistakes they alas repeat all throughout their life.
Recently, the so-called "Letters to Myself" genre has been very popular on the internet, where famous and not-so-famous people describe different mistakes they made at a young age and tell what they would do differently taking into account the knowledge that they have now. Unfortunately, in one's teen years, it is difficult to believe and accept some of the life facts that seem so obvious later.
A few days ago, a question was asked in the AskReddit community directly on this topic: "What are teens today not ready to hear?" As of today, the resulting thread has about 44.2K upvotes and over 26.7K various comments, where people in adulthood and older tell which life lessons the youth should definitely learn.
Yes, the thread looks a bit boomerish, but the ancients didn't say in vain: "Forewarned is forearmed." Bored Panda has put together a list of the most popular comments from the original thread for you, so please feel free to scroll to the very end, mark the submissions you like the most and of course share your own life lessons in the comments.
More info: Reddit
#1
There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.
Image credits: SamuelLovesJazz
#2
Being controversial isn't the same as being interesting.
Image credits: HezFez238
#3
Playing music on your speakers in public areas makes you look like a complete douchebag. Nobody likes it but you.
Image credits: acid_bear_boy
#4
The older you get the faster it goes.
Image credits: _curiousplum
#5
In the adult world, getting into fights doesn’t make you look cool, it just makes you look stupid.
Image credits: honest_owl101
#6
It’s okay to be a virgin at 18
Image credits: projectdissociate
#7
Stop self-diagnosing yourselves with mental illnesses
Image credits: connerbv
#8
Putting every aspect of yourself online is unsafe. Nobody needs to know your list of triggers or your address or your blood type
Image credits: flamespond
#9
Just because you f****d up does NOT mean you’re a f**kup
Image credits: Mr_Murder1
#10
It's not your duty to judge others. Just take care of your own s**t.
Image credits: SuvenPan
#11
Just because it's new to you doesn't mean it's new.
Image credits: Broad_Word_1690
#12
To the ones who ride the public bus in my city, specifically: nobody else wants to hear whatever TikTok you’re watching. Buy some headphones.
Image credits: EmiliusReturns
#13
You guys know how the attractive and wealthy kids at school seem to just get life handed to them on a silver platter?Get used to it.
Image credits: Thirty_Four
#14
One day you too will be old and uncool.And it'll happen faster than you think.
Image credits: omguserius
#15
Social media will give you too much of a superiority complex and hanging around people who enable you will f**k you up later in life.
Image credits: SalemSuccubus
#16
It is perfectly fine to not know something. It’s OKAY to not know! Stop shaming and bullying people because you learned about something before they did. Social media is not the real world and acting like it is will only make people not want to be around you.EDIT: I am not talking about ignorance. I’m talking about laughing when people ask a question in class, the “How do you not know that?” crowd, the mocking of people into never asking another question out of fear of ridicule and humiliation.
Image credits: kimjongk80
#17
School has a system in place to keep you from falling behind, life doesn’t
Image credits: Corey854
#18
You won't 'feel' different when you're older, or have kids. You'll just be you, it's weird.
Image credits: Poshspicer
#19
Not everybody can be an internet sensation, somebody has to drive the dump truck
Image credits: Raggydasavage
#20
Please shower.
Image credits: unhappyandokay
#21
As you get older you just keep realizing how dumb you were last year.
Image credits: Comparison_Past
#22
Today's eyebrows are yesterday's clown makeup and tomorrow's regret fodder
Image credits: Lardinho
#23
You need to learn the difference between normal teenage neuroses and mental illness.
Image credits: AlterEdward
#24
Jobs aren’t meant to always be fun/your dream, sometimes you have to work a job you hate to stay afloat.
Image credits: RebelGage
#25
Social media is not reality and your entire life should not revolve around it.
Image credits: RickGrimesSnotBubble
#26
You didn’t invent that style
Image credits: Frequent-Throat-5499
#27
Someone somewhere cares about you deeply and loves to see you to be happy
Image credits: TGwanian
#28
Condoms are for stds too even tho there are other ways to avoid pregnancy.
Image credits: mr_ribzeater
#29
as much as you want to be unique, outspoken and be able to be you 100%, its just not that realistic.as a queer poc millennial it took me a long time to learn that you gotta learn to pick your battles, read the room, and know that not every space is a space thats made for you.
Image credits: ImGoingToSayOneThing
#30
Everything you do as a teenager will be cringe to your children
Image credits: divinetrackies
#31
We adults are mostly just winging it, hopefully learning from the TONS of mistakes we make, but still winging it.
Image credits: love2go
#32
You're closer to being the "older" person in any given setting than you think. And by "old" I mean like 30. Got nieces and nephews just starting kindergarten? Haha. Blink and they're starting college.
Image credits: samcahnruns
#33
10 years from now, no one will care about how many viewers you had on tiktok#34
Your metabolism won't last forever. Practice and develop healthy exercise and diet habits now before it gets harder and with more consequences later.I'm just about to turn 30 in a couple weeks. I am 100 lbs heavier than I was in high school (to be fair I was super tall and skinny to the point of slightly underweight), and that's after losing 25 lbs since the start of July. I have high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. I am a father of a 2 year old that doesn't want to die in the 40-60 range. I also want to live as a good example to her.
Another 35 lbs and I'll reevaluate what my body type is like and reset my goals from there. That would be 240 lbs, which I was about 4 years ago...but it would also be a more muscular/trimmed 240. I'll determine where in the 210-240 range I want to end up and what my body and lifestyle will be like.
Running is still hard, but using the elliptical is easier on the knees than it was 25 lbs ago. I want to eventually be able to do the Broad Street Run (10 miles through Philadelphia) even though I hate running. If my knees don't like it, I'll do something else as an equivalent.
As an added bonus, my sex drive I think is improving but nowhere near what it was when I was in the 220-250 range. I don't think it's 100% related, but maybe it's more than 50%.
#35
You're not "mature for your age." Anyone who says that to justify wanting to be with you is a creep.#36
Things will likely take significantly longer to achieve than you think
Image credits: Dull-College
#37
Not everyone needs to go to college. High school is probably the easiest thing you'll do.#38
They’re most likely not going to be the one.#39
In 15 years you’re going to think the kids have gone too far and they’re going to think you’re old-fashioned.#40
That heartache you're going through? It consumes everything now but it will be nothing but a footnote in the future. You'll rarely think about it later - & when you do, it won't hurt you.It's hard to hear that your pain isn't the worst in the world when you're feeling it. But it does help to know that it won't mean as much as it does in this moment.
Image credits: st3washere1
#41
You know nothing and it's okay.
Image credits: ShotgunEd1897
#42
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.Cut back on the sugary s**t now. Take care of your teeth now. Start working out now. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, just be active.
Now is the time to get out and do a bunch of crazy s**t but at the same time remember that whatever you do now you pay for 20 years later somehow someway. And this can be taken in a good way or a bad way. Don’t want to take care of your teeth now? Have fun dropping $30,000 on your teeth like I had to.
Not exercising or eating right? Have fun with that quadruple bypass that my father just had. My girlfriend’s parents are older than my parents but because they do those things they haven’t had nearly as much hospital visits as my parents have. By comparison my parents are falling apart and they’re only in the 50s. My girlfriend’s parents are in their 70s and objectively are healthier. The big difference? Early in the morning, every morning those two are downstairs working out hitting the weights and machines for a solid hour or two.
Do you want to speed and act a damn fool on the road? Have fun when you have to pay for your own insurance and nobody wants to ensure you to drive a f*****g Honda Civic for no less than $350, like me.
Even my f*****g car, it was my dream car and it still is the car I would be driving today had just taken care of the goddamn thing. But no it started leaking oil and I didn’t keep up with it or take it in and now I have to drive a goddamn Civic when I used to drive a Lexus.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
#43
Those are probably not friends for life - ok, slim chances for some.
Image credits: evidentlychickentown
#44
Their children will blame their generation for all their problems#45
Early successes at this stage in your life won’t necessarily give you an advantage later, but early failures will likely hold you back significantly. Basically getting straight As in high school will leave you closer to the mean than failing a number of classes.
Image credits: cholula_is_good
#46
High school won’t last forever#47
The price of rent and housing they will have to deal with in a few years
Image credits: Kyounokaze
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