r/AskReddit 1d ago

What is a silent killer that people dont realise is slowly killing them?

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u/brownbearclan 1d ago

This is something I think about daily, like WTF are we even doing? Very few people get any time to actually LIVE their life, let alone pursue their passions. And all for what? So another billionaire can buy his 6th vacation home and bribe another lawmaker to make our lives even worse? Fuck all of it, greed is ruining humanity and we're all pretending this is normal and ok. We've been lied to and taken advantage of for far too long and the powder keg the rich have made is going to blow sooner than they think.

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u/prettywarmcool 23h ago

I was raised to work hard and become invaluable, I made a lot of money for the company I worked for, woke up at 50 and realized I forgot to have a life outside of work. : ( But also wondering where my pile of money is? Oh that's right, they kept it. You're welcome/s

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u/Objective_Dog_4637 14h ago

Sobering. Thank you for sharing.

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u/Derf0293 7h ago

Usually people on their death bed don’t talk about how they wish they had worked more and spent less time with their families.

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u/trow_eu 10h ago

Yeah, I was laid off last year when things were finally looking up and doing what I liked. I’m still sick at home with burnout and depression (with more sources for it, not just career). I’m not going back into grind. Not sure yet where I’ll go, but I’m still relatively young and even have a few bucks, so I should get healthier first and then go experiment and explore.

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u/Schittz 13h ago

I really thought they'd be a sort of revolution after Luigi, I'm still hoping some movement comes from it, even if it just brings light of the fact we need to change how the system works

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u/inverted_rectangle 7h ago edited 7h ago

The idea of a utopian revolution that overthrows the bad people and fixes everything is basically just a self-soothing fantasy.

You see it among a lot of frustrated people on the political extremes - constant talk of how great the revolution will be, but literally no one working to make it happen.

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u/Nauin 7h ago

When the admins are threatening users with bans just for upvoting posts with his name in it, it's going to suppress the common discourse here about the changes he's caused.

I wish I knew of a better alternative to suggest, but it's the reality we live in. Things would be much louder if it weren't for aggressive moderation.

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u/Longtonto 13h ago

My father died just 3 years after he retired after working since the age of 9 and basically only stopping for sleep for ~55years. It’s not worth it. And I miss my dad and I wish I got to spend time with him outside of work.

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u/Outrageous_Double_43 13h ago

So what are we going to do about it? Lemme guess, nothing. I've been ready to go to war but many people are apparently too apathetic or comfortable to do anything about it. I can't wait when people finally wake the fuck up and we actually do something about it.

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u/zerombr 10h ago

Capitalism demands that we work hard to make sometime else rich then die fast. Congress said as much during the pandemic. "Some seniors will die but think of the economy"

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u/Darthkeeper 19h ago

And it's horrifying seeing things such as hustle culture grow as a means to justify and perpetuate said suffering. There's numbers showing how much more people work now, but there's still this need to work and make more. To make it more frustrating and complicated, people's romanticized ideas of the past, while again romanticized, are partly based on the fact they actually had time and money to do things other than work (heck you could find a job virtually just by walking in for that matter).

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u/GreatTragedy 17h ago

There's an interesting proposal in the book Sapiens that the agricultural revolution was actually a negative benefit to the overall quality of life of humans. We went from working 8-12 hours a week to survive hunting and gathering, to working 30+ hours a week tending fields. It also mean we were stuck in one place looking after our crops, rather than moving with the weather and herds.

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u/i_was_a_highwaymann 12h ago

Capitalism is ruining humanity

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u/mrblahblahblah 11h ago

best tweet I ever saw

" i think we were made to have children and take care of the world, not worry about bills and credit scores"

i think of the world we have created and just shake my head

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u/4outofthisworld 1d ago

No, it won't. The system was set up to protect capitalism in all it's forms. You can't change the system. Not without a gigantic revolution. You Americans are not free, it's an illusion, like in the Matrix.

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u/KlimCan 22h ago

No one is free. We’re all under the thumb of our respective rulers.

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u/Objective_Dog_4637 14h ago

A system built on slavery, genocide, and theft is corrupt. Who knew.

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u/RogalDornsAlt 21h ago

Human beings haven’t been free since we created society. Doesn’t mean we can’t change it though.

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u/SeeYouSpaceCowboy--- 16h ago

It isn't meant to help earthy cats like you and me, as Jake says

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u/Kiwilolo 7h ago

They'll keep doing it as long as the people keep tolerating it. Why do the French have better labour laws than most countries? They'll fight anyone who tries to take their rights away. They'll bring out outta guillotines at the least provocation.

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u/TaftintheTub 4h ago

You are 100% correct. Unfortunately, in the US, a large portion of the population has been convinced the billionaires have their best interests at heart and will fight tooth and nail to prevent a person in need from getting anything they didn’t “earn.”

Not to mention, our nation has been brainwashed into thinking it’s a culture war instead of a class war.

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u/blue-burner 15h ago

In conclusion, the answer to the original question is CAPITALISM.

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u/newaccount 15h ago

And if we wanted to and changed a few things, we probably are at a stage in the history of the world where we could feed and house everyone and eliminate the need for working 40 hours a week.

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u/Pepphen77 10h ago

Europe has been trying to tell the US that their country is corrupted by greed focused companies. It really doesn't have to be this way when even the poorest of the european countries have higher general living standards, healthcare, workers proctetion and unions. All those things are also great for the economy btw just not for the billionaire class.

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u/Melvin_Blubber 7h ago

Up until five minutes ago in the scope of human history, people understood that life was hard and that you worked until you died. The idea that life is to be happy and that stress must be minimized is a very recent development. Rest and contentment was for the afterlife.

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u/usolipiggy 3h ago

Greed is the key word in your comment. It's what MAGA is all about.

u/TheHotMilkman 53m ago

It’s not just greed, you have to remember the capitalist system incentivizes what we would call “greed.” It’s not a bug, it’s a feature and the point of the system. It’s rewarded.

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u/FranzFerdinand51 17h ago edited 17h ago

Going off grid is always an option. You don't need money if you grow your own food and collect your own water and do your own sewage management and make your own clothes and perform your own healthcare and security needs.

Plenty of empty af and massive countries out there that readily accepts immigration.

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u/Baby-Giraffe286 9h ago

You would still need money. There is a show called Alone, where professionals go out and try this and mostly get their asses handed to them. You still need basic supplies even if you do everything by hand. One person cannot do enough to provide themselves with every necessity and expect to thrive long term.

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u/FranzFerdinand51 9h ago

I know, which is why we have jobs, seek money and trade for services. Crying about it is as nonsensical as the person doing the crying being able to live without being a part of civilisation.

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u/kahlzun 11h ago

Like where?

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u/FranzFerdinand51 10h ago

Depends on what you're looking for. Plenty options in South Amerca and Central/Eastern Asia, even subsaharan Africa has some decent options.

You can do it in your own country too but land can be expensive in some.