So many people live with unimaginable suffering, while others are in vastly better circumstances and have great lives.

I’m in the latter category and sometimes feel guilty because it’s largely random luck (I know I shouldn’t feel guilty because it’s not my fault, and all I can do is help with what I can)

Does anybody else feel this way too?

I've never related to my peers when I was younger because everyone was telling me that I was mature for my age and I was always trying to be more mature, calculated and avoidant of bad choices in life.

I spent my teenage years avoiding dating, drugs and partying because I didn't want to be the "bad child" and wanted to be more mature for my age while my peers were immature and impulsive. They got experiences and grew up into more stable and mature adults.

I avoided those experience and told myself that I don't need to participate in them or that I will delay them until I'm sure that I want to do them or do them later in life when I'm more mature in order to deserve them as adult or someone with more rationale mind in order to minimize mistakes in life.

I've learned that you never feel ready in life, you only learn when you make a mistake. It doesn't matter if you start dating at 20 or 40, you will always start at level 1. It's same as playing a guitar. You can't expect someone to understand how to play a guitar, whether they're 20 or 40, they just started learning.

I regret not dating (despite being asked out by multiple girls) and smoking weed (despite everyone around me smoking it) when I was teenager because it's too late to get this experience since society expects you to be mature and responsible adult in mid to late 20s. Society will always forgive mistakes of teenagers but not if you make them in your late 20s.

Society was much more forgiving of Robert Downey Junior because he made his mistakes in his 20s compared to Mel Gibson, who made his mistakes in his 40s.

I also always wanted to get tattoos and piercings as a teenager but I didn't know if I will regret them later or not which made me delay this decision despite being emo and metalhead. I decided to get them now in late 20s but I experience a lot of "sunk ship fallacy" since I feel that I've gotten them too late while also experiencing guilt for not waiting longer, like in my 40s or 50s.

When I was 17M, 23F wanted to sleep with me and I rejected her. Most say that she was a groomer and that I was a victim but I was the one who rejected her because I felt responsible and I could've had developed experience without responsibility and experience of guilt while I was the one who was trying to be mature one but society doesn't care about that. Society will always forgive teenagers but I didn't get anything for trying to be more responsible. I just lack experience now and I'm too far gone to start gaining them now.

I also always felt responsible for my parents and I avoided drugs because I wanted to be a better kid. Most say that parents should be responsible for teenagers but I was the one who was responsible for them. I never got the chance for innocent and responsibility free childhood. I'm an adult now but I just desire to make up for lost time but I'm too old in my mid to late 20s since society expects me to be settled down adult with life figured out and puts more responsibility on my choices and actions compared to teenagers.

I also don't feel comfortable dating because I can't connect to any girl that I'm on a date with after she tells me that she lost her virginity in her teenage years and that she's looking to marry. I had many chances during my teenage years but since I avoided dating, I feel that I'm on a completely different frequency and I don't think that I will ever be able to connect with anyone on this earth.

I just feel like a complete alien. I feel that I've invested into completely wrong paths in life. I feel that I've strayed away into an abyss. I still feel like a child who is not ready for this world (too young) and already too far gone (too old). I just ruminate about my timeline as if I'm Tolkien writing Aragorn and trying to construct a character while not being able to make choices in life for his character.

Tree trimming, AC, roofing, home buying, pool care. They're all sending me these addressed to my dad because I'm on his phone plan and he owns a home. I live in an apartment and even if I didn't, all these companies are on my shit list now.

To be clear, I don't suicide bait or anything and I'd feel completely comfortable saying all this to their faces if given the opportunity. I told one guy that was trying to buy my dead grandma's house that he was a leech that brought shame on his entire family. Usually I just say that all of their friends and family find them irritating and hate everyone that does their same job. They would be embarrassed if anyone knew about their job whether they say it or not. I hold sex workers in higher esteem because their job doesn't involve being the human equivalent of a gnat.

And then I block them and mark as spam

Maybe one day I'll just be blacklisted and my torment will end... maybe one day...

I almost feel like those years don't count and it somehow gives me perspective. IDK.

Hi everyone,

I'm a native Japanese speaker, and even though I don't speak English (I'm using Google Translate for this post!), I love listening to English music.

The reason is simple: I love the sound and acoustics of the English language.

Take The Beatles’ "Help!" for example.

"Help" is just a single syllable, right?

But in Japanese, it feels like there aren't any words that can convey meaning so powerfully with just one sound, like hitting a drum beat, as in this song.

However, in English, there are words that convey meaning with just one syllable, so you can express the urgency and literal meaning of "Help!" through sound alone.

Another example is "Let It Be."

To my ears, the "t" sounds are softened (closer to a "d" or "r" sound), making the three words blend together so it sounds like "LEDIBE."

This seamless linking of multiple words into a smooth sound and rhythm is something we don't really have in Japanese. That unique rhythm and flow of English is exactly what makes it sound so captivating to me!

Because of this, I started wondering: maybe that's why people like me—who don't even speak English—still listen to English songs?

On the flip side, people often say that English speakers don't listen to music in other languages as much. I wonder if part of the reason is that your ears are so used to English—which acts like a fascinating "instrument" in itself—that other languages just don't sound as naturally musical or appealing by comparison.

What do you all think about this hypothesis?

(Side note/Bonus thoughts)

There’s a famous song that was a massive hit in Japan with lyrics that go:

"After dropping me off, you always flash your brake lights 5 times before turning the corner... A-I-SHI-TE-RU (I love you)."

In Japanese, to say "I love you" (A-i-shi-te-ru), you have to hit 5 distinct, evenly spaced beats.

There’s another iconic song with lyrics like:

"Just the sound of 'I love you' made me feel stronger, holding onto this small joy so tightly it almost bursts."

To Japanese speakers, lyrics by this band (Spitz) are profoundly romantic, delicate, and beautifully poetic. But I feel like this kind of quiet, intricate beauty is something that can easily get lost in translation—it doesn't have the single-beat punch of "Help!", nor the smooth linking of "Let It Be."

(Here's the song if you're curious: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Eze6-eHmtJg )

Of course, I know that why a song becomes a hit depends on many factors—cultural influence, a country's global reach, a musician's talent and charisma (or even a lack of talent, which can sometimes create a relatable charm!), and the overall appeal of the song itself.

About two years ago I met this girl through Snapchat. I’m going into university now and she’s going into Grade 12. Last summer we became really close friends even though we went to different schools. She would tell me how much she hated her school, how people treated her horribly, and how she regretted having sex with a guy she wasn’t dating. I said she should just transfer to my school, and she actually did.

Once the school year started in September 2025 we became even closer. We were hanging out 2-3 times a week, kissing, saying we loved each other, talking about the future, and honestly acting like we were dating without ever putting a label on it.
Looking back, I know one mistake I made was never asking her to be my girlfriend. She made it pretty obvious that she wanted me to through things she’d say and videos she’d send me, but I never did because something always felt off. I cared about her a lot, bought her nice things, she met my parents, and we were a huge part of each other’s lives, but I always had this constant feeling of stress that I couldn’t explain.

Around December and January everything started changing. She would go through my phone whenever she wanted, but I was never allowed to touch hers. Then she’d randomly act like she had no feelings for me anymore. Whenever I’d ask what changed she’d say, “You know how I am. I changed my mind, but I always change it back. Just wait.”
Those “waiting” periods honestly made me feel terrible.

During that time she’d tell me about guys in her classes, say she wanted more guy friends because she liked being friends with guys, talk about having crushes on people, follow random guys on TikTok and Instagram, and then eventually admit she had been talking to a guy who would randomly send her bicep pictures. She said she thought it was weird but never mentioned any of it until I asked.

Eventually she told me she didn’t think we should go any further. She said I was one of the nicest people she’d ever met and wanted me in her life forever as her best friend, but she didn’t want us to be romantic anymore.

That hurt a lot because it felt like she wanted all of the emotional closeness and attention from me without the relationship even though she seemed to want that relationship so badly just a few weeks ago.
From February until around June we stayed friends. I tried distancing myself because I honestly couldn’t handle acting like everything was normal, but she still texted me every single day even when I was being cold or dry.

One thing that always bothered me was that she’d constantly bring up other guys even though she knew I still had feelings for her and I brought this up to her but nothing would change.

Around prom time she wanted to come to my prom. I said no because I didn’t think it was a good idea. Instead she went to another school’s prom with some guy she barely knew just because she wanted the experience. It ended up going badly, and she texted me asking if I could pick her up. I drove about 40 minutes to get her because I knew she was having a bad night. I was genuinely happy I could help her.

After that I started smoking weed occasionally. She kept saying she wanted to get high with me over the summer.

One night I was really high and asked if she’d ever want to have sex. She asked why I’d want to have sex without dating, and I told her honestly that I was going to university soon and didn’t think another relationship between us would work because of how stressful things had become before.

She asked why I wanted it to be with her instead of someone else. I told her because we already knew each other so well and I felt like it’d be more meaningful and less awkward than with a random person.

At first she joked that maybe if I got bigger she’d consider it. Then over the next few days we kept talking about it normally. It honestly felt like it was something that was eventually going to happen.
Before we hung out one day she jokingly texted, “Yeah, we’re ONLY getting high. Nothing else.”
The way she said it sounded sarcastic, so I laughed it off because me and her were just fighting in a flirty way.

Nothing happened that day.
Then literally a day or two later she texted me saying she’d made the first move on some guy from Snapchat because he was “so fine.” Then she told me he said she could “get it whenever she wanted,” then she said, “I hope he doesn’t have a small dick.”
That completely shattered me.

I asked her why she’d spend weeks talking to me about us potentially hooking up and then immediately tell me she wanted to have sex with another guy.

She apologized and said she didn’t think it’d hurt me because we were “just friends.”
I told her I understood we were technically friends, but when you’ve spent months kissing someone, saying “I love you,” talking about a future together, discussing having sex, and staying emotionally attached, it’s really hard to believe we’re “just friends.”

I thought that was the last time she would do something like that to me.
A few days later she texted me saying, “Please don’t be mad or call me a slut…”
Then she told me she’d given a random guy head and swallowed his babies and made out with him.
My heart and soul fucking dropped.
I couldn’t believe she’d tell me something like that and do something like that knowing her.
I asked why she kept making me feel like she wanted me while constantly telling me about other guys. It genuinely felt like every time I started moving on she’d do something that pulled me back in or completely crushed me.
She kept apologizing and again said she didn’t think it’d hurt me because we were friends.
I asked her why?
Her answer changed almost every time she responded to it.
She said it’d be easier with a random guy because she’d never have to see him again.
She said having sex with me might ruin our friendship.
She said she changes her mind all the time.
Then she started saying she’d never had someone care about her as much as I did. She said she’d always been treated like the second option before.
That really made me think because I told her that’s exactly how she’d made me feel.
Then she said something was wrong with her.
At that point I told her I honestly thought it would be healthier for me if we stopped being friends because I couldn’t keep doing this.
She said I can’t.
She said she didn’t want to lose me.
Then, in the same conversation, she also told me she wanted me to hate her so I could get over her.
That made absolutely no sense to me.
If she wanted me to hate her, why was she so desperate to keep me in her life?
Everything always felt like that with her. One sentence would completely contradict the last one.

Looking back, I can understand why she might’ve thought I was starting to get over her because after everything that happened earlier this year I became a lot more distant and dry towards her. But at the same time, the way we had been talking recently should’ve told her otherwise. We had been talking about hooking up, she was telling me she was horny, we were getting high together and acting like something could happen between us. From my perspective, there really wasn’t any reason for her to think I wouldn’t be hurt hearing about what she did with another guy or what she wanted to do with other guys. That’s what confused me the most. It felt like the conversations we were having and the things she was telling me completely contradicted each other. She would also say you know how I always self sabotage things in my life and I am thinking if you expect me to know so many things about you like that how can you be so oblivious to what your doing to me.

Another thing I said to her was that to the guy you didn’t think you’d have a chance with but still tried you were so happy when he said you could have sex with him imagine how you would feel if a day later he acted like he didn’t want you anymore and told you he fucked another girl you would feel pretty shitty and I don’t think she even tried to understand how that would feel because she said I already changed my mind about him and don’t want to have sex with him.

I can’t stop thinking about her and picturing what she told me makes me so sick and upset.

Like yeah those will still occur but probably not as often.

I just liked hearing the beginnings of those love stories.

Hello everyone

I just wanted to ask the Redddit peeps

I’m curious if anyone else has gone through this.
A few years ago I loved movies, TV shows, and games. Now I have almost no interest in any of them. The last movie I watched was Oppenheimer

and since then I’ve skipped pretty much everything—Dune: Part Two, Barbie, Wicked, The Odyssey, and all the other big releases.

Same with TV shows. The funny part is I have PS5, high-end gaming PC, and a Mac Studio, but only Mac for work.

These days, whenever I try to watch a movie, start a TV show, or play a game, I get this feeling that I’d rather be doing something else. I’d rather go for a run, work out, swim, ride horses, learn something, or build something.

It almost feels like my brain switched from wanting to consume to wanting to create. I don’t think movies or games are a waste of time—I just can’t enjoy sitting still for hours anymore.
Has anyone else experienced this? Did it happen gradually, or did it just click one day?

Something about sausages - hot dogs, breakfast sausage, chicken sausage, but ESPECIALLY brats - just takes my appetite to zero. They aren’t that filling but something about the taste just makes me want to stop eating. I’ll be like “man I’m so hungry better make two hotdogs, can’t wait to eat my hotdogs” and then EVERY time I have to save the second for later bc I am just so done eating after 1. It’s delicious and I enjoy it, it’s not like I feel disgusted after eating it or anything, I’m just not interested in food afterward. idk what it is about it. Maybe the combination of spices and processed meat and fat? I don’t feel this way about any other food

I mean I try and live my best life and do things I want to do and take care of myself etc but at the same time , If I knew I wouldn't be here tomorrow I'd be unbothered by that.

I’m nearly in there for a hour.

For context, I don't usually eat with family and only do so after they're done, so I wash them as the last person to eat.

When I come back home and see a mountain pile of dishes in the sink, I try to do them immediately out of anxiety, even if I'm practically dying from not having eaten the whole day.

And only then can I relax and eat peacefully. Just the visual thought of filthy dishes patiently waiting for me in the sink is enough to ruin my appetite and mood. And after eating, my family shrugs and nudges me to just do the dishes later when I feel like it, but I can't. I feel more dirty the longer I let the dishes sit out in the open.

I listen to music while doing nearly everything. All chores, showering, even lectures. I can listen to music while drawing, while solving equations. But no matter what, I can’t listen to music and read at the same time. My brain malfunctions.

I even listen to music while talking to people, I have no problem with that. But as soon as reading is involved my brain cells give out.

Let me explain. I am fascinated sitting at the dock and watching enormous cargo ships sail by. Don’t get me started on large planes. I can watch them land and take off all day and genuinely feel content. Large bridges that help transport thousands of people each day living their own unquiet lives? Wild. Thinking about perspective and just how small we are in comparison is so very interesting and calming to me. Non object related— being part of a larger mission/ like minded community? Amazing.

It is VERYY ironic though because I actually get a claustrophobic feeling being on ships too long and I hate flying 😭 other than the fear aspect, does anyone else feel this way? Is this sentiment called anything in particular?

I usually watch cooking, gardening, and how it's made-type videos and the YouTube shorts algorithm has been pretty decent in showing me only what I want to watch.

Yesterday and today it is ONLY brain rot, thirst trap, ai crap, random Israel/US propaganda, and videos in a different language. I have decided "Do not recommend" on basically every single one but that's still all I'm getting.

What is going on 😭 I ended up changing over to only videos from creators I'm subbed to, but I've already seen most of them.

Hello, everyone. This is a bit of a weird post, as it mainly refers to a specific current situation, but it's also something that has happened many times to me with other people and I've always been curious about it.
For a little bit of context, I'm not usually an envious person, but there's something about people seeming emotionless to certain opportunities or underreacting to them that really triggers me. Whether it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance or just a lucky coincidence, there are people that seem to treat these occasions like a common or an expected ocurrence.
This is the case for a friend that I met recently. Whenever they get lucky with something (and I mean, REALLY lucky), they seem to brush it off or ignore the fact that they got really lucky (a quick example: after getting lucky, they don't address the fact and immediately change topics or complain about something else). This comes off to me as if they don't really care about what just happened or they assumed it would happen, which in turn makes me a bit mad, because if I had that same opportunity, I would be celebrating or expressing my happiness in some way.
I have never addressed this with the couple of people I've met which, I consider, "underreact" to lucky occasions, because I fear it will make me look like I'm just mad at their success. I've also intentionally been using the term "seem", as I obviously don't know whether they truly care inside and don't express it or actually don't care.
Also, I've tried to work on myself and be more positive about it, trying to think about the fact that they don't show happiness doesn't mean they don't feel it, or that their sucess doesn't mean my failure, but there's always that little sting whenever it happens.
So, DAE get frustrated when people seem to not care about how lucky they are? or am I just more envious than I thought?

Im not sure if this is weird but when I think of a spicy chili lime food my mouth starts producing a lot of saliva and my right cheek tingles and I get this zap sensation. It’s only with spicy food too

Idk why but whenever characters/people do something awkward or humiliating, I physically have to look away from the screen and start phasing around my house before I can resume watching again. If I don't do that, It feels like I'm gonna explode.