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Being wise, you could argue, is all about uncovering the multiple layers of illusion that this onion called ‘Life' has to offer to get to the core full of Truth. Or, to put it in less oniony terms, if we accept what the world's really like (not what we personally believe it to be like), we can focus on what's really important without stumbling about in the dark.

However, that means swallowing a looooot of inconvenient truths that prickle and pinch our egos and make us want to curl up like hedgehogs. Twitter user Colevsthewrld created a viral thread where people shared the hardest truths to swallow that they know of, so scroll on down for the best responses. Upvote the ones you know to be true.

Psst, Pandas, when you're done munching on all of these truth-pills, Bored Panda's got another post about inconvenient truths right over here for dessert. We hope you're like Neo from ‘The Matrix' cuz we're about to dive deep into reality and look past the (un)comfortable simulation we live in.

Colevsthewrld used the well-known ‘hard to swallow pill' meme template to illustrate their post that got over 50k retweets and 16.8k likes. The meme was created just over 3 years ago (happy birthday!), in February of 2018, after going viral on Reddit.

‘Know Your Meme' explains that the image used in the meme can be found on WikiHow's article called “How to Lower Myostatin Levels.”

#4

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genmnz Report

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Sum Guy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The problem is people thinking they are stuck with family... if they are not good for you, leave them.

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#5

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69_pro1 Report

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oddkiddo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not necessarily true. Some people do demand sacrifice. Then run. Fast.

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#6

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ayeitsbentley Report

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Malakai
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is true. I've been the toxic person before, and I realized my shortcomings too late and lost a very dear friend as a result. The scary thing, though? I honestly had no idea that my behavior was inappropriate, and I held no malice or ill will towards my friend. But unfortunately I was in a bad place, and they were the unfortunate victim of my lashing out. I'm much better now, but I hate what it cost me to get better.

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While it's popular to believe that everything's subjective and just depends on your point of view, that's an overly-individualistic view of the world. There are objective facts about reality, life, and the human condition that need to be accepted for what they are without any rose-tinted glasses or disbelief just because “somebody doesn't like it.”

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Now, this doesn't mean that we can do away with looking at existence with our emotions (they're an integral part of being human, after all), but it does require setting our feelings aside, even if for a moment, and taking a long, hard look past the ego-trips, biases, denialism, and politicization. Life becomes full of shades of gray, instead of just being black-and-white. It's complex. It's messy. It's… well, it's human.

#7

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AdelaineMorin Report

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Joey Marlin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't personally subscribe to the 'meant to be'. Yes, I think some people are in our lives for a short while because we get what we need out of that relationship and then move on. They fulfil a particular need at the time. That's not 'meant to be'.

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#8

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432hz__ Report

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Draco Malfoy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one. This is why sometimes the saying: Put others before yourself, can be damaging, because you can't help other people if you don't help yourself first.

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#9

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OmobaPaul Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You could literally be the best person in the world and people will still dislike you. It is literally impossible for everyone to like you so it’s best stop trying to please every Tom, D**k and Harry.

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It's incredibly easy to judge someone for not seeing the truth about something. I mean, we'd never do that ourselves, would we, dear Pandas? Unfortunately, each and every single one of us is privy to our own biases, blind spots, and teeny-tiny denials that would make us facepalm if we could see ourselves from the side. So instead of rushing to judge others for being “blind to the truth,” let's take a look at why people might not want to accept the truth.

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#11

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kaylin__1204 Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup, I shouldn’t expect it, been waiting for over a year. Apparently I have to apologise to receive an apology yet I have literally done NOTHING wrong. That is the problem with narcissistic people.

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#12

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nanashi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it's missing a word. "they would also make an effort TOO". it's important to make sure that the feelings are mutual. one side should not be the ONLY one making the effort.

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In an article for The Guardian, sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris argues that we're all in denial, some of the time. However, this denialism becomes a problem when, according to him, it becomes public dogma.

“Denialism is an expansion, an intensification, of denial. At root, denial and denialism are simply a subset of the many ways humans have developed to use language to deceive others and themselves. Denial can be as simple as refusing to accept that someone else is speaking truthfully. Denial can be as unfathomable as the multiple ways we avoid acknowledging our weaknesses and secret desires.”

#14

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Dre_Ova Report

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nanashi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know a person who always does little trivial favour for me (which I never really ask for), then one day would come to me to ask a Really Big Favour and will say "but I help you ALL the time, why can't you do this one thing for me?".

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Kahn-Harris continues: “Denialism is more than just another manifestation of the humdrum intricacies of our deceptions and self-deceptions. It represents the transformation of the everyday practice of denial into a whole new way of seeing the world and— most important— a collective accomplishment. Denial is furtive and routine; denialism is combative and extraordinary. Denial hides from the truth, denialism builds a new and better truth.”

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#16

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phillipnandez Report

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Pamda Panda
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the other side of the coin, competence does not justify meanness. You can be right and still be an a$$hole.

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#18

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Joey Marlin
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep. I realised that when my 'friend' started belittling me to make her feel better about herself. Stomped on compliments I got because they weren't aimed at her. Bye-bye time.

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In short, denial (which we all have a tendency toward to some extent) can grow into denialism on a massive, societal level. And that denialism can touch any topic: from the unending debate about whether climate change is ‘real' to the Myths vs. Science mega-battle raging about vaccines.

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#21

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homelessBarbie_ Report

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Lucy Skinner
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So true. The people I know who work the hardest and save the most are poor.

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Kahn-Harris explained that denialism, the inability or unwillingness to face the truth, can have tangible real-world consequences. While some might be small, others are massive and lead to many lost lives.

“There is no doubt that denialism is dangerous. In some cases, we can point to concrete examples of denialism causing actual harm. In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki, in office between 1999 and 2008, was influenced by Aids denialists such as Peter Duesberg, who deny the link between HIV and Aids (or even HIV's existence) and cast doubt on the effectiveness of anti-retroviral drugs. Mbeki's reluctance to implement national treatment programs using anti-retrovirals has been estimated to have cost the lives of 330,000 people.”

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#22

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Kaimandante Report

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Scagsy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the 'ruling class' is the government. Not so. The real power brokers are big business and billionaire CEOs.

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#23

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Paul K. Johnson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm almost 60 and still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

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#24

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Lucas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Realised my parents had flaws when I was eight. Your children may well work this out far earlier than you think.

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He explained that, more recently, we've seen the firsthand effects of vaccine denialism in the US: “On a smaller scale, in early 2017 the Somali-American community in Minnesota was struck by a childhood measles outbreak, as a direct result of proponents of the discredited theory that the MMR vaccine causes autism, persuading parents not to vaccinate their children.”

#25

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Joey Marlin
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ugh. People, not guy/girl and also not true. Some people will be lovely, realise you aren't the right person and be honest and say so as kindly as possible. Doesn't mean they aren't acting 'right' at all.

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#27

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Mewton’s Third Paw
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We weren’t all raised to believe it’s the same way, so “never” is a stretch. So is this whole post really.

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#30

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Note: this post originally had 103 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

So, dear Readers, what did you think? Do you agree that every one of these count as ‘truth pills' or are there some that you'd disagree with? Why? What's the harshest Truth (with a capital ‘T') about life that you think everybody should know? Any tips on helping all of us to set our egos aside? We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences, so write us a comment or two and post it below.