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Common Sense Isn’t All That Common: 42 ‘Obvious’ Things People Only Just Learned
What is ‘obvious’ to you and me might not be clear to someone else. And vice versa! Common sense isn’t all that common. Not to mention that all of us, no matter our education, have gaps in our knowledge that we’re not aware of. It takes quite a bit of guts and tons of humility to admit that.
Members of the r/AskReddit online community recently opened up about the ‘really obvious’ things they only just realized. Scroll down for a good laugh, as well as a reminder that we’re not so different when it comes to our info blindspots, after all.
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#1
I learned where "Pulling out all the stops" came from a couple of years ago (watching a documentary on Interstellar's music). It's from playing organs...air is blown thru the organ's pipes to play notes - and you have "stops" in there if you don't want a particular pipe to play. So when you pull out all the stops, you get all the pipes playing...
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Most of us want to be accepted and respected by our family and friends, as well as coworkers and strangers alike. Like it or not, social connections and reputation matter to lots of people. Naturally, this means that some folks want to present themselves in the best possible light. That means showing off their best qualities while subtly hiding the worst ones.
For many people, losing their social standing and being publicly humiliated is one of the most horrible things that can happen to them. That’s why they obsess so much about projecting power and authority and avoid behaviors that can make them look weak… like admitting that they don’t know something about a subject many others do.
#4
My sister learned recently that when you're at the grocery store and opening the egg carton that you're checking for cracked eggs and not just making sure that they are in fact eggs in the carton.
#6
I am 19 and I have had ADHD and a sleeping disorder my whole life. I decided to go to the doctor and figure out w*f was wrong with me after I turned 18. Turned out I wasn’t stupid just undiagnosed going without meds. So now just about every adult looks at me like a lazy b*m that fell asleep in every class and couldn’t pay attention or understand assignments. When I got on meds (senior year) I was #16 of my class in the top 20%.
The problem with wanting to be seen as ‘perfect’ at all times is that it’s utterly unsustainable. Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have a lot to learn about the world, even if we have a few fancy degrees under our belts.
However, how we react to our mistakes and ignorance says a lot about who we are, how we approach learning, and whether we have a growth-oriented mindset. Admitting that we’ve been wrong about something and owning up to our knowledge gaps can be embarrassing. If you deny that you’ve been wrong, you’ll only push people away from you. On the other hand, when you embrace your embarrassment and admit to having been wrong, you paradoxically draw people in. Your humility makes you seem more human.
#7
How the American bail system works. I thought it was a sum of money you paid to avoid jail. I was surprised when I realized you get the money BACK if you show up for your trial.
#8
I was like 25 when I found out the jugs of washer fluid outside the gas station aren’t free. I was walking out of the gas station with a buddy one day, grabbed a jug of washer fluid, and he asked me “did you just steal that?” And I was like “No, dude, it’s free”. It’s not, I stole washer fluid for nearly ten years of driving and no one ever said anything to me about it.
#9
In high school science class we were watching a video and it was then that I realized Reindeer are, in fact, real creatures and not just mythical beings for the purpose of pulling Santa’s sled.
Even though there’s absolutely no way to learn everything there is to know about the world, we can do our best to fill in our knowledge gaps as we become aware of them.
For instance, if you suddenly realize that you thought that reindeer were mythical creatures, you could do some research about the animal. Read up on them online. Go to your local library for some more resources. Visit a wildlife sanctuary and see them with your own two eyes.
#10
That the drummer for Nirvana really was Dave Grohl, and not just a guy that looks really similar.
#11
Water towers are for water pressure, not just a town putting its name on a tank and saying "Hey look how much dang water WE have."
#12
I feel so dumb for this but I just learned that ‘Rainbow Baby’ is a mother’s next baby after having a miscarriage. I just assumed it was a term of endearment for a queer baby. I know. I know. 🤦🏽♀️
Similarly, if you suddenly realize that you’ve been oblivious about saving and investing, there’s no time like the present to brush up on your knowledge and start your journey toward financial independence. Of course, you’re bound to have some regrets about not knowing something earlier. However, the best time to correct your mistakes is the present. And if you’re cringing about the person you were in the past, it only means that you’ve grown!
For some more ‘obvious’ knowledge gaps that folks only realized they had later in life, take a peek at Bored Panda’s earlier post.
#13
Not me, but my 21yo cousin just realized he is mildly allergic to peanut butter, and has been his whole life. Up until now, he had assumed EVERYONE'S throat closed up a little while eating a pb&j sandwich, but they just fought through it.
#15
I recently realized that “Howdy” is short for “How do you do?” I actually just googled it, and it’s technically short for “How do ye?” However, my realization still makes sense.
#16
I just found out yesterday that I have aphantasia, meaning I can't visualize images in my mind. When I think about an object I just know that I'm thinking about it, but I don't see anything when I close my eyes.
#18
This past weekend, that the girl that invited me to an after party at her place and then asked for me to crash in her bed was not simply just being nice, I am f*****g stupid.
#19
I can't eat any type of nut. It messes with my stomach lining. I genuinely thought nuts just made everyone sick after eating them. Like salsa. Edit: I've discovered something about salsa today.
#20
That sign you see near schools with the two people crossing holding books? I was stuck in traffic a few weeks ago and suddenly realized it wasn't two women with purses.
#22
I'm Norwegian, and was at least thirty before I realized that the tomatoes crossing the road schoolyard joke (two tomatoes cross the road, one gets run over, the other says "Come on, catch up") has, in what I assume is the original English, a punchline. Well, for a schoolyard joke, anyway. Norwegian kids tell the same joke, but there's no catch up/ketchup pun in Norwegian, so they just tell a joke where the squashed tomato is now ketchup. At some point a kid who knew enough English to have heard the joke but not enough for the pun told it to younger kids, who assumed it was funny because an older kid was telling it, and it has been repeated between children for generations.
#25
I grew up in Poland. When a person was arrested on a crime that was publicized, the media will only list their first name and the first initial of last name, to protect their identity before conviction, e.g. Peter G. My friend thought that all criminals had one letter last names and he was surprised the police wouldn’t just go all Minority Report on them and arrest all people with one letter last names.
#28
That the phrase mint condition means like new because it's the condition coins leave the mint in.
#29
I am not responsible for other people's lives. Feels a little better accepting that I don't have to stress too much over supporting my family. I shouldn't feel too overwhelmed to the point of having suicidal ideations just from the stress alone. Edit : No, I don't have kids. I'm single, been supporting my family (parents, siblings) for 10 years.
#30
I only realized recently, at 40 years old, that a "fortnight" is called that because it's like "fourteen nights"... I think because I always remembered it as two weeks, and not 14 days.
#31
That sometimes things are just the way they are, you can't change the situation you're in, only your actions and your emotions and how you react to them. I guess I realized that certain situations sometimes feel unfair or are not favourable to your needs and you have to find happiness in the best way you can and live your life. Sometimes you gotta make sacrificies because that's the only option.
#32
I know "felix" is the Latin word for "happy," but only recently did I discover the name Felix is also known to mean "lucky." Now I'm getting the irony of naming a *black cat* "Felix the Cat." (For those who don't know, Felix is an old cartoon, and there's a superstition that a black cat crossing your path is very *un*lucky.)
#33
Colonoscopies aren’t just for looking for cancer and other issues. It’s preventative for cancer because they remove the polyps where it starts. I’m pretty up on medical stuff, didn’t know that.
#34
I'm 50 ish. For the last couple years I kept feeling that I'm getting close to retirement and I'm only going to have a few years to do what I want... Then I realized I could only be halfway there! What if I live till I'm 90? That's 40 more years! I have time to do absolutely anything I want to! It was just this crazy sort of epiphany that went you're looking at this all wrong! Life isn't over at 60 or 65, you still have a lot of time!
#35
I didn't know there are two little bumps on the F and J keys so your hands know where to center while typing. I only learned this when my kids wanted to try typing and it's the first lesson!
#36
My wife and I are both in our 50's. She told me recently that she just realized the song Black Velvet, by Allanah Myles, is about Elvis.
#37
I used to think that clapper thing in movies was to get the actors' attention. Not for editing.
#39
Last year I realized that when you sign your "initials" they are called that because they are the first letters, i.e. the initial letters, of your name.
#41
I should have been twisting the bottom of my deodorant to push the plastic cover out instead of using my teeth.
#42
When I was 15 I realized rice isn’t pasta chopped in small pieces.
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