9 Flat-Out Lies We Are Told To Be True Our Entire Lives
We've all grown up on little white lies that were designed to make us feel better, and make us feel like everything in the world is in our favor.
Unfortunately, nobody ever told us that these lies were, well, just lies. We adapted them into truths that are universally accepted.
Don't shoot the messenger, but I am here to tell you why these popular sayings we grew up repeating over and over again are not only flawed, but just flat-out wrong.
1. Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right
Who is the passive aggressive blowhard that first muttered this ridiculous lie? Sometimes the only way to right a wrong is to, in fact, do another wrong.
It’s just common sense; if you are unwilling to break with this theory, you’re going to be a walking, talking doormat the rest of your life.
There is a difference between retaliating to a conflict that will only result in more conflict and standing up for yourself to end wrongdoing.
Not everything can be resolved by running away or conceding. One thing people realize as they get older is that the world is extremely unfair, and people will wrong you for just about any reason. You need to be willing and able to deal with it.
2. Money Isn’t Everything
Now this is a tricky one. If I point out that this is a lie, it would imply that I believe money is actually everything, which is a tough pill to swallow. I do believe there are plenty of great things that money cannot help you obtain.
However, if you were to have zero dollars at all times, what could you actually accomplish? How long could you survive?
Of course, you could be a great person with a heart of gold, but even the most philanthropic leaders of our time needed money to make a difference. That’s why they hold fundraisers and accept donations.
This lie is naïve at best. Can money make you happy? Depending on the person, absolutely. Can money change the world? Depending on the course of action taken, yes.
Unfortunately, it’s been proven to change the world in a negative way, as well. As hard as it is to say, money is actually everything. Even if you want to do the best deed in the world, you need someone’s money to see it through.
3. If You Love Someone, Let Them Go; If They Return, They Were Always Yours
No; just no. This is (logically) the dumbest lie out there. If you genuinely love someone, why would you let him or her go in the first place?
Two things: First off, if you love anything, you don’t let it go and expect it to come back. If you genuinely cared to have someone in your life, the last thing you would want to do is let him or her go.
Secondly, some of you are probably saying, “Well they may just need space or time to come around.” Shut up. There is a difference between giving someone space and letting him or her go.
When you let someone go, this does not mean see each other every single day and just put “it’s complicated” on Facebook. Anyone who wants you to let him or her go, or is willing to accept the fact you want to let go, is not yours and will never be yours.
If you love someone, you do everything in your power to keep him or her, and if doesn't work, you move on. You don’t sit around with your tail between your legs seeing if he or she returns.
4. Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
Why do books even have a cover, then? No, seriously, the whole basis of this quote is to not judge people and really get to know them and find out who they are as a person.
Sometimes people who act sh*tty, talk like sh*tty people and do sh*tty things, are just genuinely sh*tty. There's no need to read that book; it ends with you wanting to light the book on fire for wasting your time, trust me.
I would go as far as to say, always judge a book by its cover. There isn’t enough time in life to give every single person the benefit of the doubt.
5. The Best Is Yet To Come
This may be a great general way to look at life, but sometimes, you just have to face facts. Sometimes the best has come and you better quit denying it before you miss it. If you’re constantly searching for the next best thing, you’re going to miss out on some pretty great stuff.
When you’re in a bad situation, it’s great to have a positive outlook. However, you need to know when to be grateful for the things that have come before they're gone.
6. You Don’t Know What You Have Until It’s Gone
With the exception of a sudden death to a loved one, I absolutely hate this.
Sometimes you realize exactly what you don’t want and you get rid of it. Yes, of course, change can be a little lonely or a shock to the system, but that doesn't mean you made a wrong decision.
This is usually said when you make a tough decision regarding something and you miss the way it used to be. Grow a spine and realize that the world doesn't end with one decision to rid something from your life.
Yes, it will take some time to get used to, but at one point in your life, you survived without this “thing” or “person,” and you will continue to do so. You knew what you had when you had it, and it clearly wasn’t good for you.
7. If It’s Meant To Be, It Will Happen
How lazy are you? Nothing is meant to be. You know what is meant to be? One day, you will die; that’s it.
Death is the only certainty in life. If you want something to happen, you better go out and make it happen. You need to have a plan and desire to make sure that what is “to be” will actually happen.
Otherwise, you’re going to be sitting on your ass for the rest of your life wondering, “Why didn’t it happen?" Leave nothing up to fate, and you’ll never be disappointed.
If you work your ass off for something and don’t get what you wanted at the beginning, you’re a better person for trying. You’ve gained knowledge and experience that other people who sit around and wish for things to happen can’t even comprehend.
8. Everything Happens For A Reason
I hate to break it to you, but sometimes, things just happen, like when you stepped in gum or spilled a drink on yourself.
Yeah, there was no life lesson to be learned there; it just happened. You can’t analyze everything that happens in your life as some sort of cosmic sign trying to tell you something.
Bad sh*t is going to knock you on your ass, and you’re going to need to figure out on the fly how to deal with it. The older you get, the more problems occur. Learn from them.
Don’t overanalyze everything and pretend like if you wouldn't have stepped on that crack that your life would be any different. You are going to be disappointed in a lot of things and a lot of people in life. Trying to figure out why will just handcuff you from moving on.
9. What Other People Think Of You Doesn’t Matter
This is usually muttered by people who are constantly told they are assh*les but don’t want to believe it. Unless you are 100 percent self-sufficient in every aspect of life (which is nearly impossible), then it absolutely matters what other people think of you.
If every important person you deal with in life thinks you’re an assh*le, they’re going to tell anyone who asks about you. Chances are, these people already know.
Look, you can be anything you want in life, assh*le included; however, you have to own it. Don’t expect it to be okay if you’re a sweet, caring person around some people and a giant, miserable piece of trash to others.
Sometimes you need to care about what people think. I would argue you should always care what people think. Hold your reputation in high regard; at some point in life, you will need to rely on other people.
If nobody wants to be around you or do anything for you, you’ll realize how much it matters what people think of you.
Photo Courtesy: We Heart It
