I apologize if my English isn't good.

I am a teenager who is going abroad to study in just 2 weeks. I have been trying my best to spend time with my parents as much as possible but I am having an hard time spending time with my mother.

Don't get me wrong i love my mom very much but I just feel very uncomfortable and awkward around her. She can trigger me with just a word and I don't know why(but sometimes i don't feel like this it's confusing). I just want to run away whenever she hugs or tries to touch me (not only her but my father as well).

I think it's all because of the things I have went through in my childhood (she isn't abusive, maybe just mentally), she has done things I cannot forgive no matter how hard I try. I hate feeling like this because she is my mother but I don't know how to stop it.

I just want to spend time with her before I leave. I love her but showing it is really hard, I don't like hurting her, no matter how many times she has hurt me.

I have found this a frequent occurrence on the internet since the stake is usually incredibly small but people act uncivil all the time. (Hence the immortal advice: touch grass.)

Naturally, most of us who have a regular day life that would drown out most of these unpleasantries, but sometimes a few stick and I would to hear your experience. (And how you frame it into your life/existence in a healthy way.)

Of course, share only if you feel comfortable.

Hi everyone. I’m a 30(F) marketer based in Pakistan. I started my career back in 2018, and while I’m doing really great now, a toxic workplace experience from 2021 still occasionally haunts me. I wanted to share this story to dissect exactly how a toxic group dynamic can systematically target and isolate an individual.

In 2021, I joined a marketing agency. My interview with the manager went incredibly well, and I got the offer the same day. But the moment I stepped into the department (5 guys, 5 girls including me), the vibe was completely off. The team, including my manager, refused to talk to me. I tried to gel in, but they treated me like I was invisible.

One day, my manager asked for some files. I asked for 5 minutes to share them. Instead of waiting, he walked to my desk, grabbed my mouse, and started searching through my personal laptop. When I got confused, the entire room started laughing. When he found the folder, he aggressively said, "What is this garbage?"

I firmly told him, "Please leave my mouse. You cannot touch my laptop or accessories without my permission." The girls in the department just looked at each other and laughed at me. Setting a basic boundary made me an immediate target.

A married, slightly older colleague (let’s call her Faiza) was treated like royalty. Everyone called her "Faiza Baji" (an honorific) out of forced respect. I carried myself with confidence, dressed well, and treated her as an equal colleague. One day she confronted me: "Nobody calls me just by my name. You don’t respect anyone."

I calmly replied, "We are the same age and colleagues. I don’t think I need to call you Baji to show respect." That was the absolute last day of my peace. Her ego was bruised because I refused to bow to her self-made office hierarchy.

A male colleague, Faheem, stepped in as my "savior," warning me that they were scheming against me. Being isolated, I trusted him. During a company-mandated vaccine drive, he was the only one who accompanied me, even filming me jokingly when I was scared of the needle.

Later, during a work lunch, he crossed a major line—he touched me inappropriately and claimed he was "physically attracted" to me. I was disgusted and immediately started maintaining a strict distance from him.

Soon after, I caught Covid-19 and was on bed rest for a month. When I returned, my desk had been moved next to the door. The team asked, "Didn’t you quit? The manager told us you quit and hired a replacement." HR assured me it was just a "joke," but the bullying worsened. In meetings, when it was my turn to speak, they would openly say, "Why do we even need to ask her?" while the manager laughed along.

The breaking point happened over a 5-minute practical favor. My food delivery app wasn't working, so I needed to run to a nearby ATM during the end of my break. Faheem saw me, insisted I’d be late, and offered me a lift on his bike. Out of time pressure, I accepted.

The next thing I knew, the office clique used this to entirely assassinate my character, labeling me a "loose/bad girl." Faheem had clearly leaked it to his friends to feed the gossip mill and punish me for rejecting his advances. The hypocrisy was insane—these same girls vaped and swore with the guys daily, but I was targeted for a 5-minute bike ride.

I finally called an HR meeting with the whole department. It was a circus. Everyone denied everything. Faiza’s friend, Ambreen, stood up and started screaming at me at the top of her lungs, accusing me of being "jealous of Faiza." The neighboring departments could hear her screaming, and people were laughing.

HR told me not to resign because "if you leave, they will think you're the liar." I didn't care. I submitted my resignation and walked out the very next day.

A year later, Faheem texted me trying to apologize because his alliance with the office clique fell apart. He tried to blame others and asked to "be friends." I told him I would never forgive him and blocked him.

Looking back, I realize I was a victim of corporate mobbing—where a toxic group uses psychological warfare to drive out anyone who is independent, competent, and refuses to conform to their toxic hierarchy. I survived, I left, and today I am thriving. But the psychological impact of being ganged up on is very real.

Like just a scenario, you meet this guy, you fall in love with him, you're basically soulmates. But then your best friend is like "I love him too" so you break up with him so your best friend could have him.

Not small talk. Not "What do you do?" or "Where are you from?"

I mean the kind of question that made you stop, the kind that felt like your bones were listening.

Maybe it uncovered something you'd buried. Maybe it changed your life. Maybe you're still trying to answer it.

What's the question, and why did it stay with you?

Genuine question because it just seems messy, but obviously it still can work because there are so many stepmothers and stepfathers with stepchildren. But honestly, is it ever weird at first, and I'm assuming the adults truly care for each other enough to overlook the already having children part. It just boggles my mind how complicated it seems to be, though.

I have a friend right now who is in a pretty bad relationship, and they just refuse to leave it

The guy (19m) she's (20f) dating isn't toxic or abusive, like he's not going to lay hands on her, he's not going to physically or verbally abuse her or anything, he's actually pretty okay guy, but it's just a shitty relationship

He doesn't try to get a job, he's not trying to further his life at all, I've known both of them for 2 years and the whole time his life has been just one mess after another, he's dropped out of two schools, he's ditched her multiple times to go do something else, even her parents don't like him that much, and as recent as literally the last few days she finally got a job offer, and he's pushing her not to accept it because he's afraid he she won't be able to spend as much time with him. like it's just a really terrible relationship

But she constantly keeps putting him up on this pedestal. How is she is able to justify a way this terrible relationship even when in the past ive heard her admit as recently as a couple months ago that she knows she needs to break up with this guy at some point

Why do people stay in these bad relationships? I can't figure out why she stays with him She's a cute funny attractive girl who is going for a medical degree this upcoming semester and he's just, kind of a bum who doesn't really want to do anything except play video games

My partner is Chilean and when we’re with family they naturally spend most of the day speaking Spanish. I completely understand why, and I genuinely want them to enjoy their time together. But I’ve realised that after hours of conversations I can’t follow, I end up feeling very isolated. I’m curious how other people navigate this emotionally. Have you found anything that helped?

Feminism seeks to expand women's freedom and agency. But what if greater freedom doesn't necessarily produce less patriarchal outcomes? Many women freely choose things that feminism has historically criticized or viewed as reinforcing patriarchal structures. If we say those choices are genuinely free, then patriarchy seems partly reproduced through women's own agency. If we say those choices aren't really free because they're shaped by social conditioning, then it’s like we're dismissing women's agency whenever they choose something “non-feminist”. How do feminist theorists resolve this tension between agency and structure?

I've notice that rightwingers have this consistent framing where they apply their own view to "normal people" or "normal America", whereas they claim those with opposing views are "a vocal minority".

They clearly intend it to be convincing in some way, and are naturally greatly confused when leftist like me don't grasp the importance of wheather a group voicing an opinion is "normal". So what's going on here?

(Just late night thoughts)

I was wondering if there are people who genuinely feel that, overall, they've had an easy life.

Almost everyone around me seems to be struggling in one way or another, whether it's with their job, business, studies, relationships, health, or something else. I used to think people from wealthy backgrounds had it easy, but the more I observe, the more I realize they have their own struggles too, whether it's mental health, difficult relationships, addiction, or other personal issues.

So, is there anyone here who honestly feels their life has been relatively easy so far? If yes, what do you think made it that way? Was it good luck, a supportive family, financial stability, your personality, or something else?

I'm actually hoping at least some people say yes, because otherwise it makes me wonder: what's the point? If almost everyone is struggling in some way, why does it seem so difficult to simply live a happy, peaceful life?

Why isn't having an easy and happy life the ultimate goal? What's stopping people from achieving it? Are suffering and struggle just unavoidable parts of being human, or is there something we're collectively doing wrong?

TLDR: Just the title.

So, what made you realise, “This person isn’t just someone I like. I genuinely love them”

Not just attached.

Not lonely.

Not obsessed.

Not emotionally dependent.

Not merely attracted to them.

I mean genuinely in love. What does it actually feel like for you?

Is it a sense of emotional safety?

Is it peace?

Is it excitement?

Is it wanting a future together?

Is it missing them constantly?

Is it a desire to understand them deeply?

Is it choosing them even after the honeymoon phase fades?

I’m curious because I think many people confuse love with intensity, validation, chemistry, comfort, or attachment. Sometimes the loudest feelings aren’t necessarily love at all.

I've had this idea where a character in a book that is just not truly cared about. Not because they are evil or boring, or annoying, but just because nobody could bring themselves to really want to be their friend, family, or associate on any deeper level than basic interests.

A person can do a lot of things in their life and people still might not care. Even with all they do they can't force interest in you. And knowing my own issues socializing, that humans are social creatures, that sort of scares me. How through no fault of your own you can be isolated, alienated, or just alone.

Maybe that's why so many of our biggest leaders are pulling off the worst things these days. They know that they can never get any attention without doing something that negatively effects others, and having any attention is better than no attention.

Is it a good business model to get homeless people some exercise, food, clothes, place to live, etc and then pitch them as workers to employers as an employment agency?

Is it a good business model to get homeless people some exercise, food, clothes, place to live, etc and then pitch them as workers to employers as an employment agency?

Is it a good business model to get homeless people some exercise, food, clothes, place to live, etc and then pitch them as workers to employers as an employment agency?

Is it a good business model to get homeless people some exercise, food, clothes, place to live, etc and then pitch them as workers to employers as an employment agency?

I think it's just the way people can celebrate "America" while atrocities are going on every day and things are just getting worse, it's just jarring. It doesn't feel like we should be celebrating the falsities of the "American Dream".

Most of what we do is likely based on good intentions. Throughout history we have had many problems from people who may have had the best intentions. What are some examples now of groups or individuals and what problems could they bring for the future

First the ESA convinces the EU Parliament that video game developers shouldn't be held accountable in any real regard when shutting down access to their game after consumers have purchased a copy. Then the bill from the same movement gets shut down in California. THEN Sony revokes access to digital copies of movies that it's users own FROM THEIR LIBRARY. And then Sony immediately follows up with an announcement that it will cease production of all physical discs in 2028 while in the same breath announcing the shut down of it's PS3 and Vita digital storefronts.

So not only will you not have access to a physical version for upcoming releases of video games, you also aren't guaranteed access to purchasing the digital versions of those games, AND Sony can just revoke user's copies, and to top it off, you have no rights to protect you against any of it.

Then you have Xbox on the other end of the spectrum firing and shutting down whole studios because of it's terrible deal for ABK, now they have no money, they honestly have like nothing to show for it, and so of course they need to shutter some studios. I just hope that Asha figures things out on that end.

And Sony's just taking advantage of the lead they've taken over Xbox, no competition means that they're free to do whatever they want without any serious repercussions. Meanwhile Nintendo is brewing up new ways to screw their consumer, like game key cards.

Well you know what. I don't usually say this but; If buying isn't owning, then pirating isn't stealing.

The only silver lining is and has been for a while now Indie games. Please, if you take anything away from this it's support Indies.

Ever work in a place that swears by safety? Safety is the most important? But then see certain things get swept under the rug to get more numbers for the company?

Places in the US only care about your safety because they are forced to. OSHA forces them to care. If they don’t care and you get hurt they get extreme fines or risk being shut down

Back when OSHA wasn’t around did you notice how much companies didn’t care about employees? They didn’t care if you got hurt because there were no repercussions for them.

I’m sure some of you are gonna be like oh not my company! My company is great! My boss is great! Some individual bosses genuinely do care. But companies as a whole do not give a damn.

These companies do not care about you, they are forced to

How would one identify that a piece of narrative or news is the result of a crafted propaganda? And how would one know if they have been living with the same media outlets their whole life?

I acknowledge choices people make can affect where they end up in life, but it seems like a lot of people view where people end up in life and how their lives go as entirely their own doing. I don’t agree with that.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding the line of thinking, but some people seem to think like this: Every person has the same starting point and is responsible for where they end up in life. This is true no matter what their genes are, no matter where they’re born, who their parents are, whether they’re in great health or not, etc.

I can’t understand how people actually think this. How do they think people have the same starting point? How do they think it’s all on the person how their life goes?

Do people think that some people don’t have a ton of advantages/luck? Do they feel like no matter what circumstances fuck up someone’s life, they should be able to endure and survive it all for years or decades, come out of it OK, and be able to function just fine??

I’m being serious when I say I can’t understand how someone could think that. I see how different my life has been from almost everyone else my age and I never wanted it to be this way. It’s like my life is total shit because of things outside of my control.

Why do people think this way? What do they think someone is supposed to do when their life is a combination of different shitty circumstances, like mine?