Agnostic.com

34 3

What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives?

WeaZ 7 Oct 8
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

34 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

8

I think everyone should live in another country for 5 or more months (military service not included) and experience another culture. It makes you more open-minded and more compassionate towards different kinds of people.

So true! Particularly, they should live in the poor areas of another country.

@Meili lived next to a leper colony in Malaysia for a little bit. Nice people!!

@Davekp Wow! That would be quite the experience! I lived on a mountainside in Korea where the poor people lived. I still miss it sometimes.

7

Travel, where you are not familiar with the language

7

Divorce was life altering for me but I'd never wish it on another

The same woman gave me the happiest experience of my life -- being in love -- and the most painful -- cheating and divorce -- I feel you, sister.

AMEN! Especially with children involved. My daughter expressed she became suicidal during the process. I think that's what hurt the most.

6

Being alone while being completely at peace with yourself. I mean this both in regards to not being in a relationship but also spending time in solitude because you can and you enjoy it- not while thinking constantly of other things.

5

To crush your enemies -- See them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!

Either that or sex...it's a tough call...

Conan!

5

The taste of a home grown tomato. ??

Nailed it!!

4

Magic mushrooms in a therapeutic context.

4

Be a parent!

4

Marijuana. It lets you see things from a different and often clearer point of view.?

3

A totally mind-blowing orgasm with someone they love.

@Alexlivinston I don't believe I said I'd never had it!

3

International travel.
Floating in a pool in the middle of nowhere, staring at stars.
Camping in the middle of nowhere

3

Poverty, sufferings, and pain.

3
3

Skydiving, an amazing experience!

Traveling to another country, my wife and i spent 2 weeks in New Zealand!

LSD, really an excellent drug.

I did a static line jump once. Several people boarded the plane, mostly in pairs, and one guy was going to jump to maintain qualifications. Asked my instructor and got confirmation that most were doing the tandem jump, but I was on my own.

3

A total and absolute sense of surrender to a loved one, provided that you survive it, whether that love is returned or not. Apparently, this is very rare, and hard to recover from.

Either that, a profound sense of loss. I would frankly prefer the former.

I have experienced that, almost exactly how you described it, and two years after it ended, I'm still recovering from it.

@Kafir
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I wouldn't know. That's what I've heard secondhand. 🙂

You may or may not be luckier than I.

@KenChang It was life-changing while it lasted, so fortunate that I was able to experience it... But then it ended suddenly, and I'm still unfortunately recovering from it. But I wouldn't trade the experience for anything and hope one day to find someone else to experience it again with. Only, hopefully, next time it won't end. It was the happiest I have ever been. And it almost hurt worse than anything I've ever known when it ended. Almost. I can think of one thing that hurt worse, but that's not something I am willing to discuss.

3

To see the planets with their own eyes through a telescope, not just photos in books and on screens.

3

I'm afraid nothing I've experienced is so compelling that I would urge it on others. Sorry to disappoint.

The most enduring experience of my life has been my professional accomplishments. It's what has kept me going. But one man's pleasure is another's torture. Technicians and artists and entrepreneurs have very different needs. It was just good luck that I found my way to success in something I was well-suited to, and that paid the bills reasonably well without demanding my last farthing of energy.

I have found relationships to be far more fraught and disappointing than the collected ballads and poems and epic narratives of humanity suggest. And for the most part, the feeling's mutual, it seems.

For awhile there I thought my country, the USA, for all its warts, was some sort of constant. But that has become unrecognizable to me in the past couple of years too.

So my overall rating -- 4 stars out of 10, or sort of "meh". Try the garlic dills in the refrigerator section, and the Hiedelberg bread, a nice Prosecco where available, and a touch of hazelnut in your latte is always nice. That's about all I've got.

2

Love.

2

death!

2

Raising your own food. Mowing your own lawn. Living paycheck to paycheck, having to improvise to survive. Sharing stories, songs and a locally sourced meal around a campfire. Exhausting yourself to your limits by helping a friend. cleaning up the mess that you or your family made. Owning up to and correcting your mistakes. Watching Yellow Submarine on acid and a meteor shower on mushrooms. Being drunk enough to do your thing on stage yet not drunk enough to look a fool. Making close friends of people who don't look like you enough that you would fight for them. Examining and understanding your advantages in life. The peace that comes when you remember where your shame and entitlement originated and realize those adults that taught it to you were children themselves.

2

In my times with the military I have had the opportunity of being the only person within a 40 mile radius with no other people in the middle of the desert at night, in the pitch black. It was a bit creepy, but also a very nice feeling all at the same time.

Diving with sharks, swimming with giant sea turtles, traveling, camping and having a child. All some of my happiest times.

2

This is too individual-specific. There is no general answer.

2

Marine Corp boot camp. Just the 3 month camp, no actual service.

Skydiving.

Visiting and exploring a small tropical island.

Being 100% honest and accountable of your thoughts and actions.

Lupe’s Escape, Mexican food in Aloha Oregon.

2

discrimination--if you havent been a victim you don't get it

lerlo Level 8 Oct 9, 2018

I would disagree with your statement. I visited South Africa in the early 1970's, when apartheid was still in effect. I was only 19, from a small town that was overwhelmingly white and had never witnessed discrimination. I don't remember ever seeing a person of color, let alone know how badly they could be treated. I mention this because when I visited the city of Capetown, I noticed that there were 'white' and 'non-white' options everywhere. Whites Only taxis, buses, restaurants and even 'Whites Only' lines in stores, post offices etc. My first reaction was confusion, then frustration and then out and out anger. I could not believe that people could be treated in that way. I could not wait to leave the country. So, my point is, that I really was naive and wasn't aware of discrimination, and yet I was still outraged when I came face to face with it.

@patchoullijulie you were mad at how people treat people, but when you're the victim it's totally different

2

No gettin around this one at the moment!

@kensmile4u -- Not yet, anyway. They're working on it.

@evidentialist I'm hoping they figure it out before it's too late!

@kensmile4u -- It's a bit too late for me, I think, but you might make it. Hang in there.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:196761
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.