The Dumbest Rules Everyone Still Follows

But what does all of this really mean? Please keep your pain invisible so it doesn't make others uncomfortable. Suppress your emotions and smile through the fire, bottle it up.

Because one day, you'll explode - in a truly character-defining way. Possibly at a printer.

The beliefs lie deep in industrial era logic and toxic resilience myths. Where productivity was king, vulnerability was weakness and having feelings meant you were either a child or stupid.

Workers were told to endure impossible conditions in silence. Men were told that crying meant failure. Women were told that crying is right.

It can make you quieter about your pain, which means no one helps you, which means that cycle continues. This can lead to developing anxiety and a teeth grinding problem.

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The people who build character by suffering quietly usually end up one of two ways.

1. Unshakably wise, emotionally detached, and secretly miserable.

2. Exploding at the sound of a pen clicking.

The solution:

Suffer strategically.

Speak up when it matters, cry loudly if you must. That's how you build boundaries, not just character.

Let's look at some of the reasons why this is dumb.

Age does not mean wisdom.

Some people just got older, not smarter.

We were raised with the idea that gray hair equals greatness.

Some elders are wise and wonderful.

And some are just loud with outdated opinions and a Bluetooth headset from 2004.

Respect should be earned, not handed out.

Blindly respecting someone just because they've been alive longer is like trusting a VHS tape for stock market advice - it doesn't track.

You're allowed to set boundaries with elders.

Disagree with elders.

Do not invite Uncle "Back in My Day" to the group chat.

Or else, you'll fail in life.

School teaches obedience; life rewards initiative, curiosity, and the ability to google faster than your boss can ask.

Grades measure how well you follow instructions, memorize facts, and suppress all original thoughts until it's safe to raise your hand.

But success is messy, chaotic, nonlinear, and usually starts with someone ignoring the rules entirely.

Let's be honest, no one has ever landed a job because they knew the Pythagorean Theorem on command.

However, they have gotten hired because they were relentlessly resourceful, had a portfolio, or could hold a conversation without sounding like a Google Form.

Taking Risks, Selling an Idea, Bouncing Back from Failure, and Storming Projects.

They Don't Prepare You for Real-World Collaboration.

They Just Teach You to Silently Resent Freeloaders While Doing 90% of the Work.

The Truth: You Don't Need a 4.0 to Make Six Figures.

You Need Grit, Audacity, Wi-Fi, and a Mildly Unhinged Willingness to Email Strangers.

It is one of the most outdated, quietly harmful social rules still floating around like a passive ghost at Thanksgiving dinner.

Don't talk about money is rude because one day we decided that discussing the thing everyone needs to survive is more inappropriate than.

Literally talking about bowel movements, conspiracy theories, or your ex's breakup playlist.

Talking about trauma is a pretty common trend lately. Crying in public is also catching on. You can also explain, in vivid detail, how your dog has a gluten allergy.

But ask someone how much they make and suddenly, the air gets thicker than the amount of student loan debt.

The whole "money taboo" thing didn't just happen by accident. It was started mostly by people who had it. 

The logic goes like this: If nobody talks about money, then nobody knows what "fair" looks like. 

Employers, corporations, and generational wealth can continue operating in a magical fog of undercompensation and vague raises. 

You're not supposed to ask your co-workers what they earn because if you did, you'd probably find out you're doing the same job for 20% less. 

People say it's just not polite to present a valid argument  as if manners matter more than financial transparency. 

Meanwhile, half the population is drowning in debt while pretending everything is fine because they can't afford to look broke at brunch. 

Here's the reality: the people who talk about money learn how to save it, grow it, and demand more of it.

The people who don't smile politely while signing contracts they barely understand and silently panic every time rent is due.

Start talking with friends, co-workers, mentors. Break the silence, shatter the shame. Because not talking about money is just code for staying uninformed, underpaid, and grateful for it.

This mindset is the spiritual equivalent of drinking gasoline to beat someone in a race to the fire.

We start hearing it early. Sports coaches shout it, movies dramatize it, and motivational posters stick it next to a picture of a bald eagle flying into a thunderstorm.

It's branded into our skulls: lose shame, win glory.

That's it.

In school, it means grades.

In work, it means money.

In dating, it's confusing.

In social media, it means followers, likes, and pretending your dog eats better than you.

So, everyone runs in different directions, convinced they’re not winning enough, fast enough, or loud enough. 

While slowly turning into burnt out husks with LinkedIn profiles. 

The the real kicker: 

People who obsess over winning often miss the bigger picture. They become so addicted to the scoreboard that they forget to ask the question, "Wait, what game am I even playing?" 

And sometimes, the person who won destroyed their relationships, lost their sense of self, and now stares into the void while holding a trophy that doesn’t hug back. 

No matter how hard you’ve worked how much you’ve learned to hoe much better you are than chad in accounting who microwaves fish

You must remain humble always forever until death and if you dare to say something like 

Yeah i crushed that presentation 

Or honestly im really good at this 

Society responds with the emotional equivalent of Whoa slow down there Kanye 

But here's the kicker...

The world rewards confidence, but not if you say you have it. Athletes celebrate loudly, entrepreneurs pitch themselves as messianic disruptors, and social media influencers base their entire brand on not being humble, ever.

But as a regular human being, you're expected to downplay everything.

Won a competition? Oh, I just got lucky. Got promoted? It's all because of my amazing team. Saved a baby from a burning building? Just doing my part.

God forbid you say, "I am actually really good at what I do."

Now you're arrogant, a narcissist, probably a sociopath.

This rule makes no sense. It trains people to apologize for their strengths, pretend they don't know what they're doing, and smile modestly.

Meanwhile, someone with half the talent takes the credit louder.

So here's the truth:

Be humble when it matters.

don't be too humble to the point of being invisible.