One bad decision can have detrimental consequences.
Sometimes, we might be oblivious to the cataclysmic decision we made.
Other times, however, we know we may have done something against our better judgment, but don't think it will matter in the grand scheme of things.
Only to realize we were wrong much too late.
The only thing that can rival experiencing your life being ruined in the blink of an eye, is witnessing others do so, and being absolutely helpless in the situation.
Redditor fluffy_upvote was curious to hear from people who witnessed others swiftly ruin their lives, leading them to ask:
"What is the fastest way you have seen someone ruin their life?"
Honesty Is ALWAYS The Best Policy
"I'm a lawyer."
"Another well respected lawyer in my jurisdiction was involved in an absolutely huge property settlement involving dozens upon dozens of deeds, side agreements, financial documents, yada yada yada."
"The whole lot (presumably involving literally a hundred or so signatures) had been signed off by her client."
"In the early hours of the morning - having no doubt slaved away for untold hours getting everything ready for the settlement the next day - she must have realized that she had missed getting one signature on one minor document from her client so she faked it."
"I can see the pressure she was under and how she probably thought 'it doesn't matter, my client would have signed it anyway and only didn't because they overlooked it, no one will ever notice'."
"Someone noticed and she went from high paid property lawyer to never being able to practice again, just like that."
"People occasionally ask me to sign things off, as a lawyer, and suggest I overlook minor irregularities such as wanting me to witness a signature even though I didn't actually see the signatory sign."
"Then they get all offended and act like I'm being a stick-up-the-a** perfectionist when I won't do it."- princhester
Wear A Helmet.
"A close friend of my best friend grabbed his eight-year-old son's new skateboard and took off down a hill in Georgia."
"Hit a rock, landed on his head and had permanent brain damage."
"He lived years before he mercifully died."
"Had to be restrained the whole time because the damage made him erratic and violent."
"Wear a helmet!"- Figgywithit
Big Money...
"Watched a guy gamble $30k away in a night and then cried about losing his life savings and security had to get involved and escort him out because he started to get angry at the dealers because all they could offer him was free night stays at the hotel for playing so much but he wanted freeplay at the tables/slots and they refused."- jadenwydbro
Revenge Is Seldom, If Ever, Worth It
"I had a friend that had a promising career got upset and went into full road rage for a woman who forgot to turn her blinker on and he slightly bumped her back bumper on the freeway causing her to lose control and flipping over and killing the driver and her two daughters."
"Oddly..it was all caught on his car dash cam and a trucker with his own dash cam that was behind him."
"He is now doing 40+ years in prison."- vargo911
Luck Has A Way Of Running Out
"Watched a buddy spend his entire life savings betting on the Paulo Costa Vs Adesanya."
"I begged him not to do it and he lost his and his wife’s entire 60k nest egg."
"She left him immediately with the kids and now he lives at his moms house."
"He had been betting on prize fighting for a short while and winning."
"Nothing outrageous and heck I even bet with him on a time or two because it was smaller bets 1-200."
"He had been winning probably made a few grand not sure how much but he was always saying he won and showing off his bets."
"So I can confirm he had been winning and his luck was pretty impressive."
"As far as I know he doesn’t gamble anymore and is just trying to rebuild his life."
"He lost his wife but does spend a lot time with the kids."- Cmsmks
What A Way To Begin...
"Arrive at work on their first day as a temp at around 10am, caught stealing the bosses wallet at 12:30, taken away by Police at 1pm." - Reddit
Look To The Skies...
"Saw a pilot without instrument rating take off into IMC conditions (instrument-meteorological conditions is a flight category that describes weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by instruments rather than use visual cues to maintain controlled flight)."
"He had his whole family on board."
"Weather was closing in."
"He agreed that it was impossible to get home, but wanted to make it to a larger municipal airport so they wouldn't have to stay in a motel."
"The fuel attendant and a bunch of old veteran pilots hanging around the airport office all said they'd drive him to a nicer place, but he thought he'd have a better chance of getting out the next day from the other airport."
"Conditions weren't that bad when he took off, but we all agreed later that no one without instrument rating would/should have flown that day."
"So the last time anyone saw that whole family (pilot, wife, two adult sons) alive was all of us watching him take off and fly just under the cloud base to do a 'scud run' in the direction of the nearest muni."
"They crashed in full overcast ten miles out."
"No survivors."
"All told, it probably took fifteen minutes for this guy to make the worst- and last- decision of his life."
"This was over 30 years ago, but it's haunted me ever since- what could/should I have done differently that might have convinced him to not fly?"
"I was a newbie pilot at the time, but even I knew it was a bad idea."
"There were at least three other pilots there that day."
"Did he feel ganged up on?"
"Could we have appointed the most grizzled straight-shootin gravel-voiced veteran to take the guy aside and give him a 'I'm not your dad, but' talk?"
"Should we have tackled him and taken away his keys?"
"Called the cops?"
"What would we even have told them?"
"I've long since come to terms with it, but there are still the occasional moments where I feel like I failed."- gaspronomib
We've all done things against our better judgment.
Sometimes, however, it's essential to really think about the consequences of doing so before proceeding.
As one bad decision might be all it takes.
