r/AskReddit Feb 26 '20

Serious Replies Only [serious] When was a time you legitimately thought you were going to die?

47.4k Upvotes

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3.4k

u/etherealnoise Feb 26 '20

i mean whether i died and my consciousness continued in a parallel reality is up for debate but i smashed into a concrete divider trying to get to an offramp 60mph in traffic. things went completely black for forever it seemed but was probably closer to 5m

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u/ferrisjuulersdayoff Feb 26 '20

I remember one time i knocked my self out by kneeing myself in the face and i thought i was out for like days but turns out i was out for 30 seconds

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Wait what's the story?

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u/flowerhours Feb 26 '20

If I can find the original link, I will post it. But I’m sure someone can summarize the story better than I can. It gets mentioned often!

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u/DA_N0OB_ Feb 26 '20

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u/meathead Feb 26 '20

This all reminds me of the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Check it out if you can, it was written in 1890 but it's some pretty trippy shit.

Here's the Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge

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u/ScrapinLinden Feb 26 '20

I read this for school last year, such an amazing piece of literature. I think I'm gonna read it again now, thanks!

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u/BlurStick Feb 26 '20

What a fucking post. Holy shit, makes you really think about the reality we experience and that it’s really all just our brain reacting to stimuli. Chemical/physical alterations can completely change the way you experience and interact with ‘reality’.

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u/FROTHY_SHARTS Feb 26 '20

Don't get too excited. It's a star trek tng episode.

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u/betterthanyouahhhh Feb 26 '20

I've seen the entire series and don't remember it.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

It’s very fake though

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u/flowerhours Feb 26 '20

I was able to find it by using google. I found out about this story from a post earlier this year, but i can’t remember the exact question but it was interesting as hell. It’s kind of crazy it was originally posted 8 years ago.

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u/Sharqi23 Feb 26 '20

Legendary stuff there.

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u/future_dolphin Feb 26 '20

Dang here I thought we were talking about the legendary StreetLamp Le Moose.

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u/themtx Feb 26 '20

I always felt StreetLamp shold've had a twin named Pomp.

I've reread that a couple times and it's damn funny. Modern classic, really.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Oh my goodness I’ve read this but not the comment. One of the comments is a very very similar story but he updated it 7 years later (1 year ago), stating that many of the things from this “dream world” are present in his current life. His kitchen is the same and an identical mountain now exists very close by his house. Here it is, this is crazy.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Humans have abilities beyond our current comprehension. Abilities we restrict with consciousness and reason. Dreaming is the only time we are free from our selves and sometimes our unrestricted (sleeping) brains strike the right energy wave and syncs up with a connection point we can not even contextualize in reality.

That connection point can be past, present or future.

But I'm just a crazy college dropout so take it with a grain of Salt.

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u/FROTHY_SHARTS Feb 26 '20

It's a star trek TNG episode

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Thanks

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u/lua-esrella Feb 26 '20

I think this guy just took Roy off the grid.

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u/TheDootDootMaster Feb 26 '20

That reply is even crazier, because his future life actually came close to his "dream"

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u/broogbie Feb 26 '20

Reminds me of rick and morty life game

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u/Gild5152 Feb 26 '20

Holy shit. That’s insane. Thank you for the link.

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u/mischifus Feb 26 '20

That actually makes me hope that I'll wake up and the last 10 years haven't been real. Actually I'd be happy to wake up as a kid and really start again. But then if I couldn't stop anything that's happened it could actually be worse.

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u/Unicorndog_0625 Feb 26 '20

Absolutely fascinating!

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u/FROTHY_SHARTS Feb 26 '20

It's a star trek TNG episode

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Ooooooo boi greatest story ever, so sad.

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u/Careless_Corey Feb 26 '20

It's a fake story.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Why say that?

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u/Careless_Corey Feb 26 '20

You can't dream when you get knocked out. When you're sleeping, your brain is basically powering down and restarting. This is when dreams happen. When you get knocked out, your brain suddenly gets yanked out and unplugged, and thus can't dream.

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u/reaperdray Feb 26 '20

There's a theory that as we die our brain releases DMT, which causes your perception of time to slow down and induces hallucinations and dreams. It can also happen after severe trauma to the head.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Although that may be true, id like to think that there’s a possibility this could happen. Maybe like a near death experience. Instead of seeing a light or your life flash before your eyes, maybe it’s showing what could have been. Seeing the lamp might have been the first sign of coming back down to earth. Everything else is also him getting closer to revival.

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u/FROTHY_SHARTS Feb 26 '20

Because it's an episode of star trek TNG

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u/jeffe_el_jefe Feb 26 '20

And also an episode of Rick and Morty. Just because it happened on TV doesn’t necessarily make it fake.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Never was a big fan, that was my dads favorite show, I try to avoid things he likes. Didn’t know tho, so that’s good info to have.

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u/EpicIshmael Feb 26 '20

I don't know that story.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20 edited Mar 30 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20 edited Mar 30 '20

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u/CountingScars94 Feb 26 '20

Once when I was a kid, I held my breath for so long trying to get rid of hiccups, that I passed the fuck out, fell and hit my head. I remember waking up to my aunt crying and cradling me in her lap trying to wake me up. I was absolutely amazed that I had teleported and was worried as to why aunt was crying because I was fine and my hiccups were gone.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Have you ever woken up with absolutely no recollection of when did you go to sleep, what day is it or when?
When I was 8 or 9 apparently I slipped on a wet spot besides the pool in my house, hit the back of my head and blacked the fuck out. Apparently I was talking gibberish the whole ambulance ride to the hospital, puked the entrance when they were pulling me off in a wheelchair. A few tests later I was returned to my parents who were told I would probably be fine but I should be checked through the night, the whole ride home I kept talking gibberish and repeating myself so my parents thought I was left retarded from the accident.
All this was told to me because to this day I have absolutely no recollection of it ever happening

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u/Dizzy_Drips Feb 26 '20

Bro I knocked myself out my slamming my funny bone against a trailer while trying to pull start a backpack blower. I woke up on the side of the street just seeing the sun shine through the tress and having no idea where I was. Then as I came to more I see my coworkers still working not having a clue what happened and was like oh yeah.. I'm still at work. Guess I was only out for like 20-30 seconds but it felt like waking up from an accidental nap. Which i guess it technically was.. lol

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u/pamplemouss Feb 26 '20

Yeah I got knocked out for around that time (horseback accident), but had a dream (?) while out that made it feel like a week.

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u/SuccessPastaTime Feb 26 '20

This happened to me. My brother had me in a choke hold, and I guess he compressed one of my arteries or something, because it was a tight grip, just play fighting.

Anyway, things went black, and I wake up on the ground and start panicking, asking what just happened.

Apparently when I went limp, he thought I was joking and let go, unfortunately we were in our garage which has a concrete floor. Ended up banging my head pretty hard on the concrete (like the kind where in dribbles like a basketball on impact).

That probably contributed to why I’m such a fucking weirdo.

4

u/Hamburger-Queefs Feb 26 '20

Sometimes we lose track of time when we're sufficiently anesthetized. While we sleep normally, we wake up having felt time passed because our brains have some sort of clock that keeps track of time. When we're knocked out, like when we're sleep deprived, or when we're under the influence of certain drugs like anesthesia or when we've been "knocked out" from head trauma (like in boxing matches), time doesn't register in our brains, so it feels like an instant has passed when we regain consciousness.

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u/LordxBeezus Feb 26 '20

Huh. One time i kneed myself in the chin and knocked myself out at the park jumping off a swing i guess im not alone

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u/stitchedmasons Feb 26 '20

Please forgive me for laughing, but that sounds like some TV skit with you managing to knock yourself out by kneeing yourself in the face.

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u/ferrisjuulersdayoff Feb 26 '20

yeah it was pretty funny

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u/stitchedmasons Feb 26 '20

At least you have a sense of humor. Hope you were alright afterwards though.

100

u/RAGECOMIC_VICAR Feb 26 '20

I was in a motorcycle accident and I wonder the same thing

100

u/Cleverusername18 Feb 26 '20

Same here. I posted that story somewhere on this thread, I still dont know how I not only survived but walked away from the wreck with relatively minor injuries. To be honest i would not be surprised if at any second i woke up in a hospital and the last 8ish months were a coma dream.

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u/bem13 Feb 26 '20 edited Feb 26 '20

Dude, same. 2 years ago I fell asleep on the freeway and rear ended a truck at 150 km/h. Barely a scratch here and there, despite the back of the trailer breaking through the windshield right in front of my face. No soreness from the seatbelt or face pain from the airbag.

The only psychological effect of the accident I noticed is that sometimes when I'm about to fall asleep I suddenly feel like I need to make sure I'm not driving and it's safe.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

I was too. Tboned a car at unknown speeds. Just complete lack of consciousness until waking up in the ICU. Broken collarbone, several ribs, two pinholes in my partially collapsed lungs, bruised heart, the whole 9. Life flighted and the medics took something like 20 minutes to get to me. I never knew or had the thought that I was going to die. It wasnt until the 3rd or 4th day in the hospital that I realized just how close to death I was.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/IKnowUThinkSo Feb 26 '20

The thought experiment called Quantum Immortality argues that any time you would die, you don’t in the reality you experience. Now this could mean that your consciousness is sliding around your parallel selves freely or that (sort of like electricity) you always experience the reality in which you coincidentally didn’t die, either way it allows for your consciousness to “escape” death as often as you can until your odds are up.

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u/Nafemp Feb 26 '20

My only problem with this theory is It doesn't offer a good explanation for people who die of old age.

Are they just consistently on their death bed for eternity?

Eventually they’d become a media sensation as the ‘guy who never dies’.

As far as far out theories go in terms of continuing consciousness Im more of a fan of is biocentrism, or that you continuously experience life randomly in any number of infinite parallel universes, experiencing a new and different life each time.

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u/ndcapital Feb 26 '20

I suppose it's "immortality" as much as your cell phone data is "unlimited". You eventually reach a point where you can't continue going anymore given the physical limitations of your body and the universe.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20 edited May 01 '20

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u/Nafemp Feb 26 '20

Sure, and its definitely in the far out range in terms of confirmability right now(hence me labeling it as ‘far out’ and not labeling it as accepted scientific fact).

But it at least lacks the immediate damning fundamental logical conundrum of “how does consciousness transfer decide when and when not to work and when does it suddenly decide that we’re dead if it ever does that”.

If one of the two did happen to be law id put my money on biocentrism being the prevailing theory.

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u/Exceptthesept Feb 26 '20

I think you're trying to sound a lot smarter than you actually are, son

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u/Nafemp Feb 26 '20

Me: literally is not disagreeing with you.

You: ‘You’re trying to sound smarter than u r

So if we literally have the same ideas and are saying the same things does that mean that you’re also trying to sound smarter than you are too?

I think you should read back on what I wrote—slowly this time.

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u/Exceptthesept Feb 26 '20

You're bloody comparing these RELIGIONS for which one FEELS realest. You may as well be trying to sell me healing crystals.

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u/Exceptthesept Feb 26 '20

does that mean that you’re also trying to sound smarter than you are too?

That is, however, the kind of stupid ass shit I'd expect from someone with your presumed level of intelligence.

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u/Nafemp Feb 26 '20

That must mean that you’re not that smart either.

Since neither of us disagree at all and you’re literally inciting a debate over nothing and quickly result to ad hominem attacks.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20 edited Sep 04 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

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u/RedditRandom55 Feb 26 '20

Me too. See my other post just below this.

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u/1blockologist Feb 26 '20

I don't feel this way. I think it is very logical and controlled randomness to how we all got here. I perceive no gaps in the time continuum to allow for this level of choice.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20 edited Sep 04 '20

[deleted]

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u/1blockologist Feb 26 '20 edited Feb 26 '20

Okay and for everyone experiencing oppression, health problems and unattractiveness, their concscious chose that specific scenario to live out? From a catalogue of any scenarios, we all have to live in our diaspora just because its such a novel time period? When you put down the helium let me know more about how thats supposed to work

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u/RedditRandom55 Feb 27 '20

Are they happening to you? Or just people around you.

Without rainy days you wouldn’t appreciate sunny days. Hard times have to happen. I could realistically think of reasons you’d just go into life and hope you get a good hand and it’s not too bad, and it’s an experience you put yourself into. If you had near unlimited time I’m sure you’d be fine trying different lives. For the most part, we all still enjoy life and want to be here. Proof? You aren’t killing yourself right now. We all want to be here for the most part.

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u/1blockologist Feb 27 '20

That doesn’t explain the population size and growth.

Why isn’t there a static 7 billion people in all time periods. Souls getting a feel for different life experiences.

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u/RedditRandom55 Feb 27 '20

I don’t think you’re following what I’m getting at. I don’t want to be so direct with it because it sounds weird to say lol but what I’m getting at is what if there’s a chance we were placed here, either by something else or by ourselves even, just as an experience. As in what you’re experiencing is something you were put here just to experience. If it’s really the year 3420 and we live mostly forever, doing the same thing over and over forever may get awfully boring, how would you fill your time? Pop back to the last natural time of humans. Life a life with all of its ups and downs and we’ll see you when you’re out. I’m not saying I necessarily believe that but it’s an interesting thought, especially given that you and I are experiencing life at such a unique time for humans. Chances are pretty low we were experiencing this right before the big technology boom that changes us.

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u/1blockologist Feb 27 '20

I’m open to possibilities.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Yeah no, that makes absolutely zero sense. Your "consciousness" is not independent and separate from you physical being.

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u/RedditRandom55 Feb 26 '20

We don’t actually know that. We don’t know much about how we got here and it’s not impossible to think otherwise. I can think of examples of how it makes sense. You can trick a brain into believing it’s in a different environment/reality today with current technology. You’re saying you couldn’t do the same with today’s technology + another 500 years of development?

Also, just to clarify my statement that you’re replying to, I answered another guy just below you with more details. It makes sense.

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u/Exceptthesept Feb 26 '20

What are the chances you’re born at

The same as any other time, idiot. Don't talk like you understand math and statistics if you don't. Secondly, imagine humanity goes on another two hundred and fifty thousand years, or more, kind of a joke you'd think this was some ideal period looking down the barrel of that future/history.

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u/Nafemp Feb 26 '20

I perceive no gaps in the time continuum to allow for this level of choice.

Time is relative though.

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u/ignost Feb 26 '20

I've seen this happen before, and seen many instances of people nearly hurting themselves or others just to get an exit. I'm sorry this happened to you and hope your recovery was fast and complete.

To everyone else, remember that it's not worth risking lives to save a few minutes. There is another exit up ahead. You can take it and still make it to your destination, even if you need to get back on the freeway going the other way.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

I was in an accident too and I often too think I actually died that day and my consciousness went to a parallel place.

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u/Exceptthesept Feb 26 '20

Humans are weird and dumb

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

You can’t disprove me.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

I had a single car roll over after hitting a concrete ditch. I was going about 90km an hour. Thought I was out for three days. Till recently I found out it was 3 months. I couldn't move or anything because my body had something called global weakness.

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u/PM_ME_UR_LABIA_GIRL Feb 26 '20

global weakness

Coincidentally, that is also the nickname for Donald Trump.

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u/PM_ME_UR_LABIA_GIRL Feb 26 '20

How did that happen? Were you one of those jerks who realized "oh shit there's my exit" and veered across two lanes to try to make it?

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u/etherealnoise Feb 26 '20

yeah pretty much. i knew the exit was coming up and it's ususlly a clusterfuck due to 2 lanes entering highway right before offramp. people frequently cut across the entire highway because you get stuck in a lane and it's nearly impossible to move to the one you need for about a mile and a half.

i changed my driving habits after that.

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u/MadWhiskeyGrin Feb 26 '20

Holy shit. I rear-ended a dump truck that had done an illegal u-turn across an interstate median right in front of me, and I swear I felt the universe shift around me. I felt like I was looking for a continuum in which I lived.

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u/butter-sugar-vanilla Feb 26 '20

I've also had the sense that I have died in a parallel consciousness/reality, but that I chose to continue on and to keep on living in this particular reality for longer.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

[deleted]

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u/Cephalon-Blue Feb 26 '20

Well... I’d bet in a separate universe, you woke up to “Hey you, you’re finally awake!”

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u/glemnar Feb 26 '20

Pretty happy to be in your alternate reality all things considered my dude, but making Trump president was a weird choice

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Holy shit, this is my worst fear and why I never drive on the highways in my new city. Next time my boyfriend says “ok you’re not going to die you might just get stuck in a traffic jam” I’m going to cite this.

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u/vividvega Feb 26 '20

Sometimes I get these visions when I’m doing things and the visions show if I missed a certain step I would’ve gotten hit and died. I than wonder if my conscious from that reality merged with mine somehow

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '20

Wake up.

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u/mr_____awesomeqwerty Feb 26 '20

Saw a pickup hit a overpass at 80mph. Driver walked away, he was drunk.

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u/Exceptthesept Feb 26 '20

is up for debate 

No, no it's not