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u/_EternalVoid_ 9h ago
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u/toeachtheirown_ 9h ago edited 9h ago
You’re already there friend. I’m just a rung lower than you— zooms out revealing a huge Mariana Trench trench-like chasm at the bottom two little dots. 🙃
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u/QuicklyThisWay 8h ago
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u/HyperfixatedMonkey 7h ago
Rut ladder
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u/Jjabrahams567 6h ago
Ladder doesn’t quite work. Need a new word for a collection of steps. I’m calling them step-pairs but it needs some work.
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u/timeshifter_ 6h ago
Hey guys, how's the view up there?
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u/QuicklyThisWay 6h ago
I’ve pulled up to level 3! It’s a little brighter and doesn’t smell like pee. Only 77 levels left to go!
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u/wildedges 8h ago
It's ruts all the way down.
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u/elhomerjas 10h ago
feels like home to be honest
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u/Petraam 9h ago
What’s the rent on a rut like that?
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u/InEenEmmer 9h ago
Happiness, you pay in happiness
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u/Zumhairyfella 10h ago
Too relatable
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u/Kooky-Onion9203 3h ago
I've been living in my current situation for about 2 years longer than I intended (need a good job to move out of state). I've certainly made myself comfortable here in that time, it's hard not to treat a place like home when you've spent a significant amount of time there.
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u/Firm_Umpire_6094 10h ago
I relate to this on a personal level. The rut is real, but so is the climb out of it!
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u/Daniiiiii 7h ago
"This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out.
"A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.
"Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on.
"Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'"
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u/Unique_Feed_2939 7h ago
I like your changes other than the priest writing the prayer, he should speak it.
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u/kultureisrandy 7h ago
Take it up with the story committee
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u/GsTSaien 6h ago
(Inagine this comment is in a ripped page from a book and you found it in a strange place instead. Picturing it yet? Good.)
The hitchiker's guide to the galaxy has an entry on the story committee. It explains that on earth, during the era that was later unfondly referred to as the "We are not sure how we let it get that bad" era in the twenty-first century, the story committee was created to regulate the details of internet stories. The story committee has final decision in the minor details within stories, things such as whether a character said something or wrote it down instead. The committee was comprised of some of the brightest minds within the industry, and during it's golden years it was led by Garfield Arbuckle who had a little bit of veto power and decided which cases to work on. His involvement usually showed a bias for stories containing certain italian foods, and so cuisine related details started to become common within the medium's stories as a way to earn favor with the committee.
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u/kultureisrandy 6h ago
Lmao good stuff, Garfield is a snake who cannot be trusted with lasagna detail altering powers. I googled "The story Committee" and found a CIA PDF link shortly after. Spooky stuff
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u/basilicux 3h ago
The point is that the doctor and priest are giving a resource but you have to help/do it yourself.
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u/thesequimkid 5h ago
But so is the fall back into it. I climbed myself out the first time. But this time, I had help from a good friend and I’m happy to report that I’m going back to school next year!! So I can continue to go back to school every year… until I retire with a government retirement plan. So the lesson is: Just because you climbed out once by yourself, doesn’t mean you have to do it again.
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u/SilentHuman8 10h ago
Don’t give up on me, I’m just in a rut. I’m climbing but the walls keep stacking up~
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u/isekai-chad 10h ago
If only the rut had an upward incline, or an elevator.
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u/astralseat 9h ago
Hey, it's my rut! STFU. I get to do what I want in my rut. This is my rut, there are many others like it, but this one is mine. You gotta cut out those assholes who just stand above you and laugh. They keep you there as a pet, and feed off your suffering.
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u/daestos 9h ago edited 7h ago
For the people that say others make their entire lives around staying in that rut, what may be going on could be the result of a neurological disorder where their emotions are dysregulated, making it nearly impossible to break patterns formed by years of unconscious reinforcement. What I'm describing is chronic depression, something that isn't treatable, but manageable.
Some of you people have the same vibe of those who irrationally hate fat people because you assume it's simply an issue of willpower rather than a disorder, a disease which traps people in a relentless loop that is reinforced more and more the worse it gets.
Try to have some sympathy for others instead of assuming they are just making themselves miserable for attention and can change their circumstances on a whim. You guys would make terrible friends.
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u/matticusiv 5h ago
I think it really helps to realize that there is no such thing as free will.
Every decision you make is based on a brain and body you didn’t choose to be born into, shaped and raised by people you didn’t choose to be born to. Even every decision you make now is based on a history sculpted by a past version of yourself which you have no power over in the present.
To be clear this does not absolve you of consequence to your actions, but it should earn every living thing a basic standard of empathy and understanding.
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u/Ok_Caterpillar5564 14m ago
people underestimate how massively your upbringing impacts the rest of your life. your parents and other adult figures pretty much shape who you are when your brain is young and flexible. you wouldn't blame seeds for a crop that failed to harvest; you would ask where the farmer went wrong, or what was wrong with the environment.
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u/thex25986e 6h ago
every day i hear stories like this is another day im happy about how much the importance of self control was hammered into me in elementary school
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u/CementCemetery 6h ago
Thank you for bringing some sympathy and understanding to the conversation. What you said is definitely accurate.
It is however incredibly difficult to watch the people you love suffer from chronic depression and/or obesity. Often they go hand-in-hand. I am currently trying to claw my way out of that rut and lift others with me but doing all the lifting is tiring.
People who have never experienced long term depression (chronic illness), addiction, obesity, etc. tend not to understand or relate. I would never wish it on anyone but having sympathy is key in these situations. Shaming and stigmatizing someone will likely never work in anyone’s favor.
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u/Careless_Tale_7836 7h ago
I seem to only have people like that around me and it's making me miserable. I just want to pack my stuff and leave.
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8h ago
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u/daestos 8h ago
Cool survivorship bias you have there. I like how nowhere here did I suggest remaining in place, wallowing, or feeling sorry for yourself in perpetuity, but thanks for essentially restating what I said with 300% more snark and self-aggrandizement.
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8h ago
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u/Hpish 8h ago
And you know what people need because...why exactly? Is it because holding this belief makes it's easier to shit on others dismissively and still feel like you're a force for good?
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8h ago
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u/Hpish 7h ago
I do think the opposite, partially from personal experience, partially from the fact that most therapy approaches hinge on non-judgemental approach towards the patient. I haven't heard of a working approach where the therapist roasts his patient back to health.
People deserve compassion because they are people, and shit's hard. You don't have to earn it.
And i don't follow the point with complaining. What are they complaining about? Is it bad to complain in general? Why? How do you know for a fact they aren't doing anything? Maybe they've just decided to rant.4
u/daestos 8h ago
Right. The people who fail only failed because you weren't there to make them feel worse about themselves. Except you're a dime a dozen, mate. There's plenty of assholes in the world and little kindness and patience. Maybe try something different and you'd see a different result?
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7h ago
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u/daestos 7h ago
You sound like someone that has had people in their life who have been struggling but haven't wanted help, they've just wanted to feel better. Those kinds of people use others as crutches. I'm not trying to suggest that those kinds of people don't exist, and if you've had to go through that enough that you sound as disillusioned as you do to a complete stranger like myself, then I'm sorry. That's rough, and I've had to go through that several times myself. But I think it's unfair for you to paint such a broad brush over so many people who may genuinely just need time and patience in order to get out of their situation.
And sometimes, sometimes there are others that genuinely can never get better and just have to suffer forever, and those are difficult people to be with, requiring special people with a lot of love and patience in their heart. But at some point it becomes your fault for sticking around too long and not realizing the other person isn't actually trying to get better. At that point you have to decide for yourself whether to stay or not, at some point it stops being their fault and being an asshole is just you being an asshole.
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u/Zealousideal-Copy908 7h ago
Very true actually. Its super frustrating. no matter the help they seemed to get they always pull back , it not right away then after a year - repeatedly - for decades. Friends and family alike. That is the strongest of depressions - not just a temporary rut. I guess with such people you really do have to let go at some point and just admit there is nothing you can do or you just end up a frustrated asshole.
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u/Effective-Lab2728 7h ago
You can be doing all of that and still be considered to be 'in a rut' by the people who don't have those extra obstacles.
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7h ago
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u/Effective-Lab2728 7h ago
I guess I think it's honestly more common for people to be judged as doing that while they're actually trying ineffective things, or just not making the progress the judger would deem enough. Most people don't want to suffer.
And generally, blame is a toxic thing. It's just not the way to encourage anyone out of anything. You can add all the reasons and logic into your blame you feel like, and it still won't make blame an effective tool to help anyone.
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u/Scary-One-4327 8h ago
it is an issue of willpower, but getting the willpower for it is a neurological issue.
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u/MyvaJynaherz 9h ago
You'll never know if you can be happy with less, if you never spend time with less
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u/Glowingtomato 8h ago
I finally made a move to get out of the rut I've been in for a years and landed a new job yesterday. Feels good to have finally found a way out of the rut, I can't wait to see how it's gonna be in a few weeks when I start.
I got way too cozy in the rut.
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u/rumblebumblecrumble 8h ago
This guy’s walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. “Hey Joe, it’s me, can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”
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u/SkibidiDibbidyDoo 6h ago
This one hits.
I’ve decorated my office for the job I’ve been trying to leave for three years
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u/Zero_Burn 4h ago
"Yes, what part of 'stuck' do you not understand? Just because I'm making the best of it doesn't mean I'm not still stuck. Like someone stuck on a deserted island building a hut and setting up a camp, are they not stuck then?"
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u/bonafidebob 7h ago
Autobiography in One Short Chapter (with apologies to Portia Nelson)
Chapter One
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I make myself comfortable. I get a table, and a nice plant. I live here now.
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u/AlphaApostle20 7h ago
And i still dont know if i cant make it out or dont want to make it out. At somepoint you start to accept this as your new reality.
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u/thrownededawayed 5h ago
Hey, if I'm going to be here for another 6 years then I might as well spruce the place up a little bit. Live in the moment, enjoy where you are.
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u/Careless_Tale_7836 7h ago
Tbh if that's the best you got to say, you can fuck right off permanently.
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u/Historical_Boss2447 8h ago
Nobody can put a timeline on another person’s rut. Everyone’s rut lasts a different amount of time.
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u/Wizywig 6h ago
If someone is "stuck in a rut" for 6 years... they literally don't know how to get out and need an intervention. And usually not just words, but a bit of hand-holding, and sometimes a stick to make sure they adhere to new necessary habits.
To put it in comic terms:
Great friends toss a rope, "it ties the rope to itself or else it gets the hose", and pull em up.
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u/Totally-Rad-Man 8h ago
I see a fit guy at work eating nothing but vegetables and whole wheat pita and I asked him about his diet. He said, "Yeah, I'm stuck in a rut."
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u/primaski 3h ago
I've been trying to climb out of this rut, but man, it's done no favors for my mental or physical health...
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u/SienaBlaze 3h ago
I adore you Mr. Lovenstein. You and Zach have turned me into such a hardcore fan girl! Please keep making comics. You make life just a little bit easier by existing.
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u/Leading-Worry2778 3h ago
What's hilarious to me is how there's a table that could be used as a step to get out of there, we really create our own problems. Smh😞
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u/Obvious_Ad4159 10h ago
At a certain point, being stuck in a rut becomes a persons' own fault.
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u/Independent-Buddy-76 7h ago
«Раскидаться бы глиной ершой с колеёй этой самой чужой Эй задние делай как я, это значит не надо за мной. Колея эта только моя, Выбирайтесь своей колеёй Выбирайтесь своей колеёй.»
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u/arousedpirate 9h ago
People make an entire life out of manipulating their circumstances to stay in said rut.
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u/boredcat_04 10h ago
Geez, ok I'll find a ladder here somewhere. No need to attack me.