One of the reasons I was hesitant to start this newsletter was due to concerns about writing something I would disagree with in future. This post is probably one of those but here it goes. We live in a society that espouses “no regrets”. Yet regrets are a near universal experience. Regrets are interesting because they are both backward and forward looking. We regret something we did, or in most cases, didn’t do. We compare the outcome to a time before that decision was made. Sometimes we compare the outcome to a fantasy. An alternative path that exists nowhere but our minds. Examining what we regret and why we regret it can help prevent future regrets, not just in terms of avoiding repeating the mistakes of the past, but also in shaping how we live in the future.
egrets come across as being very "superficial", considering a current emotional state and imagining another choice that might have left us feeling better. What we don't think about are the consequences of those decisions not taken. We can't because the long term consequences are unknown, except for maybe the initial experience.
Maybe if we reflected more on our choices, closer to when we make them, consider if they align to who we want to be and if it reflects the person we want to be for others, it could help with the "Regrets of the Living".
The challenge with regret is that it comes from making choices without enough context of how life works, and you learn by making mistakes.
I regret not having an understanding of people from an early age, so that I could have a foundation to protect my emotional self and have the strength to be open and available for others. That for me could deal with "Regrets of the Dying".
egrets come across as being very "superficial", considering a current emotional state and imagining another choice that might have left us feeling better. What we don't think about are the consequences of those decisions not taken. We can't because the long term consequences are unknown, except for maybe the initial experience.
Maybe if we reflected more on our choices, closer to when we make them, consider if they align to who we want to be and if it reflects the person we want to be for others, it could help with the "Regrets of the Living".
The challenge with regret is that it comes from making choices without enough context of how life works, and you learn by making mistakes.
I regret not having an understanding of people from an early age, so that I could have a foundation to protect my emotional self and have the strength to be open and available for others. That for me could deal with "Regrets of the Dying".