Regrets
It's not possible to live a life without regrets, because by the time you realise that things are regrettable, they've happened. You can choose not to regret things, I suppose, but choosing not to regret the regrettable is rather too metaphysical for me.
What you can do, I think, is choose to live with those regrets, to learn from them, and to act in a way that uses them in positive manner. This is roughly what I try to do, all the time.
Because, of course, there are decisions I will always regret, as well as things I once regretted but no longer regret. I regret many of those things which were rightly but not wisely done, and hence not as right as they could have been.
There are days I've wondered why I did so many things out of pride, or anger, or being a stroppy young punk with shoes that were too large or too tight or too glossy. You can really hate yourself. You can talk to people born 20 years or so after you and realise that they have 20 years to look forward to that you have already lost.
Sometimes, there is the risk of throwing out the whole for the sake of the part. There are days I've asked myself why I ever became a teacher. But I'm sure that not ever having been a teacher, while it would have saved me a lot of grief, would also have prevented me from knowing a lot of joy.
I don't know. And where I don't know that it would have been better, I suppose I shouldn't regret anything. But I do still have a few regrets. Sometimes, it's all very painful.
What you can do, I think, is choose to live with those regrets, to learn from them, and to act in a way that uses them in positive manner. This is roughly what I try to do, all the time.
Because, of course, there are decisions I will always regret, as well as things I once regretted but no longer regret. I regret many of those things which were rightly but not wisely done, and hence not as right as they could have been.
There are days I've wondered why I did so many things out of pride, or anger, or being a stroppy young punk with shoes that were too large or too tight or too glossy. You can really hate yourself. You can talk to people born 20 years or so after you and realise that they have 20 years to look forward to that you have already lost.
Sometimes, there is the risk of throwing out the whole for the sake of the part. There are days I've asked myself why I ever became a teacher. But I'm sure that not ever having been a teacher, while it would have saved me a lot of grief, would also have prevented me from knowing a lot of joy.
I don't know. And where I don't know that it would have been better, I suppose I shouldn't regret anything. But I do still have a few regrets. Sometimes, it's all very painful.
Labels: Introspection, Regret
etched with acid at 12:19:00 am
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