Is it fair to have regrets?

[Calebark]

Regrets occur when you're disappointed with a decision you've made in the past. However, this is (as clichéd as it sounds) a learning experience. You're learning more of what to do, and of what not to do, which will help you make better decisions in the future.

Given that bad decisions have some inherent benefit in you learn what not to do for the future, is it fair to have regrets?

[HasibA]

Regrets occur when you're disappointed with a decision you've made in the past. However, this is (as clichéd as it sounds) a learning experience. You're learning more of what to do, and of what not to do, which will help you make better decisions in the future.

Given that bad decisions have some inherent benefit in you learn what not to do for the future, is it fair to have regrets?

i reckon its fair to have regrets. i feel like without that feeling of wanting to 'change' that one thing, one can't grow personally (as fast; i tend to remember bad experiences moreso than good lmfaoo 😂😂😂😂😂)

[heids]

I mean, having regrets doesn't *help* anything, but just like worrying about things that one can't change, they're a very human thing to have.

It's definitely a much more helpful perspective to have on life though - seeing everything that happens as a chance to learn, every mistake as an opportunity to grow, and so on.  It's just hard to actually feel it in day-to-day life.

[Bri MT]

Regrets occur when you're disappointed with a decision you've made in the past. However, this is (as clichéd as it sounds) a learning experience. You're learning more of what to do, and of what not to do, which will help you make better decisions in the future.

Given that bad decisions have some inherent benefit in you learn what not to do for the future, is it fair to have regrets?

Sometimes the price of the action is too great and there are things you don't want to learn, and cannot be taken back. So yes, I believe it is fair to have regrets.

[_____]

Regrets occur when you're disappointed with a decision you've made in the past. However, this is (as clichéd as it sounds) a learning experience. You're learning more of what to do, and of what not to do, which will help you make better decisions in the future.

Given that bad decisions have some inherent benefit in you learn what not to do for the future, is it fair to have regrets?

Of course. The regret is what forces you to avoid making the same mistake again. If you're not reminding yourself of the times you've screwed up, corrective action is impossible. If you're talking about a more extreme form of regret whereby you begin hating yourself, this can also be fair in some circumstances, unless your regret isn't logical (ie it won't help you in the future OR something happened that wasn't your fault).

[LifeisaConstantStruggle]

I mean, sure, regret might be a bit too daunting at times but people tend to focus on the emotional aspects of regret rather than moving on with life.
It depends on what kind of regret we're talking about here but, the more you live, the more you experience, and the more you experience, the higher the chances of having regretful events and experiences happening around you.
It might be regret because you've done a mistake which could otherwise be handled pretty well, or even missing the chance of talking to a loved one for an indefinite period of time.
These things might hurt depending on the severity of a certain event, but as you go through life like this, you mature as a person, you move on, and make certain amounts of progress. I like to see these mistakes as lessons you will fail to avoid in life, which in turn will also develop your resilience and mindset to face more challenges in life.
You might be more cautious when tackling various problems given to you, or even be more loving and appreciate the little things around you that might not be there forever for you.
Regrets should be fair to have I guess, as it is well, inevitable, and vital for our growth as sensible human beings.

[Calebark]

I mean, having regrets doesn't *help* anything, but just like worrying about things that one can't change, they're a very human thing to have.

It's definitely a much more helpful perspective to have on life though - seeing everything that happens as a chance to learn, every mistake as an opportunity to grow, and so on.  It's just hard to actually feel it in day-to-day life.

Yeah, feels. Belief and application are veeerrryyy different.

Sometimes the price of the action is too great and there are things you don't want to learn, and cannot be taken back. So yes, I believe it is fair to have regrets.

To what extent? What if the feeling becomes overwhelming over time?

I mean, sure, regret might be a bit too daunting at times but people tend to focus on the emotional aspects of regret rather than moving on with life.
It depends on what kind of regret we're talking about here but, the more you live, the more you experience, and the more you experience, the higher the chances of having regretful events and experiences happening around you.
It might be regret because you've done a mistake which could otherwise be handled pretty well, or even missing the chance of talking to a loved one for an indefinite period of time.
These things might hurt depending on the severity of a certain event, but as you go through life like this, you mature as a person, you move on, and make certain amounts of progress. I like to see these mistakes as lessons you will fail to avoid in life, which in turn will also develop your resilience and mindset to face more challenges in life.
You might be more cautious when tackling various problems given to you, or even be more loving and appreciate the little things around you that might not be there forever for you.
Regrets should be fair to have I guess, as it is well, inevitable, and vital for our growth as sensible human beings.

Great answer. I agree

[Claudiaa]

That's actually a very good question...

I recently went to a leadership forum and one of the guest speakers said something that resonated within me. It was "You only have regrets for things that you didn't do in life, not what you did do" and I found this pretty interesting because personally, it is very true. Regrets shouldn't really come out of what you did choose to do, it is just the alternative option that you discarded that may be catalysing feelings of regret

[heids]

I've been thinking more about it.

I reckon with the fast pace of our world and all the advertising like "lose ten kilos in two weeks!" or "be a new you in 30 days", there's this sense that we have to grow and change and improve faster than we possibly can.  Character grows slowly over years, but we sort of want to skip the time and the many mistakes that are necessary on the way, which leads to regrets as we feel we should have been able to avoid that time and those mistakes.

I think we have to be content with solid, slow, continued, persistent effort, in the face of mistakes and slow growth, rather than huge rapid changes... but that's hard.