Regrettably Impossible

[Mark]

People say that we should live life with no regrets, but on top of being impossible, it's not smart. Regrets are what help us to learn from our mistakes. When you think of a situation over and over and how you wish you'd said something different, been nicer or just kept your mouth shut - when you regret your action - it's like insurance should you ever be confronted with a similar situation. Some people say regret is a pointless waste of time, (eg. the man in jail that wishes he hadn't drove drunk) but again I disagree. Mentally, regret might be frustrating, but emotionally, we grow through the lessons of regret we learn. (It is important to note that regret without action or willingness to change will provide only frustration.)

[Bunny]

Totally agree with you. A NO REGRETS kind of life pushes you forward i believe! Take a step, be brave, and honest, is my kind of life. IT WORKS FOR ME!

[billy]

i don't think regret helps us learn from our mistakes. how many people do the same stupid thing over and over and each time say...i regret doing it.

i regret a couple of things smoking is a big one. maybe overdoing the coke a lot (years ago) but other than that the choices i made i'm fairly happy with. my kids turned out well, i'm a happy person surrounded by loving caring people on both sides of the atlantic.
i grew through mistakes but never through regret. mistakes aren't always in fact they're seldom regrettable. we make a choice and regretting them at a later date takes up to much time, we just move on. i have so much good shit in my lifetime and most of it came with and through the mistakes, to regrett them would be to regret my life.

[Mark]

. . . many people do the same stupid thing over and over and each time say...i regret doing it. . .

They might say they regret it, but true repentance is not saying your sorry- it's realizing the error of your ways . . . jmo

[Leanne]

There are plenty of things I wish I hadn't done, but every time I follow the chain of events, if I hadn't done the yucky bits then most of the good bits would never have happened. Regret is a waste of time -- at least, regretting what you HAVE done, and if you regret what you HAVEN'T done, then make sure you don't miss the next opportunity.

[Mark]

Then regret is not a waste of time . . . that's all I'm saying is that learning from your mistakes requires both regret and the intention to do better.

[srijantje]

I hurt a few people,for sure,I regret that,so you try not to do it again if that's possible

[billy]

. . . many people do the same stupid thing over and over and each time say...i regret doing it. . .

They might say they regret it, but true repentance is not saying your sorry- it's realizing the error of your ways . . . jmo

of course not but regret and repentance are two completely different things.
i never repnt. what's done is done and what will be done will be done.

[Mark]

regret and repentance are two completely different things.

They're not the same, but they are very similar. Truly ruing an action will lead you to making a change- repentance(it's not a religious word we just look at it that way) . . . whereas pissing and whining because you got caught or there was some consequence is neither true regret nor repentance.