Fluther: On life regrets... Are you more concerned with the things you ...

On life regrets... Are you more concerned with the things you have done but wish you hadn't, or the things you haven't done but wish you had?

Asked by RealEyesRealizeRealLies (30960

) July 31st, 2011
12 responses
“Great Question” (1

)

Which flavor of regret tastes the most bitter to you?

Follow this question

Send to a friend!

Topics: regrets, shoulda, coulda, woulda, been there done that

Observing members: 0

Composing members: 0

Answers

I would go for regretting the non-action more than the action.

You can learn more from doing something (tweaks and perfections) than you can from not doing something (just do it next time). Life is all about experience and mistakes right? Need to take more chances!

trickface (2346

)“Great Answer” (1

)

Agree with @trickface, I regret what I haven’t done more than what I have done. But I don’t know if that’s because missing out on things is more saddening to me, or if it’s just because I have lived such a careful life that any objective observer would say that I have foolishly missed out on much more than I have foolishly done. If that makes sense to anyone besides me.

Mariah (25883

)“Great Answer” (1

)

I don’t have any regrets other than I do have one last piece of unfinished business that I have my heart set on doing and I will be pissed as hell if someone takes me out before I get the chance to live that slice of life! ;)

Cruiser (40454

)“Great Answer” (1

)

Not that it is responsive to the question, but my answer is neither. Done plenty I shouldn’t have, but not that big a deal. Done plenty that weighs a little on my soul, but I had to do it. Plenty that I want to do, but there is still time.

josie (30934

)“Great Answer” (1

)

I’ll take B for 500 Alex.

Can’t change the past, but I can still get to that damn to-do list.

cookieman (41838

)“Great Answer” (1

)

Both options come back to haunt, I’m speaking for myself of course.

Adagio (14059

)“Great Answer” (1

)

Definitely the latter. Totally the latter..

ddude1116 (5575

)“Great Answer” (1

)

The things I haven’t done. Better get a move on and get some more done so I don’t have too many things to regret later on!

Bellatrix (21317

)“Great Answer” (1

)

Shit I ain’t got done. Shit I did do but regret, well so far, I have managed to live with it. I’ll never know that with stuff I haven’t done and may not get a chance to do so again though.

Some day man, I’ll be like that guy in Kung Fu the Legend Continues and travel the world, sleeping under the stars. Hopefully, before I die.

Berserker (33548

)“Great Answer” (2

)

Most of my regrets are things I didn’t do, because, like @trickface, I can learn from things I’ve done—I can find positive even in my worst mistakes because I believe nothing exists without flip sides. In any bad, there’s good, and in good exists some bad—so from my mistakes I can learn, adjust, or if nothing else, share with others. It makes me think of a line from Mulan—how the most beautiful flower grows from adversity.
With things I didn’t do, I lost opportunities to learn and experience something new and different.

linguaphile (14574

)“Great Answer” (2

)