YAIYA

I often hear, in real life and in movies, things like:

I regret not saying goodbye before…
I regret not taking the chance to spend my life with…
Don’t you regret it?
I regret buying that…

According to wikipedia regret is an emotion. “…a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviors. Regret is often expressed by the term “sorry.” – and how often don’t I hear people say ”sorry”.

Regret is often felt when someone feels sadness, shame, embarrassment, depression, annoyance or guilt after committing an action or actions that the person later wishes that s/he had not done or having not committed an action or actions that the person later wishes that s/he had done.

Regret of inaction: Many people find themselves wishing that they had done something in a past situation.

It is not uncommon, when you have know a person for a while, that one asks or gets this question:

Have you any regrets?

What does it really mean? In life? Have I done anything I wish I had not done? I usually answer no. I don’t have any regrets. What is regret? And what things can we really regret? If I had not done all the things I have done in my time spent on this earth;

I would not be the same person…

…and not have the same memories or imagination
…and not have the same experiences or knowledge
…and not have the same aspirations or desires
…and not have the same strenght or prospective aim

If I had not done all the things I have done; the future would be different.