Regret is a recurring theme in the novel. Do you think it’s possible to live a life without regret? How does regret or fear of regret drive people’s choices?
I believe that no human lives without regret, whether you turn the regret into positive constructive actions will determine how happy you are with your life.
We all have regrets in our lives. Hopefully, we learn from our past and improve our future. One can deal with regrets by feeling sorry for themselves and only looking backward, usually causing them to make bad choices. Or one can honestly look at the past situation they regret and act in the future not to repeat whatever caused it.
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t had some regrets and believe they are a part of life. Hopefully we don’t dwell on our regrets and are able to gain insight into those regrets, learn and move forward. I believe regrets are part of our own personal growth.
(Does anyone else get Frank Sinatra singing in their head after reading people’s responses? “Regrets…I’ve had a few…But then again…Too few to mention…” Hah! Quite the ear worm!)
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No, I can’t imagine a person who has lived a life without some regret. I would think we all at some time in our lives feel we made wrong decisions. The issue is being able to move beyond those decisions, not dwell on them and not let them ruin your life.
Totally. I was hearing Frank and then saw your response. 
Everyone experiences regret. It’s how you experience it that makes the difference. Do you wallow in it? Obsess about it? Become paralyzed by it? Or do you observe your feelings, acknowledge them, admit that you could have done better in a particular situation, and move on? Regret is a learning tool. It’s part of being human. If we didn’t regret a few things along the way, we wouldn’t be compassionate, caring people, would we?
I cannot imagine anyone not experiencing any regret in their life. The key is what they do with it as many others have stated. So much to learn from, gain insights from and move forward into the future. It is sad when someone gets stuck in the past, and cannot move forward, or is so afraid of making mistakes that they stay in the past. Living in the past and fear can paralyze a life and sometimes the person is not even aware of it.
I truly believe we all have regrets of some kind in our lives. After all, we are human, living. being individuals. I think Kim hit the nail on its nose by suggesting the words of Sinatra’s hit. I so agree, I’ve had a few, but then. . .
Regret is a part of the imperfect life we all live. And it can be something totally irrelevant such as buying lemonade instead orange juice. I always say things are meant to be and with a big regret we have to learn to let it go. There is only so much control we have over our lives and the world around us.