i think it's very complicated for two reasons so to one is there's the the issue of whether, erw how far affirmation of the particular way your life has gone really works. There's also a further problem, which is, the cases of regret that are most clearly involve identifiable mistakes are ones where the mistake was sort of moral. And if you're not thinking about the past in a way that involves regret, you're just thinking, that's the past. Don't worry about it, you're not making a mistake. It's more that when you do startthinking about the past, apart from just telling yourself, stop doing that, what can you do to refram your relationship
John Stuart Mill's midlife crisis came at 20 when he realized that if he got what he desired he still wouldn't be happy. Art and poetry (and maybe love) saved the day for him. In this week's episode, philosopher Kieran Setiya of MIT talks about his book Midlife with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Setiya argues we can learn from Mill to help deal with the ennui to which so many midlifers succumb--along with regrets for roads not taken and wistfulness for what could have been. Setiya argues that a well-lived life needs fewer projects and more pursuits that don't have goals or endpoints. He explains why past mistakes can turn out to be good things and how lost chances can help us appreciate the richness of life.