The Pain of Childbirth

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We're wired, by god or nature, to feel very differently about past pain and past pleasure. The things that have been painful in my life don't haunt me at all. I think that's why some women have more than one child. It's that the pain of childbirth falls into this strange category in awe. And then i want to give you a different art. Maybe i can comfort you on the death thing. Make my attempt. Ah, it's a longlet the trii i'll take any effotyoso.

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.