The Joys of Retrospection

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The joys of retrospection. We just don't want to think about it, and that's perfectly reasonable. But the loss of memory is a real not being able to remember them would be a real tragedy. And so i think the kind of thing you describe, just saying it's temporary. If you could somehow inhabit chronic pain with the mode it's temporary, i mean, there's another one coming, but each one is temporary.

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.