CNN's John Sutter asks his colleagues what they have as moral regrets. Dan: Bullied somebody, cheated on my spouse, swindled a business partner; i hurt another human being. E: I think the kindest regret is not doing anything to help someone who had been bullied for decades but didn't do anything about it at the time.
“Embedded in songs, emblazoned on skin, and embraced by sages, the anti-regret philosophy is so self-evidently true that it’s more often asserted than argued.” So writes Daniel Pink in his new book, “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.” There’s just one problem, he adds. The “no regrets” philosophy? It’s hogwash. Regrets may churn our stomachs, but they also improve our decisions and strengthen our values. They’re a photographic negative of the good life.
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