I'm Giving This Up, but This Is Worth More Than That

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Many people are good at not looking back. This is some this is the grass would have been greener problem, that if i only made that decision, chosen that path. The idea of a single currency of pleasure underlies what makes life worth living. We should be able to dank ourselves a not being bad, feeling bad, that the grass would a bet greener.

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.