I Made a Mistake, but I Can't Know, and I Could Not Know Them.

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Donna Brazile: It seems to me that the healthier way is to say, that was then, and this is now. What's wrong with saying, i made a misaebut what appears to be a mistake? And so you made a leap, and it turned out ok. Maybe it turned out badly, by the way. That's the case we're talking about. You didn't get tenure, em i t ou. You ended up at a not so great place,. Most of your students weren't ery good. But isn'it a healthier way to deal with it just say, well, i can't change the pastor why am i trying to? I

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.