Re:Living, in Limbo
by ekianjo on Monday July 04, 2016 @11:22PM
(#12034230)
Regrets on deathbeds are kind of a myth. Most people did actually make the conscious choices throughout their lives not to do the things they regret when things are over. So i would not give it too much credence unless their life is cut very short when they barely had a chance to do anything.
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I would also contend that for a large fraction of those people who have deathbed wishes, if a magic force suddenly granted that person 50 more years of healthy life, they'd go back to doing what they had "regretted".
The guy who regrets working too hard at the end of life might be reflecting on some projects he put too much effort into, thinking he should have relaxed instead.
Yet with 50 more years, he might get a jump on a dozen more projects, or reach for that next promotion.
I honestly don't see what you mean by myth. A choice being conscious doesn't mean it was optimal.
You are exactly who you wanted to be. But sometimes that is not who you want to be. Or worse, who you hoped to be.
Hindsight, thou art a heartless bitch.
;)
Re:Living, in Limbo
by greenshackle on Tuesday July 05, 2016 @11:13AM
(#12036979)
I suspect when people are asked what they regret and they say, I wish I had spent more time with my family, what they really mean is, I wish I had more time to spend with my family.
Humans are not actually very good at remembering their past selves. Memories are reconstructed on the fly, we 'remember' by projecting our present selves into past situations.