Keep regrets at bay

Scriptures and sages say that there should be no place for regret in life and that one should look ahead rather than look back, to have a rich, fruitful and positive life with no ego, anger or greed. Anil Mathur writes.

Scriptures and sages say that there should be no place for regret in life and that one should look ahead rather than look back, to have a rich, fruitful and positive life with no ego, anger or greed.

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But it is easier said than done; most of us don’t even try not to regret and we keep on regretting.

How often have we heard, or seen in ourselves, complaints on opting for a wrong career, life partner, friends, or even a wrong country or city to live in. If we devote more time for our future, instead of dwelling in the past, material and spiritual progress will grow much faster, both at the individual and community level.

Our inability or unwillingness to achieve the perceived goals can often be a cause of regret, be it in mundane things like choice of a vehicle, house or friends. Linked to the issue of regrets is faith or lack of it that one may have in fate and/or destiny.

If we were to list our main regrets in life, clearly they would differ from person to person. For one it could be missing out on childhood joys or play, for another it could be opting for a wrong subject, and yet for-other it could be lamenting over wasted time and energy or useless issues.

The religiously-inclined may well say that any time spent on material acquisitions or gains today is bound to lead to regret tomorrow; and only the time spent on life’s higher things will have any long- term significance.