It’s a real time machine!
If I knew what I know now, would I go back and do things differently? Would the path I’ve taken change or would it be the same path? Would I always end up in a complete circle of my own life?
These are questions I never like to ask. I find it’s like living in the past instead of living in the present. I’ve always believed in no regrets. Things happen for which we may or may not have control but what is the point in wallowing over what ifs, if onlys, and I should haves? It doesn’t lead to anything but disappointment in yourself because you can’t go back to change anything.
Even if an H. G. Wells Time Machine suddenly appeared in my living room and I had the nerve to hop on and go backward, how far would I go? Would I go to an instance that I define as life changing or would I get greedy and go back to even before birth, blaming my parents for not loving me enough, giving me enough, opening doors, etc?
I have lived a good amount of years to know my personality. If chances happened that the Time Machine existed, I would repeat my mistakes in some form or another. I am a creature of habit, of comfort, and of survival. I do what I think and feel is right. I made the mistake because I wanted to believe in something but it didn’t turn out the way I hoped.
I’ve always believed that the course of our lives are written in a special tablet somewhere that erasing any part of that would not make me who I am today. Moments that define us, builds us, and strengthens us comes with experience and time. It’s from these mistakes that we learn lessons and hopefully, won’t repeat it and continue building forward, making us a better person to the people around us and to be someone we are proud of.
That is why I find regrets are wasteful. The past should be the past. The present is everchanging and in our hand. So why not make the most of it, change our lives to be what we want, and create the future we envision? Clinging to the past is like clinging to the dead. It doesn’t come back, no matter how hard you try.