How Is "mistake" And "regret" Connected?

A mistake exists in the world - the action (and its consequences!) are 'out there'. It is concrete and external. You, as an agent, act upon the world.

A 'regret' exists in the mind, born of rumination and feeling. It is thought, the mind acting upon itself. It has no existence independent of you.

 

Acceptance and learning from the past is only way for me @Jey. Mistakes are something to learn from, move on. Accept that you did the best in theavailable circumstances.

Regrets are seen and pointed out only by self while mistakes are pointed by all sometimes even before you understand it is a mistake..

Mistakes the actions and reactions are more visible while regrets tend to be emotional..

When i look at the available resources in handling special kids today, i identify a few mistakes i did, but i have accepted them and don't regret, because they are done and cannot be undone and I have done what i could with the limited resources at that time and can only look at what best i can do today not even tomorrow because there is always a chance of today's action becoming a mistake tomorrow.

The what if and only if are sone hard hitting tools we can do without in this already stressful life.

 

Such concepts can be simplified greatly.

Ok, the stoics first. There is a subtle distinction between how the optimists perceive the world and how the stoics perceive. Usually, stoics are thought to have a shallow engagement with the world. However, that is not the case, they have a more realistic approach.

Let's say Person A loses his investment in a business, and is now bankrupt and broke and sold off his bungalow and reduce to living in a tenement.

Optimist: Everything will be ok.
(He means: you will regain your prior wealth and status soon and life will be fine again)

Stoic: Everything will be ok.
(He means: You will get used to this penury so much that your recollection of affluence will blur and you will be fine even in this current state)

A stoic has no “mistakes” (classify the act: investment was a bad decision or a mistake) or “regrets” (perceive/reflect on the act: why that particular investment turned sour) but only an immersion in the naturalness of the inevitability of life (done! let’s get on).

If this is happening to me, I resist less and accept it sooner. Stoics are not impassive as ready acceptance is also a demonstration of intense emotion on a pragmatic scale rather than on a reflection scale. Stoics have no place for mistakes or regrets as they embrace the natural order of life and care only about the instant they are living in.

 

Instead of regretting and wallowing in self pity after committing a mistake Knowingly or or unknowingly, we should try to find a way to correct it if possible. If it is not possible to correct the mistake there is no use of regretting. It will make us miserable.

Take it a lesson for you and be careful in future and try to avoid making emotional or momentary decision.
PS

 

initial analysis before acting plays vital role. but that comes with experience - the experience of having committed ample mistakes. after which mistakes can be reduced. if u can seek solace out of a regrettable mistake, nothing like it. but if it's late or past beyond when the person isn't available then that surely affects when realized by the committer.

situation plays major part and the parties involved too. a mistake turns regrettable when the other one reacts or feels totally bad about it.

earlier this week i committed a mistake knowingly (in the pretext of the welfare of the other person). it's a regrettable mistake but in the interest of the person - my justification it is.

time would make the person understand that it was for their good. so now there are known and unknown mistakes & regrettable mistakes

 

@Jey thank you for starting this thread because I'm also in the same situation of committed wrong mistake unknowingly and which made me regret and not forgetting state....
@Shanvy @PushpavalliSrinivasan .Thank you for sharing your views. After reading your posts I feel a little better......