Not long ago, a friend asked if I regretted anything I’d done (or tried to do) for freedom. Complicated question, that. It’s one I may blog-ponder later. But for now, I’m turning it back on you and doubling it.
A. Is there anything you regret doing (or trying to do) for freedom?
B. Is there anything within your realistic power that you regret not doing (or not trying to do) for freedom?
I only regret the things I HAVEN’T done.
I regret not finishing my education to become a nurse practitioner when I had the chance. Lots of good reasons it didn’t happen, but it could have. And I would now be in a much better position to provide alternative health care while the Abominable act torpedoes regular medicine. I’ll still do what I can, of course, but it could have been more.
I regret joining the Marine Corps as a kid, THINKING it was to help freedom, when it did the opposite. Fortunately I did not have to kill anybody defending his country from invasion. But it might have been an essential part of my education, learning not to trust governments. And I learned how to shoot, an essential skill in revolutions and rebellions. 🙂
I regret getting married the 2nd time. I guess I was trying to prove something to the first ex. Now I am trying to get rid of the second who is a miniature Hitler and a conniving jerk (but he was handsome).
Paul, thanks for your comments. I come from a long line of military, and believe me, they all feel the same as you do. Thank God you were not maimed.
Pretty much I only regret sins I did not commit. All I did was deprive myself of fun and new experiences while trying to live up to someone else’s standard.
I do regret buying into the whole middle class, protestant work ethic thing. I don’t mind working to take care of myself and family, but the whole wage slave concpet is about as stupid as I can bear.
Paul, when it comes to revolution and rebellions, I sometimes think the willingness to shoot might be more important than the quality of fire.
I regret not taking personal freedom when I had the chance in the 60s… not going off at that time to my 2-acre plot in the WA woods, but continued working until another situation arose and I eventually came back East. It sidetracked perspective, knowledge, and experiences — all of which came later — that would have helped in the fight for freedom.
Sometimes I regret waiting so long to become vocal and active (just over 10 years ago).
And, sometimes, I regret speaking out instead of just quietly living free.
I sometimes should have gotten something done when procrastinated.
On another note. Remember all those disclaimers about how no animals were hurt in movies? Well, don’t believe it.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/
I regret buying into the whole democracy/voting/political action scam. I wasted 35 years of my life believing that working within the system could bring change for the better.
I regret working at jobs I hated for a long time and not following my passion sooner. I also regret buying into all the mainstream lies. But there’s a reason for everything….
I, as so many other enlightened people out there, have to fight for personal freedoms every day. I regret the times I have to concede some of it just to get where I intend to go. As for freedom overall, I regret wasting time on those people who just don’t understand it or understand why they are losing theirs. But as a ghost, I generally don’t get all loud about promoting it publicly, since I always regret drawing attention to myself. I also regret living in a time where I have to see so many freedoms disappearing right in front of my eyes, too.
Regrets? Like Zorro, I have one regret for every day I’m not going to live forever. But as for regretting things I’ve done ‘for freedom,’ I’ll go with everybody else: I only regret I didn’t do it sooner. Sooner, I could have built a grubstake that would have let me do it better.
The only thing I regret not trying to do is earlier in my life was I wished I’d would have tried breakin away sooner. This song sums it up for me.
I regret not fighting harder to stop Social Security. It is wrong, and enslaves future generations for someone else’s benefit. Just where do we get off doing that? It’s why a big part of why I never had children. I prefer to die alone in my old age than look into my children’s eyes and tell them I made them slaves.
I had some unrelated regrets early on quite a few, actually. I think I caught on. The regrets were treating someone else or myself dishonorably, or inaction.
I do not mean to brag, but these questions make me happy that I do not regret doing or not doing something for liberty.
Sure I didn’t beat them. But I did not waste my time and I sure as heck will not be accused by anyone of standing by and watching the show. The show, by the way, is not over.
I will not be in the gulag wishing I got off my butt. I will not criticize those who ‘save their strength’ or however they look at it, but I know that the regret of failing to do what you see needing done is more painful to me than failing in the attempt.