Your biggest regret?

[Frank Merton]

My "reget" is going to college for something totally useless.

Tell me about it; I studied astronomy. Question: "How do you get the recent astronomy graduate off your doorstep?" Answer: "Pay for the pizza."

[Frank Merton]

Losing weight is not hard, and several of you have mentioned dietary approaches that do it (mainly brown rice and whole grains for carbs, lots of fruits and veggies). An exercise program is also necessary for this. For ethical reasons I don't eat meat. I also have a hell of a time with brown rice, as no one else in the house will eat it (it is viewed in Asia as animal fodder and below human dignity), requiring the cook to do my meals separate from the rest of the family. Needless to say this creates resistance.

My problem is that I always put the lost weight back on in a few months, and then some. I think this is now recognized as something the body does to you that we evolved back in the days of periodic famine. This yo-yo is worse than just sitting at a certain weight because it slowly increases the fat. Will power is good but of limited effectiveness -- you can use will power to hold your breath for awhile, but eventually your body overrules you.

[Hawken]

We all have regrets and it's part of human nature. We feel we should have turned right when we turned left.

The question is, if we had a time machine and could go back and change things, would we eventually regret

doing that. The people you now know and love probably exist in your lives because of some regrets of your past.

[Blue Star]

The funny thing about regret is... it's better to regret something you have done than something you haven't done.

By the way... If you see your Mom this weekend, be sure and tell her SATAN!

[White Crane Feather]

I look back and I'm happy to say I don't have very large regrets. I have been very very lucky in my decision making.

The regret that I do have was turning to alcohol during a depressed period in my life. I was self medicating dealing with some psychological pain. Ultimately abusing alcohol damaged me way more. I was not abusive or anything like that, but I acted and said things that were so far away from what I am about it puts a Knott in my stomach just thinking about it. Ultimately it damaged my self esteem. Luckily when it was happening I became fed up with myself and sought counseling. Two years of therapy. I look back at that seeker and I shake my head in disgust, yet somehow I feel I needed to be knocked down a bit to have the knowledge of what it's like to be there.

[freetoroam]

My biggest regret is not doing earlier what I am doing now and falling into the big brother system which held me back.

[White Crane Feather]

Yea -- before you up and leave your fatherland be sure, very sure. Adopting to a different culture is extremely hard, and the States is probably one of the hardest. I don't think anyone over about 40 should even think about it.

There is an arbitrage advantage for young men and women to work in the States for a few years, living very cheaply (sharing an apartment with several copats) and saving money, since nominally salaries are much higher in the States. Then come back, get married and start a business. This once was a common thing, but now the States has gotten paranoid and the population doomsayers have inserted their stupidity and nativist selfishness and racism has taken over and getting such visas is near impossible. As a result of course the States now has a large underclass of illegals -- just people trying to improve their lives with work -- but making them illegal has made them vulnerable and caused some to turn to more serious criminality.

BS frank. the US has had some of the most liberal immigration policies in all the world. Even now It's very difficult for even me an educated productive person to move to just about any country without first procuring a job or having my own money. Why should any country just let people come in and draw off of their medical system, stability, education opportunities and economy just to move back. The US is the most racially diverse country in the world, has the most incoming immigrants in the world, gives the most aid than anybody else IN THE WORLD. There are problems here no doubt, but there is a reason why people want to come here. Very few people regret coming here, and if you follow the rules and try hard enough most people still can. Just yesterday where I eat Chinese food, the owner was talking with me and is converting her business to a corporation. Being a middle aged Chinese woman immigrant who started with nothing, she is doing awesome.

[Frank Merton]

Tell that to all the millions who've been refused.