Regrets and forgiveness

So many times, we catch ourselves saying, "If only...". All the regrets... All the "if only"s... Time move on, and can never be turned back. Even with very modern physics, all the research into time travel, Einstein's theory, all point to the same thing - Time can only move forward, never backwards. Even with the so-called time travel, it is only possible to travel to the future, never back.

But so many have thoughts and wishes of "if only I can turn back time". There's no decent person without regrets, or without guilt. Since young, I had the thought that, if some genius can invent a time machine that allows a person to turn back time, he/she will be the richest and most well known person in history. As I grew more experienced, now I realised, a machine like that will only destroy the world and all of humanity.

What will you do if you know that you can turn back time, and change what you've done? Tempting. At least you can do something about the pain, the guilt, the "if only...". But think further, what will that do to humanity's psyche? Throw caution to the wind, since mistakes can be changed. No regrets to make us treasure whatever is left.

Confucius said, there's no man without regrets. Learn to accept the past, accept the regret as a part of you, a part of your past, learn, and move on. What's past is past. Don't bring the past into the present and the future.

God forgives all who repents. But many times, what is harder is for us to forgive ourselves. I know God forgives me for all I've done, for my imperfection, clumsiness, stupidity, impulsiveness etc. The people I have hurt at one time or another, unintentionally or otherwise, may have forgiven and even forgotten. But I still remember. And I still hurt. And I still cannot forgive myself for so many pasts.

In such melancholic times, still haunted by the many "if only...".