Regret, acknowledged or not, is part of the human experience and, it seems to me, is most often tied to a failure of communication. Young children communicate freely but teens and adults, subject to fear and intent on protecting their self-esteem, may fail to speak or do so in an offensive manner.
Failure to express love or gratitude and an unwillingness to apologize for our words or actions are perhaps most closely tied to future regret. How ironic that we humans, set apart from "lower" animals by our linguistic skills, should endure anguish due to their underuse or misuse.
Fortunately, we often have the opportunity to undo our failure to communicate, unless, of course, fear or pride intervene.
See also: The Nature of Regret
Failure to express love or gratitude and an unwillingness to apologize for our words or actions are perhaps most closely tied to future regret. How ironic that we humans, set apart from "lower" animals by our linguistic skills, should endure anguish due to their underuse or misuse.
Fortunately, we often have the opportunity to undo our failure to communicate, unless, of course, fear or pride intervene.
See also: The Nature of Regret
