In the recent Miss Universe 2012, Ms. USA was asked with the question, “Do you regret something you have done in the past?” Her answer was dwindling, but in the end it turned out that she doesn't regret anything. Some other night, while having a discussion about my realizations on my situation, my “Jonathan”-friend asked me a synonymous question, “May pinagsisisihan ka ba?” I answered her firmly with a “No” answer, “Wala akong pinagsisisihan.”
I can still remember one of my favourite quotes from my Philippine Literature teacher, “You don't regret what you did; You regret what you have not done.” This statement is quite valid for me. Most of the time people say, “Ay sana eto na lang ginawa ko.” Let's be more specific. After failing an exam, most of the students would have the tendency to say, “Ay sayang, konti na lang papasa na ako.” Those were the immediate reactions that people do to recent event or action. But, after a certain period of contemplation, scrutinizing the what if's and what should be done to prevent repetition of such occurrence, a lesson must be learned and treasured in yourself.
If one regrets the things he have done in his past, he will be running in circle, and list of similar events would not be ended. So, how can you break the cycle and truly justify a “No” or “nothing” answer to the question, “Do you regret something you have done in the past?”? This is by admitting that you committed a mistake (That includes contrition and contemplation for a short period of time. How short is short, you may ask? That depends on your character, putting your determination in the spotlight.), learning a lesson from that mistake and having an optimistic disposition and appreciating what's in the present. Add to that, this process shouldn't be done repetitively with the same mistake. Accept the past. Live the present. Prepare for the future. Each of us is a sinner, no one lives a firm righteous life. At some point one have committed a mistake, but we can live towards the righteous path by harbouring the lessons we have drawn from these mistakes.
To elaborate my answer to my friend's question, here's my detailed response:
“No, I have no regret at all. I am not saying that I'm self-righteous nor Ms. Goody Two-shoes. You are aware how sinner I am. I've gone through contrition and contemplation. I've committed a lot of mistakes, maybe more than what you have known by now. But through this mistakes, I was able to learn lessons, real-life lessons that cannot be sufficiently learned from books and novels. Fiction and real-life stories read and told have inspired me, but it didn't give me the actual impression being in that kind of position, compared to the view I had while reading and listening, and the view of the character in the story I read and heard. Through hard knocks, similar to practical examinations in laboratory subjects given by professors, it allows us to determine how good are we in the application of our acquired theories. Without those hard knocks, I wouldn't know how strong or weak I have become up to that point. My real-life experiences test the stability of the character I have built, and that includes my trust in God, dignity, integrity and pursuit of certain tenets that I have acquired through tales told, obscure memories, institutions and other people. Committing mistakes means that one lacks of something, and that absence can be filled if one has a desire for transformation, a character transformation. I committed mistakes, and I am determined to be a totally transformed person. I am not proud nor ashamed of my mistakes, but I am humble to share the lessons and morals I got from this school of hard knocks called life if one would want to. Through these mistakes, I was also able to know people from different colours and shades, stretch my character and get out of my comfort zone. It made my maturity grew, pushes me to be considerate and desire to nurture and inspire people through nurturing myself. Also, with these mistakes, I am able to and continuously develop my character, become stronger and finally, I found in God the kind of love, care, strength and happiness I've been longing for. I highly appreciate who I have become right now, and I give all the credits to our Almighty God. Comparing myself before I made those mistakes, I'm really different from my old self, much better than before. My confidence now to the era called 'future' have increased, with my faith in the promise of God that He is preparing something good for me in the near future, and everything that happened in the past, happening here in the present and will occur in the future are part of His design. All I need to do now is to accept the past, live the present and prepare for the future.”
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