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Based on my observations (so anecdotal probably), it seems that being happy doesn't depends on what you did in the past or what you intend your future to be, bu
by wiether 5y ago
Based on my observations (so anecdotal probably), it seems that being happy doesn't depends on what you did in the past or what you intend your future to be, but what you're doing now.
Looking bad at your younger self won't make you happy.
Looking with envy at your older self won't make you happy.
Regarding your comment, I've never found someone saying "I wish I did things differently" and being happy. The sheer fact that they spend time regretting their past shows that their present self is not fulfilled.
- staticassertion 5y agoI agree. There's also a difference between happiness, fulfillment, and "a good life" for many people. I can be happy playing video games and relaxing, but maybe not fulfilled. I can work hard on interesting problems and feel fulfilled, but if that's all there is in my life I wouldn't say I lived well. Confronted with death we look to our past for comfort. We're about to experience a total loss of everything and so, naturally, we search for meaning - "it can't have all been for nothing". That's why the "death bed" thought experiment is interesting but also probably not the right way to frame things. It forces you to question life's intrinsic meaning and value but you should also think about how you feel right now, regardless of death or meaning or value.