The Power of Regret

Most Americans don’t handle regret well. Positive thinking, a forward-looking culture and an almost compulsive sense of innocence have fueled economic progress and technological innovation – but these traits also contribute to Americans’ deep discomfort with negative emotions. Don’t look back, don’t dwell, don’t wallow.

In recent years, however, Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements have impelled many Americans to reckon with the sins of the past – both societal and personal. Amid this changing moral landscape, a refusal to examine your own ill-advised past choices begins to sound conscienceless.