demotivational poster

[informantic]

Heigo Miyake 4/17 near Apprassage

Impromptu poll: Which do you actually regret most? a) The things you've done b) The things you haven't done c) Literally everything because your unparalleled ability to fuck things up renders the choices you make in regards to your actions moot Relatedly, I hate inspirational quotes.

Comments

[thesettingsun]

C. Definitely C.

[informantic]

It's probably cruel and selfish that I hope most people answer C, but I can live with that.

[odasaku]

What happened now?

[informantic]

Nothing serious. Not even anything new. I always end up in this mood after I see that obnoxious quote.

[crudest]

whoa
depressing

[informantic]

There's a reason I didn't leave space for a write-in answer.

[vitis]

huh
none of the above

[ okay even john knows that's a big fat fuckin' lie. ]

what's wrong with inspirational quotes

[informantic]

Congratulations on your achievement.

[beneathmoonlight]

Probably B.

There’s a lot of things I’ve never gotten to do.

[informantic]

[Damnit, Atsushi, don't make him feel bad by answering honestly...]

That answer makes you a good person with a lot to look forward to, as far as I can tell.

[ohrlyeh]

i'd be lying if i didn't choose C

[informantic]

You and I both, which I'm sure you gathered from the tone of my post.

It's incredible how quickly a platitude like that backfires when offered to someone who never makes the right choice.

[sharplydressed]

do i need to come deliver you a pot of coffee
we have two new ones brewing rn
fresh scones too

[informantic]

You don't need to, but since you've offered...

[vendettastool]

Actually? None of the above. Having regrets means that I'm not perfect and that's painful to think about.

[informantic]

... that's such a refreshingly unapologetic answer that I can't even be irritated by it. Well done.

[convincing]

B, I guess. I'm not getting any younger!

[informantic]

As long as you're still alive, there's still time to throw out all your better judgment and get lethally reckless!

[meowchanics]

Don't be so C on yourself. You've got a lot going for you!
For example, if everything you do is just the result of arbitrary movements of atoms, that would make your choices meaningless too! And through no fault of your own.

[informantic]

Irrelevance in the grand scheme of things is never as comforting as you seem to think.

But right now I'll take it.

[devoid]

b but it wasn't something i realized until recently
sounds like you've got a story though
feel like sharing?

[informantic]

I suspect my story is a fairly common one on this app: everyone I recognize seems to be someone I've done wrong, to the point that I wonder if Retrospec is actually a gateway to Purgatory and I'm being cleansed of my sins.

Occam's Razor dictates that I'm just an asshole, though.

[liberal_arts]

This feels like a loaded question.

[informantic]

Guilty as charged.

Will you still answer, or does that invalidate it for you? I imagine all this self-pity isn't very aesthetically pleasing.

[He's pissy atm, it's nothing personal.]

[floret]

Jamie Doh I guess C is closest, but I really don't know. There's a lot I regret, but pinpointing that to a specific action or lack of action in each instance sort of requires that I have some reason to believe that things would have turned out better if I had done (or not done) a certain thing, and that I have at least a vague idea of what that thing should have been.

[informantic]

Heigo Miyake Congratulations, Jamie, you are the first to grasp the real problem with inspirational quotations and how that flaw winds up making anyone with even baseline self-awareness feel worse.

I wish I could say there was a prize, but... you already know better than to expect one, don't you?

[diamant]

how old are you
genuine question

[informantic]

26

Is this where you inform me that I'm just a baby, a newborn really, and I'll understand when I'm older?

[infreefall]

hmm, definitely the things i haven't done.
i may just be 18 but it still feels like there's more i can do, you know?

[informantic]

[Everyone who answers this sincerely just works against his point that the expression is bullshit... but that's probably something he should consider. Just not now. He's too cranky right now.]

Ah yes, there's still an endless amount of life for the fucking up ahead of you at that age. No need to limit yourself.

[windowdressing]

B, I guess, though I don't know if regret is the right word since it's not like I had a say in most of those things.

I'll agree with you on inspirational quotes though.

[informantic]

I'd imagine the former still has a lot to do with the latter, doesn't it? When you feel powerless to have changed how things played out, being given a pat solution like this is so condescending it's infuriating.