This came up on Facebook earlier today, where someone in a writing group asked if you would rather “go back to age 6, with all of your current knowledge intact” or “have ten million dollars”?

My answer, of course, is neither. Here’s why.

I would never want to go back to a younger state. I’ve lived my life, I’ve made, at least what I think are good choices and I’m happy. I’ve been happily married for 30 years, in fact, today is my 30th wedding anniversary and I’d never change that for anything. I can’t think of any major decisions that I’ve made in life that I’d want to change. Why would I want to go back?

I think that for a lot of people living with regret, that’s what they’d want to do. Go back with the knowledge to avoid all of the stupid stuff they did. I don’t have that problem. I’m not saying I’ve never made any mistakes, there are  certainly some things that I might have done differently if I had it to do over again, but in so doing, that might have altered other decisions that would have changed outcomes and I certainly don’t want that. Our pasts are what makes us who we are today. I don’t see how going back to the past, information or no, would make me a better, happier person than I am now, so why bother?

As for the money, I don’t really need it. If you held a gun to my head and made me pick one, that’s what I’d pick, but it wouldn’t change anything. It would just be more money in the bank. Okay, whatever you say. I can really only say that because I’m at the stage that I’m at. 20 years ago, I’d have probably enthusiastically embraced that option, but today, because of the choices I’ve made in my life, I don’t really care. Keep your options. I’m really not interested.

I just find it sad how many people live with regret and failure in their lives. These are people who live a constant battle with “I should have done otherwise!” This is the point of making those intelligent decisions as you go. It’s learning those lessons early on so you don’t make those life-ruining choices throughout. It’s learning to be a rational, intelligent, educated person who can be satisfied with what they have and make the best of circumstances and maximize their opportunities moving forward. You wind up far better than the people who spent every weekend drunk, sleeping around, doing dumb things with their time and their money and winding up having nothing of substance in the end. Why don’t you have those things? Because you didn’t work for them when you had the chance. Actions have consequences. That’s the way reality works.

This is why I hope that young people are getting a decent education in fiscal and personal responsibility, which sadly, I think we all know isn’t happening, especially in modern public schools. They just teach people to be pathetically angry at everything and point their fingers at others instead of getting off of your ass and getting to work and making the success that you wish that you had. You can have it, you just have to work hard and not be satisfied with anything but excellence.

It’s very sad that the modern world doesn’t push that as part of the normal view of the world.