SPEAKING
FREELY The politics of
regret By Beverly Darling
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
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It is only
human and natural to feel regret. That is why
I was surprised to learn what US First Lady
Laura Bush said when asked how her husband had dealt
with the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Bush
claimed that neither she nor her
husband "has any regrets
about their response to the attacks ... It's a
philosophy of no regrets; in one sense, whatever
happens happens, and you have to keep moving on
and do the best you can with whatever it is."
After reading what Bush said next, "He
[President George W Bush] never looks back because
he is a realist," I decided to find out how
Webster's Dictionary defines "regret". It
is the ability to feel sorry or distressed about
something or someone, to mourn for having done the
wrong thing. It includes wishing things could be
different and the ability to remember with a
feeling of loss or sorrow. Such qualities as
humility, sympathy and introspection are also
associated with regret.
It is no surprise,
then, that US history is filled with individuals
and presidents who had private and public regrets.
Theodore Roosevelt regretted making a statement
that he would not run for office in 1908. Woodrow
Wilson was disappointed that the US Senate did not
pass the League of Nations Treaty. Herbert Hoover
had misgivings about not responding adequately to
the Great Depression. Franklin D Roosevelt, Harry
S Truman and Dwight Eisenhower regretted the loss
of lives during World War II and the Korean War.
John F Kennedy regretted ordering the failed Bay
of Pigs invasion of Cuba and even appeared on
national television apologizing to the American
people.
Lyndon B Johnson deeply agonized
over the Vietnam conflict. His wife, Lady Bird
Johnson, later said that seeing young Americans
return in body bags deeply affected and troubled
him. Richard M Nixon regretted the Watergate
scandal and for "giving his enemies a sword to
fall upon". Jimmy Carter felt distress each day
the US/Iran hostage crisis was prolonged. Ronald
Reagan was sorrowful over Contragate, while George
H W Bush regretted having to raise taxes after he
promised he would not. Even Nathan Hale, the
Revolutionary War patriot and hanged spy, said
before his death, "I regret that I have but one
life to lose for my country."
Psychologist
Jeanna Bryner claims researchers have located an
area in the brain that immediately alerts us of an
impending mistake so we do not repeat it. In fact,
the brain reacts to mistakes even before they get
processed consciously. Roy Baumeister, a
sociologist, has completed an interesting study
and has discovered that when a person is the
victim of a wrongful act, he or she describes it
as inexplicable, senseless and immoral, and
causing lasting damage. However, if the same
person is a perpetrator of similar acts, he or she
views it as causing only brief pain and
justifiable or something that could not be avoided
In saying all of this, can regret be a
positive virtue, and is it needful in relating to
others and making correct decisions? Regret
reminds us that we are human and our decisions
finite and sometimes incorrect. Regret enables us
to adjust to tragedy and change course when
mistakes have occurred. It is the opposite of
self-righteousness and moral superiority, which
prevents us from sympathizing with others. It can
also help us make meaning out of the present and
identify past mistakes so we do not repeat them in
the future. I sometimes wonder if our narcissistic
and highly self-centered collective political
culture has diminished or can make someone unlearn
a virtue like regret.
Remember when a
reporter asked President Bush to recall his
biggest mistake? He replied, "I hope I - I don't
want to sound like I've made no mistakes. I'm
confident I have. I just haven't - you just put me
under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on
my feet as I should be in coming up with one."
Later when asked about mistakes over weapons of
mass destruction, postwar planning in Iraq, and
warding off September 11, he blamed the country
for not being on a war footing and him listening
to General Tommy Franks.
If regret is a
learned behavior, here are some events that Bush
may want to reflect upon:
Ordering the US
invasion and occupation of Iraq before United
Nations weapons inspectors could complete their
job, and then calling the war a "crusade", which
was offensive to most Muslims. The thousands of
Iraqis who have been killed and the 2 million
Iraqi refugees. Saying "mission accomplished", and
then watching 3,600 US troops die. Saying that
30,000 Iraqis, more or less, had been killed and
then calling on Iraq - a Muslim country - to
pattern its government after Israel - a Jewish
nation. After six years, finally trying to resolve
the Palestinian/Israeli issue.
Being at a
Republican fundraiser while dead bodies were
floating in New Orleans. Saying that health
insurance is no big deal and people have health
care in the US by just going to an emergency room.
An endless amount of troop surges, the increase in
civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
the strengthening of al-Qaeda and Taliban
fighters. Failing to capture Osama bin Laden.
But unfortunately, Mr and Mrs Bush are not
alone in saying they have no regrets. The United
States, with its preoccupation of self and overly
narcissistic culture, has created an entire
government and society that appear to be suffering
from a lack of remorse. Just as some believe they
are above the rule of law, others feel they are
beyond regret. They know no boundaries to, nor
have any regrets about, their dominant ideologies
and their effects. Maybe this explains the
inability of us Americans to deal with and work
with other nations and cultures in bringing about
peace with justice.
When Lyndon B Johnson
was sworn into office aboard Air Force One en
route to Washington, DC, from Dallas after John F
Kennedy's assassination, he said, "Our
institutions cannot be interrupted by an
assassin's bullet." No, but they can be
interrupted and destroyed by a president, a
congress, and a nation that has not learned the
politics of regret. Perhaps this is the kind of
reality we desperately need.
Beverly
Darling received her master's degree in
theology and her bachelor's degree in history and
philosophy. She currently teaches US and world
history and works with at-risk youth. She also
served in a Guatemalan refugee camp and has
traveled throughout Mexico, Panama and Canada. For
several years she ministered to the urban poor and
rural populations of the US.
(Copyright 2007 WorldNews.com.)
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say. Please click hereif you are interested in
contributing.
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