Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Book Summary | The Top Five Regrets of Dying - Bronnie Ware


One of the widely circulated message on WhatsApp and other social media was "The  Top Five Regrets of the dying".  Many might have read or checked the video messages on this. The author has captured the regrets of the lives, while working as caretaker to few of the aged people.  Based on these interactions with an emotional connect with these elderly people, the author was able to identify the following are the Top Regrets that were made before dying; 

Regret 1 : Wish I 'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me 

Regret 2 : I wish I hadn't worked so hard 

Regret 3 : I wish I 'd had the courage to express my feeling

Regret 4 : I wish I'd stayed in touch with my friends 

Regret 5 : I wish I had let myself be happier 


Generically, all these regrets are applicable to everyone. The author had identified these regrets as she was employed to take care of them. The collective memories of good and bad is experienced between birth and death and on the death bed regretting for the past may not yield anything. However may be the authors intension is to mend others, by sharing the experiences from the past. 

The society that we live has different demographics - rich and poor, young and old, married and unmarried, men and women etc. Apart from one regret that the author had identified as top 5, these demographics regrets may be different. Times, I wonder if the author had an opportunity to interview and provide care to the middle class and poor people there may be more inspiring stories on life lessons than regrets, as everyday it was an struggle and next day is the only hope. 

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