New Yorkers reveal their biggest regrets by writing them on a blackboard
A chalkboard stood in New York City, asking people to write down their greatest regret. Remarkably, almost all the regrets had one thing in common: they were about a chance not taken; a dream not pursued. Even research shows that we regret the things we didn’t do much more than the things we did do.
The clip, produced by A Plus, shows the board hung up on a fence outside Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Park in Brooklyn, New York City with the instruction, ‘Write your biggest regret,’ written across the top.
The chalkboard was up for one whole day and was filled with multi-colored tales of regret by the end of the day.
‘I regret all the time I wasted, not saying “yes” to things,’ says one woman, while another claims she ‘did all the things that were, like, plan B.
Failing to follow dreams seems to be one of the most common regrets among those who choose to write on the board, with one young lady in a winter hat with cat ears lamenting how she wishes she had followed her artistic ambitions.
‘I wanted to do so many things, but I could never seem to find the time,’ she says.
On the other hand, many of those walking by would rather write about their past relationships, such as one person who wishes they had been a better friend, while another wishes that they’d had children before their father passed away.
But in a symbolic gesture, the filmmakers then give the people who had written on the board erasers, and they go about erasing the words from the board.
‘A clean board feels like where I wanna be. Where I wanna go,’ says one young woman, looking over the clean blackboard, appearing on the edge of tears. ‘It’s hopeful.’
The message behind this social experiment encourages a feeling of confidence. It reminds us that there are always going to be new opportunities that won’t lead to regret… if we take the chance.
So don’t miss out. Go. Try. Do! Let’s avoid regret today!
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/R45HcYA8uRA
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3421536/Chances-not-taken-words-not-spoken-dreams-never-pursued-New-Yorkers-reveal-biggest-regrets-world-writing-chalkboard-posted-street.html
- https://www.inspiremore.com/biggest-regret/
- https://www.happify.com/hd/people-write-biggest-regrets/
- https://stephgrossman.com/2016/02/29/whats-your-biggest-regret/
- https://readloud.net/
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