In my opinion, repentance is an attempt to repoint a mistake. However, I see no reason why one should necessarily repent for their mistakes. Indeed, in certain situations it would be more beneficial to ignore the mistake rather than spend time and energy on remorse about something that cannot be repaired.
For example, if one of my limbs is cut off from a piece of machinery (a saw perhaps), I could spend time regretting the loss of that limb, or alternatively my body would be able to regenerate the lost limb and thus no damage would have been done.
Of course, I can understand the feeling of regret that people have when they make a mistake or do something incorrectly, but there is no reason to feel remorse for something that has already happened.
I feel that it is more important to focus on the future than dwell on the past, because we cannot change what has passed. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and make sure they do not happen again.
In my opinion, one should not be too concerned with repentance for mistakes that have already been made. Rather than focus on past misdeeds we should put our energy into ensuring that mistakes are not repeated in the future.
I feel that repentance is a waste of time. I believe one should learn from their mistakes rather than feeling remorse for them.
For many years I have pondered this question, from a philosophical standpoint. It would seem that the answer to my own question is yes, there are certain things we may repent for. For example, if one were to murder someone and then execute them in retribution, it is probable that the murderer should regret his or her actions as they resulted in demotion of his or her agency status relative to their victim (assuming their executioner had more authority than them). However, this does not necessarily mean they will express repentance through changing behavior subsequently.
At this point in my life, I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of repentance. The first type is when we regret our previous behavior or actions and seek forgiveness from those whom we wronged (or from God if you believe in such a deity). This sort of repenting does not require changes in behavior following initial regret. For example, one may realize he has murdered an innocent person and feel deep remorse for his action without subsequently ceasing murder.
The second type of repentance is when we actively seek to change our behavior in the future from that which led us to regret. This sort of repenting requires a subsequent change in behavior, such as ceasing murder after realizing one's previous murders were morally unjustifiable.
It seems that repentance is a concept used to denote the action of performing an act and then undertaking some form of regret, either for having done it or for not doing it. This can be seen as a positive thing, although I'm not convinced that this necessarily makes sense. In my mind, we cannot know if something will have been better until after its completion.
If one has done wrong, then they should make amends for it. So this concept is relatively straight-forward in my mind. However, I do not see the need to repent something which has not yet occurred.
But, one could argue that the mere knowledge of something bad which may occur is repentance in itself. However, this would be irrational. If I were to know beforehand that there was a 100% chance of me being severely injured or killed, then it would make sense for me to repent for my actions.
On the other hand, if someone had a choice between two actions, and one was more likely to result in death, then I do not see why repentance is required when they choose the action which brings less risk of fatality.
Now, repentance is often used in a religious sense. If I am a Christian and I do not repent for my sin, then it is said that God the Father will cast me into eternal fire. Although this seems to have merit from a human perspective, it does not make much sense when looked at objectively.
If someone has been stealing and is caught by a police officer, then they should repent of their actions. But if the thief knows that he will be caught again because human laws are in place to prevent such activity, then there is no reason for him to repent.
I feel that repentance is a rather simple concept, while repointing requires judgement and wisdom to implement. Repentance itself can be achieved through an understanding of what you have done wrong.
This is all well and good, but this does not address the root of what has caused you to repent. Repointing must be done with that in mind.
To repent is to be sorry for what you have done wrong, but repointing must be with the intent to address the cause of your wrongdoings.
The words are simple, but the meaning changes. It is not as if you would repent for a crime or mistake that was made, but rather you would return it to its original state and place.
An example of repentance is changing your mind, or thinking the way you think about a topic. If someone were to give me an opinion I would consider it and then make my own decision based on that.
For example, if you are a man who likes a woman and is constantly flirting with her, and then one day she says 'no' to your advances because she already has someone else. You would feel rejection by the woman and would not want to be rejected again.
You would then repent from your mistakes and stop trying to flirt with this woman.
While repentance is not always a significant event, it does show the ability to change and learn from mistakes.
So repentance is to return something to its original state, whether that be a person's thoughts or actions.
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