On Not Doing What You Could Do
I share in Rothman’s recognition of what I have elsewhere called "the human problem of unactualized possibilities."
What’s this problem?
Each of us could be doing things we are not doing now. Some of us (myself included) have a strong sense that we might have taken different worthwhile lifepaths, such as other careers. Thankfully, I’m quite content with my chosen line of work and prefer it to all rivals, but I could have selected and practiced other valuable vocations. In my college days, I thought I might focus on philosophy or become a novelist, essayist, historian, or lawyer.
I chose the first option. My decision ruled out a sufficiently dedicated pursuit of any alternative. It is not feasible to practice all five areas simultaneously. Each moment spent working in one – say, arguing a case in court – is a moment not spent in another, such as writing a novel. No one can do both at the same time; such ‘multitasking’ is a myth. The attorney who crafts his novel while contending his case might well find himself in contempt.
Perhaps one can argue in court in the morning, narrate novel-wise during lunch, hit a bit of historiography in the afternoon, and write philosophy or teach a class in the evening. But to become excellent in one of these areas, one must focus on it only (or at least primarily) for many years. It is not open to us humans to become seasoned practitioners in a multitude of complicated endeavors - at least not in this life. We lack the wherewithal in terms of time, energy, etc.
And yet many of the possibilities we leave unactualized would have contributed value to the world had we actualized them.
I discuss the matter in more detail here: