I've always regretted my college life

I used to run long distances when I was in middle and high school, but I wasn't fast.
Recently, there are a lot of videos explaining running on YouTube.
If I had this kind of knowledge when I was a student, I think I would have been able to set a better record.
I think that's because I'm smarter now than I used to be.
The fact that you regret your college days is probably proof that you've grown and smarter than you were back then.
However, there was no YouTube when I was in middle school, so in the end, that was my ability at that time.
The math teacher I was indebted to said, “Anyone can think logically and do calculations. However, I was told, “The calculation results are just different because the information on the assumptions to be considered is different.”
That information was all I had when I was in middle school.
So if I get back to the same information and same situation, I should give the same answer again.
Doesn't everyone do that?
The judgment from time to time was the correct one in that situation and information.
Buddhism explains that my past self and my current self are actually like others (both body and mind are replaced by metabolism).
Since they have inherited stored data, they just misunderstood that they are the same person.
Since you are installing and using the memory data (knowledge) of college students from a few years ago, now you can be smarter than that college student.

Nice to meet you. I read your concerns in depth. I understand very well the feeling of wanting to make up for lost time. However, from a monk's point of view, your college life is definitely not a “failure.” Rather, it's a very natural and splendid walk.

The first thing I want to tell you is that I don't want you to get too caught up in the illusion of an “ideal college student” created by the media. The fact that I have 2 friends that I can keep in touch with even now is actually very rich and blessed. Friendships are not “numbers.” Also, the essence of a university is a “place to learn.” The fact that you completed your studies under difficult circumstances and graduated successfully should greatly affirm yourself.

Just as there is a saying “ten people are ten colors,” there are a lot of differences in the path of life and the way relationships are formed. There's absolutely no need to belittle yourself compared to the memories of your peers. You are now building good relationships with people around you as a member of society. It's your own charm, which has blossomed brilliantly since you went out into society.

The fact that you can't find a place you think “if it were here” right now is simply the timing of a “relationship.” Relationships are about meeting nature when the time is ripe, so there's no need to be impatient.

As for re-entering university, it's a great choice if you have a clear goal of “I want to learn this in depth.” However, if the only purpose is to “redo youth” from the past, you will be chasing past illusions, and it will be difficult to fill the gaps in your heart.

There is a Zen word called “back and forth (zengosaidan).” It means not regretting the past, not worrying about the future, and simply living “here and now.” Instead of being overly caught up in the past, try living your present as a “single member of society” with care first. Nurture the work in front of you and your current relationships with care. By making your present shine, you will surely find a job suitable for you and a good “relationship” for a relationship. Your life will expand as richly as you want from now on.

Worship
Engiji Temple Shakujo

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event in my long life.
Apart from those who have passed away or are suffering from sequelae, I think the biggest victims are people who lived through a period of raging youth.
I know many young people who paid high tuition fees, took classes online, and graduated with almost no trip to campus.
Maybe this analogy isn't appropriate; they seem like people who happened to reach youth during the Pacific War and were sent to the battlefield.
I understand very well your desire to start over in college.
However, the hands of the clock cannot be rewound.
It's great that you're currently social and willing to step into the circle of people.
Maybe that's because of the difficult experiences I had in college.
There may certainly be experiences that can only be done during college, but similarly, there are experiences that can only be done at age 24.
Please live now to the fullest, enjoy it, and create more memories than you would have had in a normal college life.

Everyone at least once feels like they want to go back to those days just the way they are now. There are plenty of dramas and comics with stories like that, aren't there?
Things about an ideal college life are depicted in dramas and anime, but I wonder if there are almost no people living such an ideal campus life. ('- `*)
Moreover, that is also the author's desire. the author didn't live that kind of life.
If it existed, what would it be?
Is it possible to keep an eye on that person's hidden personality and personality every day to know the reality?
If that was a successful experience, what would it be like now? What about after that?
What happened after that is what that person is now. You, that guy, and that person too.
No matter how glorious their lives were in the past, eventually everyone becomes an elderly person and lives while being supported.
So, you should make good use of this moment.
Because what are you doing using the present. ('👄 `*)
You're just replaying the past.
If you say I wasted my time in college, that replay and regret is the best thing. (I'm not saying crap.) However, if you don't put it that harshly, you'll continue to use the card where you shine the most (✨ time ✨), which you can shine the most now. (I'm not saying anything)
Smart people are people who can shine now.
My friend, a hippopotamus, has just arrived at Moteki. (I'm in my 70s, though)
The other day, I was surrounded by 7 or 8 girls from the meeting and they were being lifted up. (The girls are in their 60's to 80's too, though)
Hippos are heavy. But they can be picked up by people of the opposite sex. 🦛

In the sayings of TKG tamago kake gohan, a perverted hermit who lives deep in the mountains of India in Saitama prefecture, Tange adage proverb
There is a theory, “People say they haven't done anything or done a big deal, but at that time, that person chose not to do that big thing because they wanted to do it.”

In other words, even though you were probably like that back then, you chose what you wanted to do at that time.
They said they were defensive and defensive.
That's a very good thing.
Flirtatious, not being too active, and an attitude of facing oneself are also attractive to people. It's about meeting people who think that humble way of life is good.
Well then, now that everything is included, take care of it.

I think they have too much of an image of youth for “experiences that can only be obtained when they are in college.”

Certainly, it was a pity that the COVID-19 pandemic hit when I was in college. It would be frustrating to feel like you were robbed of your school days, and wouldn't it have been even more different without this? Not only the environment, but also your relationships and your relationships weren't all part of college life.

A lot of things happen in life. Unexpected things will continue to happen in your life. It might be easier to think that this world is like that.
Also, since it's such a timing, I'm sure you've experienced it. Online has also progressed. No matter what the situation is, searching for a way to connect is another experience.

My kids, like you, have gone through the COVID-19 pandemic. School, clubs, entrance exams, and graduation were all in the midst of COVID-19, and unfortunately, no events were held. Even so, they have made steady progress in the next environment, accepted reality, and deepened their connection.

College isn't the only way to be young. I myself haven't experienced any so-called “college student-like youth,” such as oars, training camps, trips, etc. That's because college was busy. I wasn't able to get a national qualification for teaching practice, and I wasn't able to do many part-time jobs. Even so, it's the employment ice age generation, so I'm already desperate. I wasn't able to play around enjoying my youth during my college life.
Well, I can't help feeling a grudge against the times I lived in or the path I chose, and that is also a good memory.

Even if you regret it, you can't turn back time, can you? If you regret it, let's create the youth you imagine in the future while keeping this moment in your memory one by one.

A life where you can make your life memorable no matter how old you are. I want to keep getting my hands on it without giving up.