I've thought about similar things, having just started my studies in a new field. You did with a great deal more thought and finesse than me in my head though. Thanks!
I try not to dwell on this too much as it obviously does not help and only brings me down, but I do kind of regret my first career choice. It provided me with a very secure and very well paid job in respected field, and should keep me financially secure and easily employed even if things don't work out well in this new endeavour. However I find very little passion and interest there. Luckily ...
I agree pretty much with everything you said, and most of this stuff applied to me at some point in my life.
In high school and for years afterwards I was really big on powerlifting. I had a friend who I trained with, and this guy was very very hard on himself. He always seemed to push himself 100% and beyond. I was by nature more lenient to myself, but the idea of trying and going really hard got stuck to me. I did get pretty strong, sure. But also at some point I started dreading the gym. But I was afraid to quit, because I didn't want to lose my gains. I...
Back in the day I would've agreed and thought that indeed the last paragraph was prime example of political speech with nothing inside it. After recent years in politics, I wouldn't be suprised to see leaders in certain countries make a very different speech about AI. So perhaps it is indeed useful to have these kinds of speeches, just to signal that there is still reason in this world.